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Notes on mastering office-appropriate summer style

Bardot dress, £1260, Stella McCartney.com: Stella McCartney
Bardot dress, £1260, Stella McCartney.com: Stella McCartney

Ah summer. The season of bottomless rosé, alfresco dining and… sweating it out in the office?

Because regardless of what your social feed may lead you to believe, not everyone London has the luxury of transplanting themselves and their laptop to a Soho House sun lounger every time the mercury creeps above a balmy 20 degrees.

Over the coming months, when the term hotdesking takes on an entirely new complexion, it’s not just your social life which requires strategic management, but your wardrobe too. Because while the majority of the clothes currently hanging on rails across the high street may be weather appropriate, they’re also often far more suited to a beer garden than the boardroom.

So what makes the perfect office sun dress? One which will leave you cool on your commute, comfortable under the office air con and capable of turning heads for the all right reasons?

While it may seem like an impossible task while you’re elbow-deep in piles of denim cut-offs and see-through kaftans, there are a few simple rules to keep in mind to ensure your professionalism doesn’t go out of the window this summer — even if that’s where your mind is.

Poplin dress, £39.99, Zara. Shop it here
Poplin dress, £39.99, Zara. Shop it here

Do take cover

No matter how you slice it, armpits are best kept off the office agenda. Swap your spaghetti straps for sleeves with a bit of flair — or rather, flare. On the fashion pulse, with the added bonus of being well ventilated, an elbow-length flute sleeve is an easy, breezy solution.

Do stay natural

Summer is no time for synthetic material. Instead, keep your cool in 100 per cent cotton. LA-export Joie, which specialises in everyday staples in only the purest fabrics, is the go-to for effortlessly stylish dresses which are lightweight enough to handle the heat.

Don’t be a novelty

We’re all for a polka dot or fabulous floral but ice cream cones and flamingos might be a step too far where office-appropriate prints are concerned. If you want to be taken seriously, dial down the novelty factor with something more classic, like the deckchair-stripe wrap dress from insider favourite Caramel.

Printed dress, £290, Joie
Printed dress, £290, Joie

Do show a little leg

…emphasis on the “little”. If you’re going to wear a kaftan to the office, ensure it falls somewhere below the knee and above the ankle to ensure you don’t end up looking like you’ve stumbled straight off the beach. Plus, the opportunities for swishing opportunities are numerous and intensely satisfying.

Do go boldly

Summer and colour go together like Aperol and spritz. But that doesn’t mean embracing brights are not still a phenomenally terrifying prospect. Navy-clad novices should ease themselves in one shade at a time, instead of attempting to incorporate the entire rainbow in one outfit. See Zara and Arket for sunshine yellow styles, Samantha Cameron’s label Cefinn for options in emerald and Mango for everything else.

Don’t forget, off-the-shoulder is not off-limits

… at least, not if it’s designed by Stella McCartney. The capital’s queen of laid-back luxury has taken the clavicle-baring holiday staple and given it a city-slick face lift, reworked in black taffeta with confident puff-sleeves for a look that’s anything but basic beach.

Don’t be a (flip) flop

The effect of even the most cool and collected summer office ensemble can be ruined by the undignified slap of a pool slide. Madrid-based sandal label Goya is a good corporate alternative, with its signature slingback flats, available in suede to shearling, revealing just a peep of toe so you don’t need to add a pedicure to the top of your to-do list.