Need a fresh take on your nine-to-five? Fashion director Sophie Dearden gives three women stuck in a workwear rut an update that means business

Updated: 12:12 BST, 26 August 2023

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From left

THE FIlLM FESTIVAL DIRECTOR - WENDY WASON

Shirt, £110, withnothing underneath.com. Jeans (with belt), £35.99, zara.com. Shoes, £349, lkbennett.com. Jewellery, Wendy’s own

THE BAKERY BOSS - DEENA ATAIE

Shirt, £115, and trousers, £115, cos.com. Scarf, £18,

accessorize.com. Shoes,

£120, stories.com. Jewellery, Deena’s own

THE WORKSPACE MANAGER - NATALIE LOVETT

Shirt, £95, withnothing underneath.com. Trousers, £250, yaitte.com.

Sandals, £95, dunelondon.com

FROM LEFT: WENDY WASON, DEENA ATAIE AND NATALIE LOVETT

‘It looks like a funky suit’

Wendy Wason, 50, is a comedian and director of the Saturn Returns Film Festival

The problem When she’s performing stand-up, Wason knows what she likes to wear on stage. ‘Jeans, a jacket and heels. It’s an outfit that says: “I’m funny. So shut up and pay attention!”’ she says.

‘But now that I’m heading up a film festival, I need to be authoritative without being corporate.’

Top, £35.99, and trousers, £35.99, both mango.com. Shoes, £229, essenthelabel.com. Jewellery, Wendy’s own

The solution ‘These outfits are different from what I’d normally wear,’ says Wason. ‘The stripy shirt is brighter and more fun, but with jeans it looks dressy.’

As for the silky set from Mango, when Wason saw it on the hanger she assumed, in the nicest possible way, ‘it would look like I was wearing pyjamas’. Far from it. It feels like pyjamas (‘luxurious and silky’) but looks like ‘a funky suit’.

‘The navy outfit is empowering’

Natalie Lovett, 32, is general manager of WeWork in the UK and Ireland

The problem ‘How do I strike the balance between professional and casual?’ says Lovett. ‘I work for a company with an informal dress code, but my job means I am meeting CEOs.’

Top, £55, cos.com. Trousers, £195, meandem.com. Earrings, £245, giovanniraspini.com. Shoes, £35.99, reserved.com

Lovett once turned up to a business supper in her uniform of jeans and jumper. She was the only woman in the room and the only person not in a suit. ‘I’m a professional, but I’m also a bubbly person. How do I bring that to what I wear?’

The solution ‘I love the navy outfit. It isn’t a suit vibe but it feels empowering.’ At 5ft 2in, Lovett is petite.

‘I tend to go for a slim fit as I feel swamped otherwise. The YOU team managed to get me in outfits that are looser but still fit at my waist.’ Heels help, too. ‘I look deliberate, not drowned!’

‘This feels airy and fresh’

Deena Ataie, 34, is director of Heriots Patisserie chain

The problem ‘I wear work clothes from 7am to 7pm, six days a week, so I need something that is comfortable,’ says Ataie. She also wants her outfits to be modest.

‘I often find the most beautiful dress but then it has a huge hole in the back or cutouts at the midriff. That’s lovely for someone else, but for me it’s a concern.’

Dress, £149, ghost.co.uk. Scarf, £15.99, mango.com. Jewellery, Deena’s own Make-up: Julie Read at Carol Hayes Hair: Alex Szabo at Carol Hayes Shot on location at WeWork, St Helen’s Place, London

The solution ‘Normally I just wear dresses, but I love the trousers and shirt. I can still move in them and they feel airy and fresh.’

That said, Ataie’s favourite item wasn’t something she wore. After the photo shoot, she went straight to Mango on London’s Oxford Street and bought Wason’s silky trousers and shirt.

‘I’ve been on a work trip in Europe,’ she told us later. ‘And I wore them the entire time!’