In today’s workplace, ‘smart-casual’ is open to the broadest interpretation. Here, experts weigh in on whether laid-back officewear still projects professionalism. When PiChu Whitmore moved from Singapore to Tauranga four years ago, she experienced a fashion “culture shock”.
The former model turned personal stylist and owner of InVogue Styled by PiChu was surprised at how dressed-down some Kiwis are, especially in corporate settings, where she says we could “buck up”. However, she acknowledges that fashion is more expensive here. Tauranga Business Chamber CEO Matt Cowley says New Zealanders have become more “liberal” with workwear.
This could be a generational shift reflecting a younger generation of managers who lead employees and the post-Covid workplace. For some, tolerance for conformity — and discomfort — has changed post-Covid as more people work between home and the office. However, Mount Maunganui menswear store owner Mike Galvin says that fashion in New Zealand increased in casualness years before Covid.
His store, Mane, opened in 2009, and suit demand started dropping in 2016. Now, “stretch everything” is in. “Dressy track pants” that men can wear to work, chinos, and stretch denim are popular.
“A comfy pair of cotton pants instead of a stiff pair of wool trousers. More shirts untucked, no French cuff,” he says. Ans Hoyle, a former corporate banker, board trustee, and stylist from the charity Dress for Success Bay of Plenty, says yo.
