WHY IT WORKS
The five brands to build your wardrobe around
Q I have no time to trawl around the high street – which shops should I focus on?
A If I had a pound for every time I’m asked about the best place to shop for workwear, I would be lying on a sun lounger outside my private villa in the Med. My answer? Sadly, there just isn’t one shop that suits every career, body shape and type of personal style, so you do still have to shop around. I don’t have much time (or patience) to peruse shops, so I depend on finding things online. It’s key that brands have a good edit within their workwear sections, which saves you trawling through the whole collection. Bearing this in mind, these are the five brands I fall back on time and time again. They always deliver on good quality and well-fitting workwear. The first is LK Bennett, mainly for its excellent accessories but also for clever separates. This is my port of call for elegant, good-looking but also comfortable shoes. They do most styles in black and navy but I love that they like to throw in some bright colour options also. Next up is Goat, which was still relatively under the radar until the Duchess of Sussex wore one of their dresses for her first public appearance after her wedding – causing its website to crash under the weight of demand. The brilliance of a Goat dress is that it’s incredibly simple; there’s a shape and colour for everyone. The wool crepe fabric wears really well and you can throw the dresses in a suitcase for travelling and they barely crease. Yes, it’s pricier than your average high street spend, but for cost per wear, this is the best investment you can make for your office wardrobe.
This is a bit of a cheat as it’s multi-brand, but John Lewis’s workwear edit is excellent. It stocks great diffusion lines that are exclusive and it’s often where I find solutions for different sizes.
For tailoring, you can’t beat Joseph: everything I’ve bought from there (mostly coats and blazers) is a trusty failsafe in my wardrobe. The cut of the trousers and suits sits perfectly between classic and modern.
Finally, to inject some colour, print and fun, I never leave the & Other Stories website with an empty basket, since I can always find the perfect printed midi dress or a coat that looks like it should have cost at least twice the price – and there goes the private villa.
To ask Isabel Spearman your workwear questions, email isabel.spearman@telegraph. co.uk or follow her on Instagram @isabelspearman