How to Transition from Lounge Wear to Work Wear

As more and more people are getting vaccinated, companies are feeling more comfortable with letting their employees come back into the office.  With the major rush of going back, most people are wondering how to transition from their comfy sweats to their structured work pants.  The most common question that I get regarding going back into the office is,

“How can I transition from loungewear to workwear?“

Let’s face it, it’s been over a year of comfortable loungewear, and you just don’t want to give that up yet.  For me, I’ve been back in the office since July 2020.  This is only because I work in healthcare and have patients that I see daily.  As a front liner, I’ve had to go back in the office so people have been asking me how I made the transition from comfy clothes back to structured clothes.  Check out my recommendations below.

Lightweight clothing

Since we’re in the summer months, I like to wear more lightweight clothing such as cotton.  It’s a more breathable fabric so a little bit more comfortable than the structured button-down and pants look.  I also prefer dresses since it’s an easy one-piece outfit that you don’t have to think about.  Another part of returning to the office is making sure that your outfits look cohesive as well as are comfortable.

While working from home, I would pull any top and sweatpants together without caring if it matched or not.  Putting outfits together after a while can be daunting so choosing a dress over other options helps relieve that anxiety.  If you’re not a dress person then any comfortable cotton pants and the appropriate top is also a good way to transition back into the office.

Maxi Dresses

Maxi dresses are super comfortable and can look professional by adding a blazer to them.  In this case, I would also opt for a cotton maxi dress – the breathable fabric will feel like your sweatpants are still hugging you.   Any structured blazer works for this type of outfit but makes sure you can move your arms around comfortably.  You want to make sure that there is still lots of range of motion in your arms when wearing a nicely structured blazer.  Both of the clothing options in this type of outfit, give you get the comfort of a dress and breathable fabric yet the structured look of a blazer. 

Comfy pants and top

For this outfit, you can stretchy pants or leggings (if it’s acceptable at your workplace).  The material of the pants will be the closest material to your beloved sweatpants.  Stretchy pants and leggings also have a good range of motion for your legs and don’t make you feel limited when you’re walking around the office.  The transition from sweatpants to stretchy pants or leggings will be so seamless that you’ll feel as if you still have them on. 

I always love to pair leggings with a long top to work – to be work-appropriate.  I’ve showcased a couple of my favorite outfits that I have wearing leggings below.  However, not all are work-appropriate, but I wanted to use them as an example. 

I hope you enjoyed my list of outfits that I suggest for transitioning from loungewear to workwear.  Are you going back to the office anytime soon?  Let me know in the comments below!

Much love,