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CNBC
2 days ago
- Lifestyle
- CNBC
What 7 stylish people are wearing to the office this summer
Summer can be a tricky time to dress for work when you're battling extreme heat outside, over-active air conditioning inside and the constant battle to incorporate your personal style into your corporate looks. Not to mention, casual summer styles can be at odds with what's deemed appropriate for a professional setting. But looking sharp at work in the summertime can be done with creativity and flair. CNBC Make It spoke with seven stylish people around the country about how they're dressing for the office this summer. Winston Jones, 27, works in digital operations for a corporate fashion company in New York City. His personal style: I'm not dressing to impress anybody else or a to trend, per se, but I wear what best works with my body and makes me the most confident walking into the room. It's a little bit vintage, a little bit contemporary, but it'll always be chic and tailored. The summer trends he's looking forward to most: Bermuda shorts, especially with a nice pleat. Another is crocheted or loose knit tops. I got a really good one from SuitSupply recently; it's a V-neck sweater in a crocheted knit, so it's very loose and airy. His summer office uniform: I'm really into pop-over shirts, and I love a good crochet-knit polo shirt, which is a very European summer kind of thing. Plus a cable-knit cashmere to throw over shoulder. That office AC be pumping sometimes. I love a good pair of high-waisted trousers in a summer wool or a linen, then a pair of fun sneakers, like checkerboard Vans, or white leather shoes like a loafer. His biggest savings tip: Ebay. You can get higher-end brands with the same quality but for a fraction of the cost. I recently bought a Ralph Lauren double-breasted navy blue suit with the gold buttons for under $100. Because it's a suit separate, you can wear the top with jeans, or you can wear the pants with a different button-up shirt. You always look clean. His office fashion hot take: I'd say it's OK for men to wear certain types of sandals to the office. Your toes shouldn't be out, but if you have a fisherman sandal with socks on, or a mule, or other closed toe sandal, it gives an old Italian grandfather vibe. Keen footwear has a really nice pair with a black rubber sole. Alayna, who declined to share her last name for privacy reasons, is 33 and works in HR in Sacramento, California. How being in HR informs her workwear: The way we move in our HR is, 'If our executives were to walk in the door, would you feel comfortable talking to them in what you're wearing?' That doesn't mean I'm putting on a businesswoman costume. I just think: Do I feel that I look together enough to talk to an executive and feel confident in doing so? Her summer office uniform: I'll do a structured vest that has buttons and is more fitted. If I'm wearing a vest, I'll always have a pair of slacks on. I won't ever pair it a shorter skirt; I try to make my outfit balanced if I'm going to uncover my shoulders. Then I incorporate summer colors into my slacks, like butter yellow, pink and other pastels. I love a maxi skirt. I love a twirly dress. A dress is way less work than putting on a three-piece outfit. It is absolutely a cheat code. How to be stylish in a formal office: I like to say I bring whimsy into my cubicle. I don't like to stick to like the quote-unquote '"business" clothes. Introducing fun colors and patterns in classic silhouettes, like a colored blazer or patterned pant, is a really good way to feel a little bit more like yourself. For example, I have Dr. Martens loafers that are a Mary Jane style, but they're a little bit more edgy and feel more like me. Dominique Bird, 31, works in sales in Austin. How she developed her style: I started small: chunky boots, louder of makeup, wearing some chains for my necklaces and adding rings and belts, until it evolved into this whole aesthetic called corporate goth (inspired by social media creator Why she dresses up for work: When you show up as yourself, you show up stronger. That's going to help you combat things like imposter syndrome, stand out for the right reasons, and for me personally take up space in what's usually a male dominated industry. But, that self-expression should never come at the expense of your ability to support yourself. There are going to be times where you are in a position, or at a company, or in a role where you can't push the limits of more traditional corporate style, and that's OK. Her summer office uniform: A black midi dress in cotton or linen, black Mary Jane shoes and a belt. My favorite belt has gold chains off the side of it. Her office fashion hot take: We really need to retire the fear around distracting clothing in the office, which is almost always targeted at women. Melissa Pereira, 46, works in web operations for a luxury beauty brand in Linden, New Jersey. Her office dress code: Before Covid, we couldn't wear denim, open-toed shoes or sneakers. Now, it's more relaxed and casual denim is OK. Her denim obsession: If it's denim, I want it. I've been wearing a long denim jort or a faux leather jort with a mule or flat. Her thoughts on shorts in the office: I'm gonna say "yea." It should be at the knee or lower, and you should always keep it business appropriate with a cardigan or a button-up, so it's easy breezy at the bottom but structured and business on top. Her favorite accessory: Blue light glasses can be a fun accessory to take the outfit to the next level. But they also save your eyes on the computer. How to level up your business casual: It doesn't take too much money to be stylish. You can thrift great quality pieces. Instead of a sneaker, try a pointy flat or a mule. I love casual, but also elevate it a little for that professionalism. It should always be chic. Kiera Patterson, 31, works in advertising for a financial services company in New York City. On dressing from day to night: I'm intentional when I go shopping to find things that could work for when I'm at work and when I'm not. I hate to use the term "day to night," but technically that's what it is. Could I wear this next weekend if I switch out the top or pair them with different pants? Her summer office uniform: I have a few jumpsuits that remind me of Memorial Day or Labor Day outfits when you're at the beach and it's very flowy. I also like a summer dress or white linen pants. Because I use a wheelchair, I do have to be careful of what fits me well. So I have to find things that are more fitted at the top and looser at the bottom, or else it just looks like a bunch of like fabric. Why she dresses up for work: It's a form of showing who you are. I love thinking about what I'm going to wear the next day and if someone's going to be like, 'Where did you get this from?' then telling them the story behind the outfit or what I was thinking about. Inez Lopez, 25, is a civil engineer in Austin. His office uniform staple: Definitely my cowboy boots. I have four pairs, but my brown ones are my favorite. I like my loose-fit Docker pants to go with them. And of course, a matching western belt. A lot of us are from smaller parts of Texas, and so we're a little more cowboy, or a little more Tejano in my case. Advice to new grads: You will always, always, always get compliments on your outfit whenever you're not looking like everyone else. If you want additional pop of color without being too loud, add color in your shoes. His office fashion hot take: I love to wear my going out clothes to the office. It's just a matter making it more business appropriate by tucking it in, or if it's a Cuban collar, buttoning it up all the way. If your shirt is a little more flashy, add an undershirt for work. Meredith Heagerty, 28, is a social media manager in Harrisburg, Louisiana. How her work style has evolved: I felt a lot of pressure to buy a whole new office wardrobe when I first graduated. I had all crop tops and jeans from going out in college. I thought I had to wear trousers, loafers, blazers and collared shirts. I've ended up getting rid of most of the things I bought because it just wasn't my style. Now, I buy capsule wardrobe pieces that I can style in and outside of work. I've gotten more creative with my office outfits to make them more aligned with my personal style, which is girly, simple and classic. Her summer office uniform: I'm usually opting for a midi skirt or midi dress, and I really like to pair that with ballet flats. I'll pair that with a cardigan or a blazer over because the office is always freezing. Her savings tip: You can thrift menswear like button-ups and trousers and style it super cool for the office. There's also a lot of good brands that cater toward the younger office girly, like Old Navy and Gap and J. Crew. They have good sales to get more staple pieces new.
The Guardian
14-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
‘I didn't trust the system': lasting trauma of Windrush victim barred from UK for 10 years
Winston Jones has worked hard to rebuild his life after Home Office errors meant he was unable to return to his family in the UK for 10 years after taking a short holiday in Jamaica in 2005, enduring a decade of near destitution and homelessness in Kingston. Jones, 64, a former bakery manager at Sainsbury's, has used the money he received from the Windrush compensation scheme to set up a podcast studio and music recording unit in Manchester, working with his son to create opportunities for local young people. But he felt so traumatised by the experience of being wrongly classified as an immigration offender and locked out of the country that had been his home for 32 years that, even after the government had apologised for the Windrush scandal, he almost didn't apply for compensation. Initially, he felt too frightened to contact the Home Office to try to get documentation proving his immigration status, because he thought there was a risk he would be arrested. 'I didn't trust the system. I thought they were trying to trap me,' he said, explaining that he turned around and walked back to the train station as soon as he saw the words 'immigration centre' above the door of the building. His unease was justified. After 10 years of repeatedly being prevented by British officials from returning to his five children in the UK, Jones managed to fly home from Jamaica in 2015, having secured a temporary tourist visa. But even back in London, he struggled to resolve his immigration status. In 2017, a team of Border Force officers mounted a dawn raid on his daughter's home, where he had been visiting, hoping to arrest him as an overstayer. He was elsewhere, but officers searched his grandchildren's bedroom looking for him, terrifying the entire household. He met the migration minister Seema Malhotra on Friday, speaking for the first time about his experiences, in an attempt to persuade more people affected by the Windrush scandal to come forward to claim compensation, as the government launches a £1.5m fund to support applicants, in recognition that many may still feel very nervous about meeting Home Office staff. Jones was managing the bakery at a large Sainsbury's in Winchmore Hill in north London when he decided in 2002 to go on holiday to Jamaica. He had not travelled there, or taken a flight anywhere, since leaving Kingston in 1973 as a 13-year-old to join his mother, who was working as a nurse in the children's ward of a hospital in Stockport, and his father, who was working in the nearby iron foundries. The first time he travelled in 2002, he experienced no difficulties; the second time, he was told he would need to get a stamp in his Jamaican passport confirming that he had the right to live in the UK. When he tried to do this at the Home Office's Croydon headquarters in 2005 before a third visit, an official told him he wasn't on the computerised system. Jones explained that this was because he had arrived before computers were in use. A second official advised the first that he should go and search for Jones's file in the archives. 'He said something like: 'I haven't got time to go to the archive,'' Jones said. (These archives were later destroyed in 2010.) Instead, Jones was told (wrongly) that he would need to visit UK consular officials in Jamaica to get the paperwork in order. When he travelled there, he was unable to get an appointment at the High Commission during his booked holiday period. British Airways staff refused to let him board the flight home. Jones was told to stay in Kingston to try to get a stamp in his passport, confirming that he was a returning resident. When he managed to see them, officials requested that further documentation be sent from the UK. It took several months for his marriage certificate, son's birth certificate and his school records to be sent over. For reasons that are not entirely clear, staff told him that this was still insufficient proof and that by that point he had exceeded the number of consular appointments he was eligible for. The British officials were 'really nasty', shouted at him and suggested he might have secured the paperwork through criminal means, he said. He lost his job with Sainsbury's when he was unable to return home. 'They thought I had gone on holiday and just not come back, and they stopped taking my calls,' he said. His children, who were aged between two and 18 when he was first refused the right to return home, were living in Manchester, while he had been renting a flat in London. His flat was emptied and his car disappeared. 'I played sports all my life and I had about 90 trophies and certificates – boxing, cricket, badminton, football. It all went, everything I owned, except what I had in my suitcase,' he said. He had no family in Jamaica and so was forced to sofa surf, and sometimes had to sleep on the beach with Kingston's homeless community. 'There were low times,' he said, with powerful understatement. 'I tried to stay positive; I really hung on to a sense of hope that I would be able to return home one day.' His eldest daughter tried to find a lawyer who would offer affordable legal advice; after a decade, she found someone who told him to apply for a tourist visa and he was able to return. However, he was unable to regularise his status until the Windrush scandal became a political issue in 2018. 'I lost absolutely everything. Nine grandchildren were born while I was away. I missed my children's 16th, 18th and 21st birthdays, all the important milestones. My children suffered a lot too.' When he was stranded in Jamaica he had a recurring dream about flying home. 'The plane would always crash, that was the dream I kept having for 10 years,' he told Malhotra during the minister's visit to his Manchester studios. 'When I came back on the tourist visa, which expired after six months, that dream was reversed. I dreamed every night that I was being forced to fly back. I was a fugitive for three years; I was up on my toes ready to go.' He said victims of the scandal needed counselling as well as financial compensation for lives ruined by the Home Office's errors.
