I spent a long stretch working in sweatpants, and some mornings I still find it hard to get dressed for an office. What helps is a short list of pieces that look sharp without feeling stiff, so the decision is already made before the coffee kicks in. This fall that list starts with pinstripe trousers, since a wide pinstripe pant in navy looks tailored without feeling like a full suit, and everything else around it can stay plain, like a white shirt and small earrings. A striped shirt gives the same effect in a smaller dose if trousers feel like too much, and a brown pinstripe is the newer, softer version when navy feels too serious. Here is how I would put the rest of the list together.

A white poplin shirt is the piece I would rebuild a work wardrobe around if I had to start again. Poplin is crisp enough to look sharp under a blazer and light enough to wear on its own when the office heating is on full blast. This season the shapes are a little looser, with a longer back, a gathered sleeve or a tie at the waist. Wear it tucked into trousers or half out over a pencil skirt. Keep it bright white, because an ivory shirt next to a white one always looks like a mistake.

The kitten heel is the office shoe of the season, and I think it is here to stay. It gives you a little height and a pointed toe without the pain of a stiletto, and you can walk to lunch in it. If you would rather stay flat, a Mary Jane with a strap across the foot does a similar job and looks polished with trousers and skirts. The style takes its name from Mary Jane, a character in the Buster Brown comic strip that started in 1902. Black is the easiest, and a woven brown flat is a softer choice for Fridays.

Two small things make a work outfit look finished, which are good earrings and a bag that holds everything. Earrings in mixed gold and silver are my favorite office jewelry, because they go with any watch or ring you already wear. A structured canvas tote with leather trim carries a laptop without looking like a laptop bag. Choose one with a flat base so it stands up on the floor next to your desk. Keep everything else simple and let those two pieces do the work.

Grey suiting is back, and it looks fresher than black because it shows the texture of the fabric. I like a grey blazer and trousers worn together but not too matched, with a soft knit polo underneath instead of a shirt. The knit takes the stiffness out of the suit and makes it feel like something you chose rather than something you were told to wear. Black Mary Jane flats and chunky two-tone earrings keep it modern. Wear the blazer on its own with jeans on the weekend and you will get twice the use from it.

Friday is the day I want to look put together without looking like I tried. A black cardigan buttoned all the way up works as a top, and a long black pencil skirt makes it look intentional. Brown woven flats and gold hoops warm up all that black. A burgundy tote is the one colorful thing, and it makes the whole outfit feel like the weekend is close. If your office is casual, swap the skirt for dark jeans and nobody will blink.

The knit polo is the sleeper hit of office dressing this year. It has the collar of a shirt and the comfort of a sweater, so it looks neat on a video call and feels like nothing at your desk. I like it tucked into high-waisted trousers or worn loose over a pencil skirt. White and navy are the easiest, while green or yellow add a little color to a grey week. It is also the easiest piece in this report to wear on the weekend.

If you take one thing away, let it be that office dressing is about repetition, not variety. A pair of pinstripe trousers, a white poplin shirt, a grey blazer and one good pair of shoes will carry you through most weeks. I would skip anything that only works for one meeting, and I would skip buying a full suit if a blazer and trousers you already own are close enough. Add a knit polo and a cardigan for the softer days. The goal is to stop thinking about clothes by Tuesday.