Instagram’s New Favourite Hashtag, #WFHFit, Is Proof That We Can Use Fashion To Feel Better

Working from home brings with it myriad of distractions and challenges: posture, navigating video conference calls, carving a viable workspace among all those loo rolls you stockpiled. The fridge! If you live with people, how can you ensure you’ll still want to be living with them in a couple of weeks? If you live alone, how can you ward off a full blown existential crisis by 11AM? The struggle is real, people!

Luckily, there is one thing you can control when WFH: your clothes (one should be grateful for any morsel of agency in these truly unsettling, unpredictable times).

So what should you be wearing? Well, start by wearing something. Anything. The power of getting up and getting dressed is not to be underestimated. ‘Dressing is a daily ritual, setting you up for the day and putting you in the right mindset,’ says the designer Rejina Pyo, who’s currently wearing slip-on mules and a knit skirt for her working days.

‘The face we put on to the outside world is the one that makes us ‘feel’ our value. So when you just roll out of bed, ‘forget’ to shower and spend three solid 24hr periods in your PJs, you start to feel that worth slipping away,’ agrees the author and journalist Katherine Ormerod. ‘As a long-time freelancer who works from home every day, I can say how important it is for my mental health to shower, put on my jewellery and perfume and wear something you wouldn’t be ashamed to be seen outside in’.

Making an effort, however small, is a statement of intent. Sure, the prospect of spending an indefinite amount of time confined to your house might result in the temptation go full hangover-slob, but remember: there should be as much emphasis on the work as the from home. You’re more likely to feel work-ready in something softly tailored – like a fluid cotton shirt or a loose blazer – than you are a stained tracksuit and no bra. (Side note: tops should have acquired new hero status in the WFH age. With all those video calls, they are the easiest indicator to your colleagues and clients that you’re still a fully functioning, professional grown-up. Browns’ buying director Ida Petersson also recommends earrings: ‘For any business video calls over I am a personal fan of a statement earring which allows me to still look the part – the bolder the better. Alison Lou, Anissa Kermiche, Ashley Williams and Alessandra Rich are all great investments!’).

And you don’t necessarily need to forego shoes either. ‘Working from home is an evolving concept right now,’ says Gogoluxe founder Ramya Giangola, who’s WFH in Los Angeles. For her it means kaftans with oversized old Céline sweaters ‘and thick cashmere socks and Birkenstocks with every look!’ Daisy Hoppen, founder of DH-PR and one of London’s busiest women, is using this WFH period to her advantage. ‘I’m using this time to break in shoes with thick socks that I know would usually take some time to fit me properly. Perfect for helping with that step count also!’

That’s not to say you can’t indulge in a bit of comfort. Heaven knows we need all the coddling we can get right now. ‘I think it is important when working from home to start your day getting ready as you normally would,’ says Matchesfashion.com’s fashion and buying director, Natalie Kingham. ‘That being said, it is an opportunity to dress in a more relaxed way than usual’. She loves the elevated essentials from Toogood and Lauren Manoogian. If in doubt, make a beeline for cashmere. ‘A cashmere outfit is the perfect WFH outfit; it's cosy, elegant and comfortable,’ says Mali Marciano of Le Kasha (the brand’s Kenya cashmere tracksuit is the WFH dream). ‘It's about balance. I love to be comfortable but not feel like I'm in pyjamas either’. ‘Swathing yourself in softness, without forgetting style, is a fashion reminder to be kind to yourself,’ says Natalie Hasseck, co-founder and creative director of clothing rental brand Onloan who turns to printed silk trousers and great cardigans when WFH. She also advises you go in for colour. ‘Colour carries energy and it’s important to dress for a mood we are hoping to channel’.

What’s interesting about isolation-induced dressing in the age of Instagram is that our behind-closed-doors looks have become a thing (check out the highly entertaining, newly launched Instagram account @wfhfits for inspiration from home offices, sofas and bedrooms across the world – it turns out Covid-19 has no effect on our desire to selfie). So why not forget the rules and have fun with it? Throw on a cocktail dress, just because, as Ganni’s Head of PR Alexandra Bernadini, currently working from home in Copenhagen, does. ‘These are really weird times. I found myself this morning wanting to wear gym clothes and a cocktail dress all at once. The result was just that: a Ganni LBD, running tights and Miu Miu ballerinas. Slightly confused dressing for highly confusing times. At the end of the day I think it’s all about getting dressed everyday and feeling good about yourself’.

Remember, the pieces that spark joy shouldn’t be saved for a public outing. You need them now! ‘Wearing your favourite things will help cheer you up,’ says Shrimps’ Hannah Weiland. ‘I got a pair of Sophie Bille Brahe pearl earrings for my 30th birthday and I've been wearing them with most of my work from home outfits. They make me feel happy when I get a glimpse of them in the mirror while washing my hands (which is a lot!)’.

The final golden rule of WFH dressing, is to pay equal attention to RAH dressing (that’s relaxing at home). ‘Use clothes to draw a line between work time and you time,’ says the designer Olivia von Halle, whose silk pyjamas are the ultimate you-time indulgence. ‘Having a ritual to end the day is just as important as having one to begin it’. That feeling of taking off your bra and makeup, letting your hair down, and slipping into something (even more) comfortable? Turns out it just as sweet when WFH.

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