It’s one of the great catches of adulting: You now have the freedom to stock your own wardrobe but half of it must be office-friendly. If we were to ask you to describe your personal aesthetic, odds are it wouldn’t be “business casual.” That said, you’d be surprised how much untapped potential is lurking in that curated corporate clothing aisle. Rather than divide your closet into two warring factions — work clothes versus weekend clothes — why not fill it with items that can (mostly) be worn ‘round the clock? Hey, life’s too short to wear stuff you only kind of like, at any time of day.
Of course, picking out versatile pieces that violate neither your sense of personal style nor your superiors’ sense of propriety isn’t always as easy as it sounds. An item has to work for your body, your nine–to–five dress code and your 5:00:01 p.m. (fill in the blank) lifestyle.
Since tapping into professional wear’s manifold charms does take a little more forethought and coordination than Charlie Brown-ing it (i.e., filling your arms with all the black slacks and monochrome button-downs you can carry), we’ve gone ahead and rounded up some of our favorite on-duty to off-duty pieces. From conference calls to concert will calls, these 10 multifaceted lifesavers will get so much wear, you should probably go ahead and double down on your cartload.
