GET DRESSED (UP) FOR THE DAY

Ask someone who regularly works from home and they’ll tell you kicking about in pyjama bottoms for the day quickly loses its appeal. You might be able to see your bed from where you’re working, but that doesn’t mean you should be dressed for it.

And while we appreciate a three-piece suit will probably feel ridiculous in the confines of your own home (though, if it works for you, go for it), we’re firm believers that dressing to distinguish work-you from home-you will put you in the right mindset for a productive day.

So, when you get up in the morning to work from home, don’t just get dressed. Dress up for the day. A little effort will do a lot for your state of mind.

For those who are used to a more formal workplace, it can be challenging to find the at-home version of your weekday norm. The answer is to go for pieces that are familiar in type but more relaxed in nature.

For example, wearing a suit jacket or blazer is short-code for feeling business-ready. However, choose one in a less formal fabric and you’ve got the benefit of feeling smart as well as that of feeling comfortable. The jacket shown above is cut in pure wool flannel from Barberis – one of Italy’s oldest mills that has perfected its flannel over 350 years – so looks impeccable when you need to dial into that video call, but feels more like wearing a super-fine sweater.

Continue the theme by styling your jacket with the business casual take on a City favourite, the pinstripe suit. The chalk stripe trousers pictured may look like formal trousers, but a touch of stretch and a brushed finish make sure comfort is firmly at the top of the agenda.

If your day doesn’t include doing face-time with the boss or clients it can be tempting to let outfit standards slip. But there is an alternative – not smart, not casual, but that just-right spot in the middle.

We’re going to suggest you wear a shirt. But, wait: while there are all sorts of shirts for men to wear when doing remote work, there’s really no need for the pristinely ironed formality of your office-bound colleagues.

Instead, the overshirt will become an essential piece of your WFH line-up. Exactly how it sounds, it’s often worn open over a t-shirt or light-knit jumper, but button it up and this workwear classic artfully balances looking pulled-together and feeling relaxed.

Keep a couple of buttons open at the neck, roll your cuffs back a turn or two and tuck it into a pair of smart trousers that are woven with added flex for maximum ease of wear.

Working from home may free you of much of the office’s less appealing policies and processes, but here’s the kicker: now there’s only you to keep the tea and coffee station topped up at home. So when the inevitable happens and you need to venture out for supplies, don’t let your well-considered outfit go to waste.

Even if your version of braving the outside world means nipping to the newsagent on the next street over rather than a more rural adventure, a field jacket‘s an easy layer to reach for. Water-repellent, wind-resistant and with plenty of pockets for stashing essential kit (wallet, keys, survival whistle), it’s the jacket of choice for the man who’s in control of his look as well as the situation at hand.