Why 'Relaxed' Workwear Still Has Unwritten Rules

Offices say dress codes are relaxed, but anyone getting dressed for work knows better; there are still rules, just none of them written down. On paper, relaxed workwear sounds liberating. No suits, no rigid uniforms, no ties required. In practice, it often means "you’re free, but only within invisible boundaries." Jeans are allowed, but notthose jeans. Sneakers are fine, but only if they look “clean.” Comfort is welcome, as long as it still looks polished.

The unspoken rule of relaxed workwear is simple: don’t look too relaxed. Clothes must signal ease without ever going into effortlessness. Wrinkles are noticed and judged. Loose fits must not look "too casual".  Even “casual” pieces are expected to communicate discipline and control.

This pressure often lands hardest on women, who are expected to balance comfort with looking “appropriate,” “professional,” and “put-together”, all at once.

Who Really Gets to Dress ‘Casual’?

Relaxed workwear isn’t experienced equally. Senior employees, founders, and men in leadership roles often have more freedom to bend the rules.

Senior employees may wear loose fits, or baggy "easy to carry" outfits, but the same is looked down upon if a woman or a junior employee tries to carry out the same.

A hoodie on a CEO reads as confidence; the same hoodie on an intern may be read as carelessness. The promise of relaxed dressing exists, but access to it is uneven.

The Perception of the "easy policies"

Comments like “You look comfortable today” or “Is that what you’re wearing to work?” replace official reprimands. The questioning shifts from policy to perception. People in the corporate world silently judge you for the things which are right on paper but wrong socially.

There’s also a moral layer attached to relaxed workwear. Looking too casual is often equated with being less serious about work. The underlying assumption remains unchanged: how you dress reflects how much you care.

If workplaces truly want relaxed workwear, they need to move beyond vague permission and address the underlying bias it pertains to.

That means clearer expectations, less moral judgment, and recognising the definition of professional conduct. Until then, relaxed workwear will remain what it currently is.

Views expressed by the author are their own.