Workwear fashion for summer - it.be

Originally, this style takes up the practical, comfortable and solid outfit of manual workers. Work clothes, working clothes, but also military clothes are his main sources of inspiration. He likes vintage, authenticity, but also layering and heavy materials. How then can we adopt this style in summer? With a little flexibility and opening yourself up to other materials, you and your man can continue to wear it on sunny days.

The history of the workwear style

It combines fashion and work, for a fairly simple style that suits everyone. If it is increasingly inspired by trends, the workwear style emphasizes above all the practical and durable side of the garment.

The origin of the workwear style

The workwear style claims equality by addressing everyone, and seeks simplicity and functionality through clothing.

It draws its popular origins from the United States, Europe and Japan, destinations that have all contributed to this trend. There is the style of workers, cowboys and lumberjacks on the American side, the overalls and the outfits of workers and especially soldiers of the British Empire in Europe. Japan perfected indigo denim and selvedge during its time under American tutelage. The clothes brought by the soldiers, but also their "way of life" quickly became anchored in the Japanese lifestyle.

Workwear today

This style has forgotten its popular origins to get closer to trends and fashion. The worker side is smoothed out, to obtain pieces that will suit all wardrobes. However, it retains its essence: practical, solid and suitable for the world of work.

Clothes of this style have undergone few changes, and those that have been made are mainly aimed at improving their fit and practicality. The cuts are ample and the materials authentic.

As for brands, we can turn to what APC offers, but also to brands such as Engineered Garments, Ralph Lauren Vintage, Dickies 1922, and the essential Levi's. Parts chosen to last are often expensive, but have a very high price/durability ratio.

For something more affordable, you can turn to mass retailers, provided you commit to wearing their clothes for as long as possible. Uniqlo and H&M regularly release clothes that fit into the workwear style. As for their durability, we can manage to keep them for more than 10 years by maintaining them properly. You can also find very beautiful pieces in thrift stores and second-hand sales.

The essentials of this style

The workwear style revolves around a few essential pieces. He does not like waste or frivolity and prefers a capsule-type wardrobe: the clothes are chosen quality, with an impeccable cut and can be combined in different ways.

The shirt of this style is simple. It can be plain - and usually light in color - or patterned, like gingham, tartan or stripes. The sleeves are always long, even in summer. The favorite materials for workwear are flannel, chambray or oxford. The shirt is associated with jeans, moccasins or sneakers. We add a blazer or a denim jacket, depending on the occasion: professional or casual.

The jacket is an essential, because it recalls the raw aspect of the working class or military world. It is chosen in denim, or cotton (especially moleskin). The preferred colors are black, khaki green, beige or navy blue.

Jeans are another must-have: raw and dark in color, sometimes with faded parts. It can be worn with almost everything, and especially with two other basic pieces, the white T-shirt and the denim jacket.

For shoes, the emphasis is on comfort and durability, especially with leather models that age well, lace-up boots and sneakers.

Workwear in summer: the basics

In summer, we often adopt the "less is more" to cope with the temperatures that rise during the day. And yet, shortening and simplifying your outfit is not always compatible with the professional environment. Especially since at its core, this clothing trend is designed for the harsh conditions of factories or for the cool temperatures of the United States. Its thick and robust materials are not very suitable for summer. How then to decline workwear in summer?

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You can take inspiration from the colors of workwear for your outfit: blues, earthy shades, such as khaki, beige, camel, sand, rust or taupe, whites and grays. Avoid flashy colors and pastels, unless you want to mix genres. The patterns are rather discreet, and you can even dare camouflage to recall the military side, in small doses.

To wear jeans, choose them in a light weight fabric that will be easier to wear in summer. If jeans are not an option, we prefer other materials, such as linen or jersey. The legs need a minimum of ventilation in summer: straight cut trousers are rolled up at the bottom to reveal the ankles. Chinos, thin cargo pants and easy pants are suitable for work.

Outside the office, you can wear shorts or bermudas. Workwear purists will mostly look for earthy or stonewashed hues and look to semi-slim or cargo-style denim shorts.

To adopt the workwear style on the top, you can choose between a cotton or linen blend T-shirt. They are slightly oversized, with a small buttoning and small sleeves. The light shirt is made of linen, light weight denim or poplin. Its collar is button down or tap collar. It has a small buttoning, is slightly loose and is always chosen with long sleeves, which are then rolled up.

Layering is not really an option in summer. We then select a central piece with a well-marked workwear style and then build the rest of the outfit around it.

If you prefer the T-shirt, you can add a sleeveless vest, but with a multitude of pockets. On the other hand, we avoid this type of vest if we already wear cargo pants, it would really make too many pockets.

Women have more choices, although women's workwear style clothing is not as prevalent. The jumpsuit is a must-have, with a simple cut and large pockets. Suits, dresses and skirts in workwear colors are also suitable pieces for this look.

As for shoes, you have the choice between suede desert boots, native shoes inspired by Native American culture, moccasins, boat shoes, slip-ons and espadrilles. Low tops with rubber soles with a raw look and sneakers with a simple and neutral design also lend themselves to this style in summer. Should we give up sandals in summer? No, as long as you avoid too light and thin models that do not correspond to this style.

In the evening, you can again use layering. The warm workwear clothes that you can wear in summer are the denim jacket or the worker's jacket. For a military inspiration, the overshirt, the jungle jacket or the bomber are in order.

The workwear style is accessorized little, if at all. If you want to wear accessories to personalize your outfit, the watch is a good choice: with a fabric, NATO or perlon strap. The wrists can also accommodate one or more thin and light bracelets. The belt is in fabric, more rarely in leather. We avoid headgear, except for the denim bucket hat or the trucker's cap. Choose standard-shaped sunglasses with metal, acetate or aviator-style frames. And to avoid missteps, we remember that the socks are always invisible!

Summer workwear for men

The workwear style was essentially masculine at the base, because they were massively represented in the trades of industry and the army at the time. For your man, adopting workwear codes in summer can be done in several ways.

Since the fabrics dear to this style of clothing are heavy, it will be difficult to integrate them into your summer wardrobe. On the other hand, we can draw inspiration from certain codes of this style to adapt workwear to the hot season.

To stay within the theme, choose a well-defined central piece: cargo pants, a multi-pocket vest or even straight jeans rolled up at the bottom, for example. We also adopt the colors of this dress look through the other pieces of the outfit. Khaki, bottle green, indigo blue, terracotta hues, whites and grays help recreate workwear inspiration.

Long-sleeved shirts are quite difficult to wear in the summer, unless you opt for a thin and breathable model, in cotton or linen. We avoid dressed models that we swap for casual shirts, and we do not hesitate to choose a model with large pockets at chest level. For really hot days, we don't hesitate to drop the shirt and replace it with a short-sleeved top: T-shirt or polo shirt.

How to adopt workwear in summer to go to the office? To recreate this look while staying within the limits of the dresscode, we wear chinos of the right color, with a white T-shirt and a denim overshirt. The shoes are chosen in the style: boat type shoes.

The straight, slightly floaty jeans also roll up at the ankles. Wear it with a gingham check shirt and white sneakers. We put on the bag to accentuate the workwear look.

Summer workwear for women

The codes remain much the same for women, but the wardrobe is enriched with jumpsuits and tops that are both simple and effective. Here again, most of the materials of this clothing style are too imposing for the hot season. We adopt the same strategy as for the men: take up the colors of the workwear, articulate the outfit around a central piece and we reserve the superposition of layers for the cooler evenings.

The jumpsuit is reminiscent of the iconic workwear dungarees. We choose it with a simple design, ideally with sleeves, in beige, khaki or navy blue. We wear it with white and sober sneakers. To break the masculine side, we put on a leather handbag. If you prefer overalls, opt for a cargo type model, with a multitude of pockets. It is worn with a T-shirt, white sneakers and a thin tartan print overshirt.

Paperbags are belted pants that lend themselves well to feminine workwear. Pair it with chunky sandals and a lightweight top. To wear it with a floaty and flowing blouse, balance the outfit by choosing it in a thicker material, such as denim.

The long overshirt is a good centerpiece for this look. In taupe and in a light material, it frames the rest of your outfit. Wear it with a tank top, straight pants (or jeans) and low cut shoes.

7/8 jeans are very easy to wear with a light, ultra-light shirt, which you can tuck in or not. You can also opt for an association with a T-shirt with a small pocket on the chest to recall the workwear style.

In general, workwear outfits for women can afford more mixes of genres, materials and textures.