Office Style Staples Only Millennials Would Wear, According to Gen Z

One item you probably won’t find in a young professional’s closet is a loose, floral-printed blouse, Anna Cornelius, a content creator and full-time analyst working for a software development firm told Business Insider.

Gen Z’s aversion to loud or colorful patterns, combined with their preference for structured materials and silhouettes, contrasts with loose and pattern-heavy blouses.

“I think older generations may opt for a little bit more flowy pieces,” said Cornelius, who shares fashion and work advice with her nearly 50,000 followers on TikTok. “Not that it doesn’t look good, but I think it’s a generational tell from older generations.”

In the formula of pairing something loose with something tighter, Gen Z will instead typically opt to pair a wide-legged trouser with a tighter top, like a bodysuit, Cornelius said.

While a popular option for office bottoms, pencil skirts aren’t as welcome by young professionals as they once were.

“Pencil skirts, in the more traditional sense, are really, really millennial,” said Anastasia Gerrans, a content creator focusing on work-friendly outfits.

Instead, members of Gen Z might opt for a more structured version, such as skirts that have an “almost pantsuit-inspired silhouette,” including a closure and split, Gerrans said.

That “feels very current and very elevated, but still work appropriate,” she said.

It’s no secret that Gen Z hates skinny jeans, but other sorts of fitted pants, such as capris, also draw their ire.

Instead, Gen Z office-goers opt for looser, wide-leg trousers that allow them to be a bit more comfortable while remaining in style.

“Millennial dressing can sometimes be more like a tailored pant that’s more tapered towards the ankle and then a blouse and a blazer, but a Gen Z might go for a wider leg pant and then a more oversized blazer or a more relaxed fitting top,” Gerrans said.

Denim can be a fun way to make your office look more casual, but implemented in the wrong way, it can age you more up than down, according to Cornelius.

“Sometimes in business casual, you’ll see a denim jacket,” she said. “I don’t see that as much with Gen Z.”

If you’re wearing denim to the office on Friday — or Monday, we don’t judge — try sticking to a tried-and-true dark wash, structured jeans, or an oversized denim jacket, style experts told Vogue.

A fitted light-wash denim jacket or a 2010s-inspired denim vest might not be the fashion statement it once was.

Patterns were once a way to make a statement in your wardrobe, but Cornelius said Gen Z’s preference for floral patterns is “the lack thereof,” with younger generations opting for color blocking rather than patterned pieces.

A way to modernize your outfits is to choose solid, neutral colors or more minimal patterns instead of loud, colorful patterns.

While Gen Z has fallen back in love with ballet flats, other flat-shoe styles, such as mules and clogs, have not fared the same fate.

“I like to wear heels, but many of my colleagues who are Gen Z wear a fashion sneaker, whereas older generations might wear a flat or a clog,” Cornelius said.

Gen Z may love a fashion sneaker for the office, but the key is in the details, and how you wear it.

Wearing a sneaker with slim-leg trousers might come across as more outdated than hip, Cornelius said.

“I feel like sneakers paired with trousers or something aren’t as common or aren’t as Gen Z, unless you’re wearing wide leg pants and then you have a sneaker underneath that’s kind of covered, then it feels more our generation,” Gerrans said.

With Gen Z’s affinity for structure in their workwear, it’s no surprise that flowy pieces like loose dresses or blouses haven’t made the generational jump.

Although these loose items are comfortable, they don’t align with the style values of Gen Z, where looking sleek and structured is always a priority in the workplace, according to Cornelius.

Garments that don’t accentuate shape combined with floral patterns are an immediate tell of what generation someone’s a part of, Cornelius said.

Part of this might also be the access and rewear value of these more unique and visually striking pieces, which, for young professionals, is still out of reach.

“Every book that I’ve read on starting off in your career says you don’t need to draw attention to yourself in superficial ways — you need to focus on your work, you need to present yourself in a certain way and present yourself professionally,” Cornelius said. “Dressing in neutrals and building a capsule wardrobe helps [with that].”

The era of wearing thin, fitted blazers to the club is long over. Blazers are now more oversized and structured, with Gen Z even prompting a return of the shoulder pad in fashion.

“A lot of Gen Z loves to layer a blazer, but if then you wear a blazer after work to drinks, that might sometimes feel millennial, unless the blazer is more oversized,” Gerrans said.

If you’re trying to blend in with your younger colleagues, try wearing a structured, oversized blazer combined with a matching trouser.