"While formal and informal dress codes still apply throughout corporate Australia, the ground is shifting fast," says University of New England sociology PhD candidate Lisa Hackett.
"Women, especially, are embracing styles that reflect their personality and body shape, and this is challenging conventional thinking."
It's causing debate in some workplaces as management struggles to accommodate a range of views - from customers and shareholders to staff themselves.
Take Virgin Atlantic's recent relaxing of its styling and grooming policy to allow female cabin crew not to wear make-up and the provision of trousers as part of their standard uniform.
"Employers need to understand that attitudes are shifting and it's increasingly important to reflect public sentiment and changing expectations," Lisa says.
"Fifteen years ago it may have been acceptable to require a woman to wear a skirt and heels, for instance, but a young woman these days may refuse to work for a company that prescribed what she should wear."
Lisa says this new terrain is particularly challenging for inter-generational workforces.
"Today, you will find staff who started work in the 1960s and 70s, under very strict dress rules, working alongside younger people with very different ideas of what constitutes work dress, as well as staff who are proudly transgender," she says.
"Employers who are customer-facing and believe they have an image to protect are having to have new negotiations on the fashion front."
It's a balancing act. "Many workplaces now allow women to wear trousers - Hilary Clinton and Julia Gillard helped to normalise that - and many women are replacing the traditional dark navy or black suit with a more colourful palette and prints," Lisa says.
Even men, who have traditionally been expected to renounce fashion, are sporting more beards and jewellery and colourful shirts and ties.
"Women in the public service and private companies are mediating their workplace dress requirements by choosing cuts and styles that are different," Lisa says.
"Many are choosing to wear styles that are more reminiscent of the 1950s, and a-line skirts rather than darker plain pencil skirts.
"They're taking back some control by dressing more according to who they are, and asserting that this is what they need to feel and project confidence.
"Younger women are prepared to push the boundaries; they're having fun with what they wear."
Still, Lisa advises a degree of pragmatism when putting together the daily ensemble.
"It's possible to meet your employer's expectations, while being authentic to yourself, but you also need to be mindful of the workplace and the people you engage with," she says.
Lisa Hackett's studies have spanned fashion sizing, style and culture. She is also currently advising her school's P&C on the adoption of gender-neutral uniforms.
