Here's why "office siren" – AKA "corpcore" – is this fall's biggest fashion trend

Call it what you want – "office siren," "corpcore," or "business formal" – but this fall the fashion world is obsessed with a sultry mob wife-infused take on corporate chic successfully foretold by New York Fashion Week back in February.

What is the "office siren" fashion trend and why are celebs like Zendaya (c.), Sabrina Carpenter (l.), and Hailey Bieber (r.) all about it?
What is the "office siren" fashion trend and why are celebs like Zendaya (c.), Sabrina Carpenter (l.), and Hailey Bieber (r.) all about it?  © Collage: Jamie McCarthy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP, Screenshots/Instagram/@sabrinacarpenter & @haileybieber

Work it!

What is "office siren," and why are celebs like Zendaya, Sabrina Carpenter, and Hailey Bieber all about it?

To explain the trend, first think of office fashion.

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You know, the corporate mainstays like blazers, button-down shirts, pantsuits, vests, trousers, long hair tucked up in a bun, and prim-looking glasses.

Now add to that a little bit of sexy glam, and there you go! It doesn't seem all that revolutionary, right? Wrong.

For the sneakers and baggy clothes-wearing Gen Z consumer, tailored clothes can only exist through the sensual lens of a character in Euphoria.

"A shirt and tie wouldn't have been considered subversive 10, 15 years ago," Laura Reilly, founder and editor of Magasin, told Coveteur for a trend analysis.

"But with the last of the corporate workforce largely freed of their dress codes since remote work became at least partially the norm post-Covid, the building blocks of 'business formal' can take on new meaning."

"Office siren" has two main variants – '90s and '80s edition

People seem to be having the most fun with reinterpreting the blazer. Some wear it as a dress, over a bra, or else paired with jeans or traditional matching trousers/skirt for the Clueless effect.
People seem to be having the most fun with reinterpreting the blazer. Some wear it as a dress, over a bra, or else paired with jeans or traditional matching trousers/skirt for the Clueless effect.  © Collage: Dia Dipasupil / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP, Jamie McCarthy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP, & GABRIEL BOUYS / AFP

There are two main iterations of the fad: a '90s and an '80s "office siren" look variant.

For the former, '90s looks are trendier than ever!

In that decade, when people weren't rocking the funky Y2K looks, people were all about the yuppie and preppy vibes – with a touch of sexy librarian.

The '80s office siren channels the oversized shoulder-pad power suits and cinched-in waists of that decade with some vampy Dynasty glam in the form of bold colors, big hair, and chunky jewelry.

Others are taking the look in a more punk direction, for example, singer Chappell Roan's plaid pantsuit and jeweled briefcase for the first weekend of Coachella.

Despite the two different schools of "office siren" thought, people are mixing and matching elements of the decades to their taste.

People seem to be having the most fun with reinterpreting the blazer. Some wear it as a dress, over a bra, or else paired with jeans or traditional matching trousers/skirt for the Clueless effect.

Will you be trying out this hot trend as the weather cools down?

Cover photo: Collage: Jamie McCarthy / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP, Screenshots/Instagram/@sabrinacarpenter & @haileybieber

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