September 28, 2023

WNU Wear: How to style your shirts for work

First and foremost, WNU was created for the working woman. The whole idea of the brand came about when our founder found herself pulling on men’s shirts each morning when dressing for work. Unable to source a female alternative she realised that there was a clear gap in the market for a decent work shirt for women, that looked good, fitted well, was affordable and, most crucially, was made to last.

This is why when WNU launched in 2017, there were just three shirts: the Poplin White, Poplin Steel Blue, and Poplin Royal Blue stripe – all classic menswear styles for the workplace. After lots of launches over the past four years including new styles, fabrics, and colourways, these three staples still exist and are ones we reach for time and time again when we are heading into the office.

Which shirt to wear for work

Some people enjoy dressing for the office in the morning, but for others there is not always time to pick a new outfit every day, which is why the concept of a “work uniform” - wearing a variation of the same outfit every single day - has become so popular.

This is where WNU we step in.

Workwear is at the core of With Nothing Underneath, so whenever we create a shirt, we ensure it lives up to the same level of impeccable tailoring we have always had to guarantee the item’s versatility (linens don’t just have to be for the beach you know…)

This means if your office is in the corporate world, creative sphere, a 9-5, in a shared studio, in your own studio or you are an entrepreneur at the kitchen table, we have a shirt that will work for you. For example, if you are an Account Executive commuting into the big smoke every day, a tucked in Poplin is likely to be your go-to, whereas a Marketing Assistant might juxtapose the more casual Cabana Linen with a relaxed-fit, tailored suit.

How to wear your work shirt

The first week of September in 2021 is marking a big date for a lot of people in the UK, with this being a lot of employees' first full week back in the office after almost a year and a half of working from home. We can’t believe it’s been that long either. So now you are going back, whether it’s full time or part time, you are going to have to kick those slippers off and pull your work wardrobe back out. Do you remember what to wear? Or maybe you want to come back with a bang. Here are our outfit suggestions for some rather specific scenarios.

Disclaimer: these are not tried and tested, we cannot guarantee you will get a pay rise in our shirts, but everyone will be envious of your office look and you can’t put a price on that (right?)

‘The first full week back at the office in over a year’

Ashley Olsen, Nikki, Füsun Lindner, Leila Yavari, Nisi Kastull, Victoria Beckham

The first day back is always a difficult one - you want to make a good first impression for your re-entry into the workplace, but admittedly it has been longer than any of us had anticipated. We would opt for a classic white shirt tucked into a sleek midi skirt. The perfect juxtaposition of a masculine and feminine workwear, you can’t go wrong with our Boyfriend: Poplin, White. Wear it with a skirt like this one and slip on these slingbacks to match.

‘For the “I’m going to get this promotion” meeting’

Victoria Beckham, Megan Ellaby, Blair Eadie, Leonie Hanne, Gwyneth Paltrow, Janka Polliani

You want to walk in there with the mindset that the promotion is already yours. Confidence is key and nothing says confidence like a bold, colour block outfit, it’s eye-catching, memorable and certainly makes a statement. The key to executing this is choosing a strong statement piece and building from there; for example, take this blazer and pair it with some matching trousers, grab our Boyfriend: Poplin, Pink to go underneath and finish it off with some pink shoes like these to pull the whole look together.

‘The handing in your notice meeting’

Débora Rosa, Lorna Humphrey, Anu Akins, Dakota Johnson, Carina Pinheiro, Queen Letizia of Spain

Have you had your biro with four colours stolen one too many times? Or does that one person keep stealing your mug even though you have told them a million times. That. Is. My. Mug. Yeah, we’d throw in the towel too. We would keep it simple for your leaving outfit, you want to look professional with minimal effort so they know you are serious. Go with our classic Boyfriend: Poplin Steel Blue and tuck it into a tailored pair of cigarette trousers like this, finishing off the look in these chic loafers.

Adios Jeff from Accounts! See you never.

(P.S. I would not recommend doing this if your boss reads this blog; I wore this outfit last Friday and had to have a very embarrassing chat with mine...)

‘For the conference call everyone is dialling in to’

Elena Galant, Margaret Zhang, Blair Eadie, Alison Brie, Charlotte Groeneveld, Mali Koopman

Come on, we all know the zoom rules by now. Wear what you like on your bottom half, but from the chest up make sure you look sharp. It’s all about strong collars, styled hair and a range of accessories. As we head into Autumn, it’s all about layering (arguably our favourite time of year to dress) and luckily for you, our shirts work both under and over other items. Recently we’ve been seeing lots of dresses like this layered on top of shirts, which you could recreate with our Boyfriend: Poplin, Royal Blue Stripe. This gold ear cuff will complete the look by adding a cool accessory but keeping it subtle.

‘The morning after you took it too far at Susan’s leaving do’

Erika Boldrin, Léna Farl, Camille Rowe, Marina Larroude, Kristina Romanova, Zoë Kravtiz

You have woken up with the mother of all headaches and pressed snooze one too many times meaning you now only have 15 minutes to get ready. Not the best start to the day. (We’ve all been there). This calls for a day in pyjamas. Let us make ourselves very clear here, we are not referring to your high school leavers t-shirt, that would look awful, instead we mean a pair of silk bottoms like these. These beautiful trousers instantly elevate your look whilst being super comfortable. Pair them with our perfectly half-tucked Boyfriend: Linen, White and either some mules or some comfortable trainers like these.

‘For casual Fridays’

Kim Turkington, Tara Marzuki, Tamira Laboy, Jeanette Friis Madsen, Emily Saxon-Hardy, Michelle Lin

Loose layering helps to create the versatility needed for a casual Friday. You need an outfit that helps make the most out of that Friday-afternoon-wind-down and allows you to head from the office easily to whatever you’re doing that evening; a post work malbec, straight home or even to the gym (if you are this person we are in awe of you). Take our Boyfriend: Linen, Periwinkle and layer it on top of this white vest. Pair it with some wide leg jeans like these, these boots and add a classic gold chain.

‘So... it looks like you’re working from home permanently now’

Hailey Bieber, Kendall Jenner, Rachel James, Gigi Hadid, India Sehmi, Kaia Gerber

Honestly, comfort is key when it comes to this one. You only need to look smart from the waist up, right? That gives you free reign on your bottom half; whether that be leggings, sweatpants or jeans. We do, however, always feel more ready for the work day when we make a bit of effort, and we always go back to our Boyfriend: Brushed Rain Blue Plaid thrown over a pair of these leggings. Shoes aren’t really a necessity here, but we think these slippers are great.

N.B. Our shirts are suitable for, but not limited to, all of the above events.

Whether you are in the office full time, part time or none of the time, or you are in a small team, big corporation or it is just you at the start of a new business idea, nothing will set you up better for your working day than a great tailored shirt. And if you are going to wear one of those, we reckon we have a WNU shirt that is perfect for you.