Spring 2024 key trends: Transforming casual wear into business formal

Wednesday (today), marks the first day of spring, and the sunshine and warmer weather has already made itself known on the islands.

Both spring and autumn present their own challenges as the weather is unpredictable. Particularly in spring, Malta experiences warm temperatures on one day and a chilly breeze the next. This leaves many wondering what to wear, especially to the office.

While rich reds, earthy tones and velvet fabrics dominated the autumn wardrobe, what fabrics and trends will define spring’s office wear fashion landscape?

Key women’s office wear trends: Classic revamped  

1) White dresses

White dresses are a classic spring touch to the office wear wardrobe because of their adaptability. A classic white dress takes centre stage in a capsule wardrobe, an ideal concept for office wear.

A capsule wardrobe includes a collection of essential, versatile, and classic clothing items that can be mixed and matched to create multiple outfits. This concept aims to promote the idea of quality over quantity while also ensuring sustainable fashion practices, reducing clutter and encourage mindful clothing consumption.

The majority of the fashion trends listed here are beneficial pieces to build a capsule wardrobe.

2) Trench coats

Trench coats serve as the ideal jacket during spring weather. While it was highly trendy during the past year – and during all seasons – trench coats are ideal because they are not bulky like coats and jackets.

Trench coats are also considered versatile as they can be paired with both formal and smart-casual looks. Additionally, most trench coats are made to be water resistant protecting you in case of an impromptu weather change.

3) Burgundy still dominates after autumn and winter

Despite being closely associated with autumn, the colour burgundy remained a staple in spring office wear. Whether it’s a silky scarf, a trench coat or in the form of a skirt, burgundy remains at the top of the fashion charts.

4) Blue: Blazers, blouses and everything

Contrary of the darkness of burgundy, another office wear trend on the rise is the colour ‘ice blue’ in many clothing items. This light colour can be seen in many blouses, blazers, dresses, faux leather skirts and formal trousers.

In addition, smart-casual outfits are incorporating lots of oversized royal blue, striped blouses paired with straight legged jeans and white sneakers. This smart-casual and comfortable office look can be easily elevated for a formal meeting with a light-coloured blazer.  

5) The alternative pencil skirt

Pencil skirts remain a staple in office wear, but spring trends are pushing the boundaries. Clothing brands are switching stretchy fabrics and polyester to other emphasised textures. This includes skirts that are faux leather, crocodile-embossed patterns and others that are trench-coat styled.   

Skirts that go beyond the knee (midi-skirts) also remain as a preferred clothing item, continuing with last year’s autumn and winter trends.

Key men’s office wear trends: Rocking the smart-casual look

1) Tan and light brown colours

Earthy tan and light brown colours are dominating the men’s spring office wear trends. Be it a timeless suit or a complementing polo shirt, tan and light brown colours are also huge elements in a men’s capsule wardrobes.

Light brown suits are also being worn with darker brown accessories and vests bringing back to life monochromatic looks.

2) Mixing fabrics

The concept of mixing alternative fabrics is not limited to women’s clothing only. The returning spring trend is being seen again mixing cotton and linen shirts with formal and common polyester pants.

3) Quiet luxury

The quiet luxury style has been on the rise for the past year. This term refers to high quality clothing items, without flashy brand logos. Additionally, in more simple terms, quiet luxury is also applied to ordinary affordable clothing items that are more minimalistic.

An example of this would include dark blue trousers, a woven blue shirt and brown accessories such as a leather belt and classic loafers.

4) Business casual jeans

As noticed through autumn trends, jeans remain as a preferred alternative for the everyday office looks. Rolling Stone magazine suggests darker washed jeans, straight legs with little to no distressing to transform jeans into “business causal jeans.”

5) White or cream trousers

Like white dresses, white or cream trousers are a must-have piece in the wardrobe. They can also be worn down and more formal, depending on the choice of the top. A recurring spring look are white trousers (also in the form of jeans), warm polo shirts, and a light navy blue or green jacket paired with sneakers or formal shoes.