Corporate America isn’t exactly known to be the world’s hottest catwalk, but that’s quickly changing with the rise of boardroom chic.
Pencil skirts, stiletto pumps and collared blouses, oh my — the more conservative look once reserved for a librarian is now winter’s sexiest attire.
Dubbed the “office siren,” the aesthetic is defined by neutral-colored pieces — made visually interesting with structured, form-fitting silhouettes or texture — paired with bold yet simple jewelry and pops of red with a handbag or long, painted-on coffin nails.
“She’s ’90s and 2000s Calvin Klein archive, Dolce & Gabbana, and Ralph Lauren,” Asia Bieuville, 22, said in a TikTok.
The fashion student added: “Everything she has is basic, but nothing she does is basic. She’ll wear a high neck, but she’ll put her hair inside the collar.”
In this rendition of the workplace wardrobe, the hallmark “corpcore” cubicle frump is swapped for sex appeal: A pencil skirt with a slit, an off-the-shoulder sweater, a generously unbuttoned Oxford, a sheer blouse.
The “office siren” might even wear ugly-yet-cool Bayonetta glasses, which have been brought back from the early-aughts grave and rebranded as “geek chic” or “librariancore.”
The slender, nerdy specs, which dull the nonnegotiable hotness of the wearer — see: Bella Hadid and Julia Fox — have gone viral on TikTok and, subsequently, caused searches for the dated lenses to soar on popular resale site Depop, per British Vogue.
Paired with a bold, dark lip — hello, ’90s — the “office siren” is both timelessly en vogue and mystically sultry.
“We’ve often been told that women have to adapt to masculine codes to be respected and admired in the corporate world, but I think there’s another, more sensual and stylish way,” Bieuville told Who What Wear.
“The woman who represents this has ambition, likes to assume her sensuality and femininity, and doesn’t care about judgment. She proves herself through her actions. She’s Samantha Jones in ‘Sex and the City’: feminine, sexy and successful.”
Bieuville pointed to recent runway collections — such as Miu Miu’s FW23, Gucci Ancora SS24 and Tom Ford SS24, designed by the brand’s new creative director Peter Hawking — for “office siren” inspiration.
But there’s a fine line — a few buttons or inches of skin — between the mysterious allure of the “office siren” and dressing “inappropriately.”
“The corporate side is still very much present, but [the office siren] lifts it all up with a play on materials, and in the end, it’s quite a subtle balance,” she explained.
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