Men are ditching suits for loose pants, pricey tees, and tailored shorts in the return-to-office era

Business Insider

2 days ago

Old standards of overly polished suits have faded away.
Old photographs of businessmen or episodes of "Mad Men" show what was considered the standard uniform for men to wear to the office: stiff, tailored suits, usually made of wool and tweed.
But while the style of these outfits might translate to the modern era, with their defined silhouettes and refined aesthetics, the maintenance — starching, dry cleaning, ironing — might not be compatible with today's time economy, Hanson said.
"They look great, they look super sharp," Hanson told Business Insider. "But doing that every day seems insane now."
Instead, in the post-pandemic era, refined comfort is the name of the game.
As many organizations switched to remote work during the COVID-19 pandemic, office style was largely with work-from-home loungewear.
Now, as some companies push their employees to return to the office, employees are holding on to this comfort.
Rather than a formal trouser, more men are opting to incorporate lighter and stretchy materials into their office wardrobe, like Lululemon's ABC trousers, said Kyle Pretzlaff, a marketing manager and plus-size fashion content creator with nearly 200,000 followers on TikTok, where he shares style advice for men.
The trousers, which use sweatpant-like material, have gained popularity among those seeking office-wear comfort.
Loosely defined, "smart casual" has become the new office dress code.
Forget business casual. A new, looser dress code is on the rise.
The "smart casual" uniform can look like a pair of pleated pants, a loose-knit polo, and relaxed, unlined loafers, said Winston Jones, a NYC-based fashion content creator with over 220,000 followers on TikTok.
"It's still in the classic men's office wear, but it adds a little bit more to it, adding a little more edge or flare and spice," Jones told Business Insider.
For Hanson, smart casual looks like tucking a nice white T-shirt in wide-leg pants and wearing that along with sneakers or comfortable loafers.
As for suits, tailoring is king.
Suits still occupy an important place in professional wardrobes.
The search for comfort in office wear has brought tailoring to the forefront, helping men build a reliable closet of clothes they look and feel great in, Jones said.
"Tailoring gives people a sense of comfort and consistency, especially when you have so much freedom that it can kind of deter you from wanting to make any decisions," he said. "You can make that great initial investment in a good suit, and then you can rewear that multiple times just by making a few tweaks here and there every day, so it eliminates decision fatigue."
New, looser silhouettes are entering the office space as well.
Inspired by WFH sweatpants or pajama pants, wide-leg trousers are coming into style for men.
"Looser-fitting pants are a big thing," Hanson said. "Not the ultra baggy [pants] you get from Abercrombie or something, but just the pants that you can move in and that move with you."
This trend echoes the rise in wide-legged pants in women's fashion as well, as Gen Z workers entering the workforce move away from the distinctly millennial skinny jean.
For Jones, the rise in flared pants for men is just part of the trend of men's fashion following women's fashion.
"Whatever the girls are doing, I'm like, 'that's going to be the next cool thing," Jones said. "I think that men are a year or two behind."
Once unthinkable, shorts have also entered the conversation.
Amid summer temperatures, men are beginning to consider what was once unthinkable: wearing shorts to the office.
But the style they're going for is very specific — no 5-inch inseams, please.
"I think people are having fun with a tailored short," Pretzlaff said, referencing Doechii's 2025 Met Gala look as a source of inspiration for summer-friendly workwear.
Jones added, "If you have the appropriate length and you coordinate them properly with other pieces in your wardrobe, I do see shorts becoming more of a norm in the office."
Some are taking inspiration from pop culture.
"What's happening in pop culture is usually happening in the office," Hanson said.
For example, between fashion icons like Pedro Pascal and Jeremy Allen White's signature outfit on FX's The Bear, crisp white tees have been gaining momentum as the it look of the moment.
"They really introduced a lot of men to expensive fit T-shirts, which I'm grateful for, especially in the office place, because I think there is room for a really sleek, nice tee — that probably costs too much money," Pretzlaff said. "I love that tucked into a trouser with a nice shoe and a belt."
Some might be losing the tie, but other accessories are on the rise.
Part of feeling comfortable at the office is having the confidence of expressing your personal style, Pretzlaff said.
As some workplace dress codes loosen, more men are feeling inspired to bring their outside personalities to their office wardrobe through accessories, like scarves, belts, or glasses.
Men are looking to "slowly enter the daring space with accessories," Jones said.
"Wearing frames in the office and the different colors and funky shapes are going to be much more encouraged because it's a people-facing environment, and it's easy to break the ice with a cool outfit or cool accessories," he said.
As more return to the office and Gen Z enters the workforce, fashion experimentation might continue to rise.
While conservatism has gained cultural momentum in recent years, men's office fashion won't be returning to three-piece suits anytime soon.
"It would be crazy to see a swing like that," Hanson said. "I think everybody felt that way before — they never wanted to be that dressed up and uncomfortable."
And even if there's a rise in office style conservatism with people wanting to be more dressed up for the workplace, Jones said, men might continue to adopt accessories that hint at their personal style.
"Wanting to get dressed up is not necessarily about impressing other people, but it's about allowing other people to see what your story is by incorporating different ways you dress," Jones said.