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At this stage, if you’ve been working from home during the lockdown, you’re probably well acquainted with all the highly specific quirks and charms of Zoom meetings. You’ve pretended to laugh every time your boss changes her backdrop to the living room from The Simpsons, and you’ve shown Frank from accounting how to turn on Gallery Mode at least a dozen times. One area of concern you might not have down pat yet? Getting dressed for Zoom meetings. With WFH life throwing our collective senses of style and office wardrobes into chaos, figuring out exactly what to wear to project the right mix of professionalism and comfort can be tricky to navigate. With that in mind, we polled a few GQ staffers and gathered up a handful of foolproof tips for nailing Zoom style that we’ve learned along the way. Here’s how to build the perfect business casual closet to handle this strange new era.
Cardigans Are the New Blazers
The easiest way to take a fit from sloppy casual to business casual in flash? Throw a cardigan on top. A sport coat or blazer might seem a touch too try-hard right now, but a cardigan delivers all that respectability in spades while still feeling casual.
The Dress Shirt Substitute
If you work someplace really buttoned-up and traditional, where you're used to knotting up ties Monday to Friday, then knitted sweater polos are about to become your new best friends. They're collared, so they'll still seem professional to your colleagues and clients, but they're soft and laid-back enough to reflect the new realities for your day-to-day life.
Find Your Pant Comfort Zone
No one's going to see your lower half, of course, but it's still a good idea to put on a real pair of pants to feel confident and locked in heading into a meeting. Ideally, you want something almost as comfortable as your sweats, but a whole lot less drab, like elastic waist linen trousers or some snappy houndstooth track pants.
Earn Your Stripes
Totally cool to wear a T-shirt on Zoom—as long as it isn't, like, the torn-to-shreds, pit-stained My Chemical Romance tee you've had since middle school. The very best tees to wear on a work call, though, are striped tees: they read as smarter and more considered than their plain or graphic cousins.
When In Doubt, Wear a Hat
If you haven't pulled the trigger on a quarantine buzzcut just yet, it might be time to expand your headwear rotation. "Nothing like a nice hat to hide the fact you still have bedhead at four in the afternoon," GQ style writer Cam Wolf says.
Add Some Flash
For GQ editorial assistant Danielle Cohen, putting on a bit of jewelry helps to keep her focused during work hours: "Adding a little discomfort snaps my brain to attention." And the best way to dip your toe in the jewelry game remains a slim chain necklace.
The Other Kind of Work Jacket
Gave the cardigans above a shot, and they just didn't have enough structure to fully replace the armor of your suit jacket? Take a chore coat for a spin instead. As GQ's very own, uh, me wrote recently, "for generations, all manner of dudes looking to get stuff done, from construction workers to photographers to mechanics to outdoorsmen, have turned to these hardy, attractive, storage-space-happy jackets." It's time for you to join their ranks.
BONUS: Bring the Outside In
"Zoom casual," GQ Recommends' Daniel Varghese says, "is all about the background." And a much bigger flex than superimposing the bridge of the Enterprise into your budget meeting? Flashing a little plant life on the shelf behind you.
