We've found the perfect WFH dress that you'll wear long after lockdown is over

From Harper's BAZAAR

It’s been two weeks since we entered lockdown, so there's a high chance you're growing tired of tracksuits and cashmere loungewear. Rule number one when you’re working from home? Get up, get dressed, and make the important distinction between your living and working space.

With that being said, there has to be some kind of trade-off for not seeing your friends and family, or being able to go to your favourite restaurant, for the next few months. So most women are now taking advantage: going make-up free, taking a much-needed break from heated hair tools and, of course, dressing down for a day at the 'office'.

However, if a tidy house is a tidy mind, then motivation and bothering to brush your teeth go hand-in-hand. Not that you should be sitting at your kitchen table in a pair of loafers and a tailored trouser suit everyday – there has to be a happy medium. Comfort is key, but comfortable can still be chic.

Now is the time to channel the kind of carefree, low-maintenance look that only comes with a lighter schedule and lack of commute. Enter: the smock dress. Voluminous in shape, generous in fit, unstructured in its construction and usually made of a lightweight fabric like cotton or linen. It exudes a sense of effortlessness that we’re always coveting, but unable to achieve while weighed down by heavy boots, coats and a spare tote slung over our shoulders.

The smock is obviously comfortable, but it's also super easy to dress up or down, and takes all of five seconds to slip on in the morning (nothing should come between you and your new-found daily lie-ins). What’s more, there’s an alleged heatwave approaching, so you’ll be grateful for its breeziness when things start to get a little too warm for your cashmere joggers.

Right now, Monikh Dale is championing this working-from-home staple on Instagram. Her go-to look is a big dress, bare feet and a low-sweeping bun. Maybe a pair of earrings if she’s feeling fancy for a Friday night House Party date. It’s become such a signature that her followers are now posting 'Monikh inspired' #ootd pictures.

Of course, Dale is not the first to have channeled this look. This oversized smock style has been part of every fashion editor’s holiday wardrobe list since Three Graces London ramped up its ready-to-wear efforts back in 2018 (Heidi Klum and Selena Gomez are big fans).

Then along came Cecilie Bahnsen with her tiered day dresses, and soon this look was just as appropriate with a pair of biker boots as it was with flip flops. We told you it was a versatile piece.

This is why we suggest you invest in one as soon as possible. It's perfect for feeling pulled-together while confined to your house but, rest assured, you’ll still want to wear it once the quarantine ends – here's how:

The maxi

Fashion's favourite kind of smock dress, without a doubt, is the maxi – and a lightweight cotton-poplin, gauze or linen should be your fabric of choice, to maintain its impressive structure without feeling too weighty. Long sleeves and pure white colourways always look romantic, but Three Graces' sleeveless yellow iteration sold out at lightning speed last summer (check out & Other Stories' take below).

When you're WFH, style this dress with a low bun, bare feet and a fresh face. Then, take it outside of the house with leather slides and lashing of gold jewellery. Enjoy the generous fit now, while comfort is king, then cinch it with a waist belt to switch things up.

The mini

When a tiered dress is slashed to the mid-thigh, it creates a voluminous, trapezoid finish. This shape is delightfully girlish, nodding to children's' babydolls and pinafores, while actually being very flattering on the figure – it'll slim your legs and cover any lumps and bumps.

Wear yours now with a headband and cropped cardigans, then opt for stompy hiking shoes, cowboy boots or flatforms once quarantine is over.

The midi

While less playful than a mini or maxi, the midi smock is by far the easiest to slot into your everyday wardrobe. Go for long sleeves and high necks for a relaxed, prairie-inspired look. Or, if you prefer to show a hint of skin, Lisa Marie Fernandez' one-shoulder iteration is just as comfortable when you remove the sash belt.

Keen to look ahead during this period? COS has the answer with a collared iteration, which is loose enough to relax in but easily smartened up when you finally get back to the office.

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