Originally found at Forbes

It’s been so long, it’s almost hard to remember the days when suits, ties, high heels and pantyhose dominated workplace fashion—but new research shows that the evolution of what we wear may also change how we work.

From the iconic suits of the Mad Men era to shoulder pads and powersuits to the no-frills tech CEO uniform (like Steve Jobs’ infamous black turtleneck and Mark Zuckerberg’s gray T-shirt and hoodie combo), what we wear to work is anything but constant. Indeed, it’s ever evolving in tandem with the fashion and culture of the times. When this writer started her career in the early ‘90s, depictions of powerful businesswomen in media helped make skirtsuits the pinnacle of professional attire (think Heather Locklear as Amanda Woodward in Melrose Place).

It’s a fair assessment to say that in 2024, office style looks a lot more casual than it did in decades past and even just a few years ago. After all, Vogue editors now wear jeans to work, and a Gallup survey found that most workers have traded in suits for shirts, slacks and even jeans and sneakers. The shift toward casual business attire has been gradual; nearly a decade ago, former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s laid back style inspired the closets of many future Silicon Valley CEOs.

...A report published in the journal Academy of Management Discoveries found that clothing choices impact both in-office and remote workers, with the key to higher productivity being not traditionally professional attire, but authentic attire. Researchers Adam Galinsky, C. Blaine Horton and Erica Bailey found that “clothing choices, even for remote workers, are psychologically and organizationally impactful.”

Continue reading the original article at Forbes.

Read the original research in Academy of Management Discoveries.

Read the Academy of Management Insights summary.

Learn more about the AOM Scholars and explore their work:

• C. Blaine Horton, Columbia University
• Adam D. Galinsky, Columbia University