Workwear has long been built on contradiction: be polished but not distracting, professional but not rigid, stylish but not expressive. In practice, that balance has often tilted towards restriction, leaving many women with wardrobes that prioritise appearance codes over comfort or utility.
That tension is exactly what Sali Christeson set out to address with Argent, a New York-based brand built around modernising women's workwear for a reality that looks very different from the traditional office model.
According to her interview with InStyle, the goal was not simply to create more tailored clothing, but to rebuild the logic behind what professional dressing should actually deliver in everyday life.
The result is a label that positions itself less as a fashion brand and more as a response to a long-standing functional gap in womenswear.
The Problem With Traditional Office Wear
For decades, office dressing has largely been defined by inherited expectations: structured silhouettes, muted palettes, and garments designed to signal authority through restraint. While those codes once aligned with rigid corporate environments, they have not evolved at the same pace as modern working life.
Hybrid schedules, flexible workplaces, and entrepreneurship have reshaped what 'professional' looks like in practice. Yet many wardrobes still reflect older systems of dressing that prioritise appearance over practicality.
Christeson's perspective, as outlined in her interview, centres on this disconnect. Argent was created in response to the idea that women were being asked to choose between looking appropriate and feeling comfortable, which she believes should not be mutually exclusive.
The broader critique is not about rejecting tailoring or structure, but about questioning why functionality was historically excluded from the definition of 'professional' womenswear.
Argent's Design Philosophy: Function First, Style Second, But Never Separate
At the core of Argent's approach is a simple but often overlooked principle: clothing should work as hard as the person wearing it. That means rethinking details that are frequently treated as secondary in womenswear design.
One of the most consistent themes in Christeson's work is the emphasis on utility—particularly through garment construction that supports movement, storage, and day-to-day practicality. In her discussion with InStyle, she highlights how small design decisions can have an outsized impact on how clothing performs in real life.
This includes a focus on tailoring that does not restrict mobility, fabrics that hold structure without discomfort, and silhouettes that can transition across settings without feeling out of place.
The intention is not to remove style from workwear, but to embed functionality into it as a standard expectation rather than an added benefit.
Why Details Like Pockets Matter More Than They Seem
One of the most frequently cited frustrations in womenswear design is the lack of practical features, particularly pockets. While often dismissed as a minor detail, it represents a broader pattern in how women's clothing has historically been constructed.
Argent has leaned into these details as part of its identity, treating them not as extras but as essential design components. The idea is that functionality should not be an afterthought, especially in garments intended for daily professional use.
As Christeson explains in her interview, the brand's philosophy is rooted in making clothing that supports real life rather than idealised versions of it.
This shift reframes what luxury or premium workwear can mean. Instead of focusing solely on aesthetics or branding, value is increasingly being defined by how well a garment performs across different contexts.
A Shift Away From Performative Professionalism
The rise of brands like Argent reflects a broader cultural shift in how professionalism is understood. The idea that workwear must be rigid, formal, or uncomfortable is increasingly being challenged by designers and consumers alike.
In many ways, this reflects a rejection of performative dressing, where clothing is chosen primarily to signal conformity to workplace norms rather than to support the wearer's needs.
Modern work environments have also blurred the boundaries between personal and professional style. Clothing now needs to function across video calls, co-working spaces, travel, and informal meetings, often within the same day. That reality demands a more flexible approach to design.
Christeson's work sits within this shift, offering a model of workwear that adapts rather than constrains.
What This Means for the Future of Office Style
The implications of this design philosophy extend beyond one brand. Workwear as a category is gradually moving away from uniformity and towards adaptability.
Rather than a single definition of 'office appropriate', there is now a growing spectrum of what professional dressing can look like. This includes softer tailoring, more versatile separates, and garments designed for movement and longevity.
Argent's positioning suggests that the future of office style may be less about strict codes and more about intentional design, clothing that supports how people actually live and work.
In this sense, the question is no longer whether office wear is too uptight. It is whether it was ever truly designed with the wearer in mind.
