With a large percentage of guys working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, deciding how to dress day-to-day is a question crossing a lot of minds. Do I need to dress formally to help myself focus and be ready for those oh-so common Zoom, Skype and FaceTime video calls, or should I just wear what I always wear around the house? Should I be buying a WFH wardrobe? The answer is maybe, or maybe not ? read on.

There is evidence to suggest that dressing more formally for work helps some men separate work from play. In a time when most people are logged into their social media accounts 24/7 and are receiving Netflix notifications about new episodes of their favourite shows, there?s no shame in admitting that it?s sometimes difficult to stay focused on those TPS reports the boss needs by the end of the work day.

If you could just go ahead and make sure you do that from now on, that would be great.

But changing up clothing can change one?s mindset, which can be of great help to those who prefer stronger work/life boundaries in their day-to-day routine, and there is some science to support the effectiveness of this line of thinking.

A Forbes article from 2013 quotes Dr. Karen Pine, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and fashion psychologist, that ?dressing casually could cause an employee to feel less focused and alert? and also notes that ?it is common for the wearer to adopt the characteristics associated with that garment.? So if you?re maybe finding yourself less productive, there?s a chance that you?re adopting the characteristics of overly casual/relaxed apparel you may be wearing at home, and you could be one of the people who benefits from wearing something more aligned with a typical office atmosphere, even at home.

Dr. Pine further asserts that changing clothing at the end of the work day helps to concretely confirm that you are out of work mode, further helping to separate life more cleanly.

A fascinating field of study, called "Enclothed Cognition", focuses on understanding the systemic influence that clothes have on the wearer's psychological processes. Research by Adam Galinski & Hajo Adam of Northwestern University - the team credited with coining the term Enclothed Cognition - found that people who wore a white lab coat saw an increase in performance on attention-related tasks. Furthermore, describing the lab coat as a doctor?s coat increased sustained attention versus describing it as a painter?s coat. This seems to suggest that we are influenced by the symbolic meaning of clothing.

So if you feel you?re in the group who can benefit from the psychological benefits of dressing for work, even in WFH mode, here are a few ideas that merge comfort with style for your working day.

The Clean Pullover and Dress Jeans

When we talk about a clean pullover, while we obviously suggest that you wear something that?s not dirty, in this context, we mean choosing a sweater that is easy on the eyes (in other words, not too busy).

Spending numerous hours in front of the screen can be very hard on the eyes, so preferring solid colours, or simple patterns can offer something a bit easier on eyes, as you catch a glimpse of yourself throughout the day.

Following are a few examples:

Tiger of Sweden Parachute Pullover in Outer Blue

Bruun & Stengade BS Neptune in Black

Bruun & Stengade BS Petunia in Thunder

As for dress jeans, while we always suggest choosing jeans that are flattering to your body, remember that you are at home, so don?t sacrifice comfort. Make sure to look for jeans that highlight their stretch factor. Prefer a wash that is dark with minimal fading and whiskering to finish off this look.

Here are a couple of examples:

34 Heritage Cool Slim Leg Jeans in Ink Rome

34 Heritage Cool Slim Leg Jeans in Dark Ultra

Tiger of Sweden Evolve Jeans Everyday in Midnight Blue

The Fun Shirt and Blue Jeans

Another look to keep you feeling like you?re actually at work while working from home is combining a fun looking dress shirt with blue jeans.

While it comes down to personal preference, you may want to opt for shirts that have some stretch to the fabrics. If you find that you struggle to keep a cool body temperature, avoid synthetic fabric blends and prefer cotton. Synthetic fabrics trap heat and can cause sweating.

While you work from home, it?s also probably better to choose patterns and deeper colours to hide inevitable stains (let?s be honest, working from home leads to picking at food much more often throughout the day!) and annoying creases. No one wants to be dry cleaning or ironing their dress shirts while working from a home office.

Some examples include:

Tiger of Sweden Filliam Shirt in Cloud Blue

Tiger of Sweden Ferene Shirt in Navy

A Fish Named Fred Art Deco Bowes Oxford Shirt in Blue

When paired with a dress shirt, medium blue jeans always work well.

Examples that could work well include:

Tiger of Sweden Evolve Jeans Weeks - Medium Blue

Tiger of Sweden Pistolero Underdog in Indigo

Bugatti Jeans in Medium Blue

For the Video Conference Calls

And now the big one that affects everyone working from home, whether you fall into the group who benefits from dressing a bit more formally to help you stay focused, or those able to get things done regardless of how they dress - the dreaded video conference call.

If it isn?t enough that you need to clean up your surroundings before the call to make everyone believe your place is always in pristine condition, you also need to dress the part to relay the message you want to convey about yourself to your co-workers. You probably don?t want everyone seeing you in the same clothes every day, and no one really needs to see that t-shirt and shorts you like wearing around the house. Luckily, there?s an easy solution to making sure you look great - throw on a sports jacket over a plain, well fitting t-shirt and you?ll instantly look professional.

When choosing a sports jacket, it?s important to remember that the blazer should steer clear of stiff fall/winter weight fabrics. Look for blazers with finished sleeves (no need to alter) and opt for unlined bodies and soft shoulders to keep comfortable. If you?re buying something new, look for keywords like ?unconstructed?, ?unlined? and ?soft shoulders? in the product descriptions.

A few good ideas for this look include:

Tiger of Sweden Jamot HL Blazer in Black

Tiger of Sweden 1903 Blazer in Dusty Military

Tiger of Sweden Josef Blazer in Tehina

If you?re leading the call, giving a full presentation to a client, or maybe on a sales call, wearing a full suit is a good call.

Find an ?anti-interview suit? for these situations, preferring a fun colour, rather than a plain navy or charcoal. If you have to get dressed up anyway, why not find some joy in wearing a brighter colour in these somewhat depressing times? Choose colours that pick up light better, opting for brighter blues and sharper hues.

Following are a few examples:

Tiger of Sweden Jamonte Blazer in Country Blue

Tiger of Sweden Jamonte Blazer in Wood Green

Tiger of Sweden Jamonte Blazer in Mini-Pepita Pattern

However you choose to dress while working from home, it?s worth experimenting and seeing if the scientific observations apply to you and your day-to-day productiveness. Plus, without the need to commute back and forth to work, you may find during this time that you have some extra time to work on your own personal style, which can have the effect of elevating your mood and self-confidence. After all, since you?ll be working from home, you can experiment more with some items in your closet without the stress of everyone seeing you, which can give you a great opportunity to find new looks that work for you!