The Style Stories Podcast · Personal Stylist Lisa Gillbe

Workwear Style Tips: How to Look Professional AND Stylish

·22 min·1 clip

A shabby gym rucksack can ruin an outfit, while a tote like the Margot changes the whole look.

Workwear can still have bite. Lisa starts from her long-running stylist lens, with the overstuffed wardrobes, old jeans drawer, and nervous style instincts she sees again and again. Then she gets useful. The point is to look professional without sanding off all your taste, and texture is the trick that keeps an outfit from feeling flat. Leather does a lot of the work. She talks through leather or fake leather trousers, leather skirts, suede, and polished separates that can go from desk to dinner without looking like a costume change. Silk keeps the look softer. A blouse on top balances the tougher bottom half and still reads polished enough for work. The blazer earns its place too. Her camel textured teddy blazer is the kind of third piece that adds character and warmth without making the outfit look busy. When it gets colder, cashmere takes over. A wool or cashmere jumper can replace the blouse and still make leather trousers or a skirt feel luxe. Then she flips the formula: silk skirt, knit on top. Not every trend makes the office cut. Lace-trimmed slip skirts may be everywhere, but she puts them closer to dinner or the weekend than a corporate setting. Context is doing a lot here. Creative workplaces can take more fashion risk; corporate professions usually need the cleaner version. Boots finish it. Ankle boots or knee-high boots under a bias-cut silk maxi skirt give the outfit shape. It feels lived-in, which helps. River Island, Jigsaw, and Anthropologie mentions keep the advice grounded in real shopping, not mood-board fantasy. She closes with community notes: her live styling and mood-boarding event at Clapham Junction on 31 January, with early bird tickets flagged until 30 November.

As heard by us

Practical office style with enough character to feel like your own clothes.

Office dressing is treated as a balance of polish and personality, and Lisa Gilby makes the case that it does not have to be an either-or choice.

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Why you'd press play

You want office outfits that feel polished, modern, and still like you.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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