Exhibition 1, closed Sat, Sep 12
Office Romance
Office Romance is a study in restraint: navy shirting, pleated wool, brown leather, and the scents of a room after hours. Nothing here raises its voice. Everything is pressed by nine and rumpled by four, which is when the exhibition suggests you look up from the desk, and notice who else has.
The walk-through
Emily, editor-in-chief · AI presenter · 1:40
Read the script
I'm Emily, editor-in-chief at Shopience, and this is Office Romance. It's a study in restraint: navy shirting, pleated wool, brown leather. Nothing here raises its voice. Everything is pressed by nine and rumpled by four, which is when you look up from the desk.
Number one, the navy oxford at seventy-nine dollars. Button-down collar, worn a size up under oxblood knitwear, with the cuffs pushed back by four.
Number two is brushed oxford, off-white and navy, a hundred sixty-five dollars. It's softer to the eye, and carries exactly the right amount of rumple.
Number three keeps it plain: white, custom fit, professional. Tuck it into pleated flannel trousers and let it wrinkle gently by afternoon.
Number eighteen, Max Mara. Dark grey wool with a pressed crease and a wide leg. Graphite, for the long middle of the week.
Number nineteen, Lardini, in virgin wool, neatly pleated. It's a trouser that hears everything and says nothing, which is the whole job.
Number thirty-eight is the Byredo candle. Plum, leather accord and birch woods: the archive room, door closed, lamp left on.
Number thirty-nine, a solid perfume from Sidia. Leather, vanilla and black pepper, about sixty-five dollars, and it's a folio warmed by a hand.
Last, number fifty: the Missoni Home throw in brushed brown wool with fringed edges. It's for the sofa, after the office has emptied.
That's a handful from the exhibition. The full Office Romance, every object in it, is waiting on Shopience. Go and have a look, and then look up from your desk.
I The Pressed Hour
Seventeen oxfords, crisp at nine, softened by the afternoon.
01Mens Classic Oxford Shirt
$$Ink navy, button-down collar. Worn a size up beneath oxblood knitwear, cuffs pushed back by four.
02Custom Fit Brushed Oxford Shirt
$$Brushed oxford in off-white and navy. Softer to the eye, with exactly the right amount of rumple.
03Custom Fit Oxford Shirt
$$White, custom fit, plainly professional. Tucked into pleated flannel trousers, it wrinkles gently by afternoon.
04CH1911 Oxford Shirt
$$Bleu Marine, button-down collar, regular fit. Ink navy at a sensible price, softening with weekly wear.
05Mens Classic Oxford Shirt
$$Plain white, button-down collar, no logo. The cheapest honest way into the office wardrobe this week.
06Short Sleeve Street Oxford Shirt
$$Dark Ink, short sleeves. For the photocopier room, when the radiator wins.
07CH1911 Oxford Shirt
$$Blanc, regular fit, button-down collar. A bone-coloured foundation for a navy cardigan and loafers.
08Oxford Shirt
$$White, with navy embroidery at the chest and a curved hem. Tucked in, it behaves.
09Herringbone Knit Oxford Shirt
$$Knit herringbone in white and coastal beige. Bone tones, best worn beneath a cardigan.
10Knit Oxford Shirt
$$Cafe Tan in a knit oxford, with manila-folder warmth. It should crease gracefully by four.
11Tartan Oxford Shirt
$$Ecru tartan, button-down collar. A little mischievous, and still within the dress code.
12Custom Fit Stretch Oxford Shirt
$$Blue and white stripes with some stretch. Wear under a graphite cardigan when the meeting runs long.
13Slim Fit Oxford Shirt
$$Slim fit, button-down, a clear blue. The shirt for the day the meeting matters.
14Tattersall Oxford Shirt
$$Navy and green tattersall: a desk-calendar check that rewards the long way round the office.
15Knit Oxford Shirt
$$A knit take on the oxford, in blue. Softer than the memo, and ideal beneath a navy blazer.
16Custom-Fit Double-Faced Oxford Shirt
$$Double-faced, in a forest red mix. The nearest this room gets to oxblood.
17Custom Fit Oxford Shirt
$$Pink, custom fit, simple and professional. The tender note beneath the memo.
II The Long Corridor
Pleats, calfskin and a tote, all walking past with composure.
18's Max Mara Pleated Wool Trousers
$$$Dark grey wool, pressed crease, wide leg. Graphite for the long middle of the week.
19Lardini Pleated Virgin-Wool Trousers
$$$Virgin wool, neatly pleated. A trouser that hears everything and says nothing.
20Lemaire Pleated Wide-leg Trousers
$$$Tropical wool-blend with a mottled finish and a supple hand. Arrives with its own matching belt.
21Spina Herringbone Pleated Trousers
$$$Herringbone wool, wide in the leg. Passes the photocopier with great composure.
22Tod's Round-toe Leather Loafers
$$$Brown calf, moc stitching, penny slot. A classic that earns its scuffs by Thursday.
23Thelatest E-Billie Pleated Trousers
$$$Felted grey wool, wide pleated leg. Reserved for the days the heating fails.
24Emporio Armani Wool Checked Trousers
$$$A wool check, high in the waist. For the colleague who irons on Sunday night.
25TOTEME Wool Blend Suit Trousers
$$$A wool-blend suit trouser made for office wear. Pair with an oxford shirt and a small secret.
26Maison Margiela Pleated Wool Tailored Trousers
$$$One pleat per leg, a hook-and-bar waist, and a straight line that keeps its counsel.
27Manu Atelier Leather Tote Bag
$$$Brown leather, two top handles, zip closed. Room enough for a folio and a quiet agenda.
28Lardini Pleated Tailored Trousers
$$$Black wool with a pressed crease: sharp at nine, softly creased by four.
29TOTEME Wool Blend Fluid Trousers
$$$Fluid wool-blend, pleated front. Moves like someone who has just been noticed.
30Margesherwood Mini Leather Tote Bag
$$$Small, brown, zip-topped. Holds the folio's overflow: a notebook, a pen, one unsent note.
31Tod's Braided Tassel Leather Loafers
$$$Light camel calf with a braided tassel. The one detail that gives the game away.
32Demellier New York Buckle Leather Tote Bag
$$$Brown top-handle tote with a buckle and press-stud. Carries paperwork as though it were a love letter.
33Marc Jacobs Pop J Marc Work Tote Bag
$$$Pebble leather, twill lining, room for a 13-inch laptop. For those who decline the folio.
34Stella McCartney Pleated Wool Trousers
$$$A refined pleat, no fuss. Wear with loafers and an expression that gives nothing away.
35Brunello Cucinelli Pleated-detail Turn-up Trousers
$$$Olive wool, turn-up cuffs, pressed crease. The senior partner, quietly unbuttoned.
36Camper Donna Smooth Leather Loafers
$$$Black leather, penny slot, low block heel. Built for the dash to the 4:40 meeting.
37Eraldo Buckle-fastening Leather Belt
$$$Dark brown with a suede finish and silver-tone buckle. It will soften at the third hole first.
III The Archive Room
Cedar, leather and hand cream, worn at whispering distance.
38BYREDO Bibliotheque Scented Candle 8.4 oz/240 g 1 wick candle
$$Plum, leather accord and birch woods. The archive room, door closed, lamp left on.
39SIDIA Braless Solid Perfume with Vanilla & Leather 0.13 oz/3.6 g
$$Leather, vanilla and black pepper in a solid. A folio, warmed by a hand.
40By Rosie Jane WHITE TEE body + hair perfume mist with rose 3.9 oz/115 ml
$Cotton blossom, lily water, soft rose: a freshly pressed oxford shirt at nine.
41SIDIA Midas Solid Perfume with Fig Leaf & Suede 0.13 oz/3.6 g perfume
$$Fig leaf and suede, rubbed on the wrist before the four o'clock meeting nobody wanted.
42DIOR Homme Eau de Toilette 1.7 oz/ 50 mL
$$Atlas cedar and vetiver: pencil shavings, a wool lapel, someone standing slightly too near.
43Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Woody Oak Rare Fragrance Layering Balm .67 oz/20 mL solid perfume
$Patchouli, oakmoss and dry woods in a solid balm. Smells like a coat left on a radiator.
44BYREDO La Sélection Boisée Eau de Parfum Set
$$$Three woody vials, Super Cedar among them, to carry in a tote and decide on later.
45Salt & Stone Santal & Vetiver Nourishing Hand Cream with Niacinamide + Seaweed Extract 2 oz / fillsizesequence:1
$Santal and vetiver for the hands, so the pen you pass over smells faintly of sandalwood.
46Glossier You Solid Perfume 0.11 oz / 3 g perfume solid perfume
$Pink pepper and iris in a wax that sits close to the skin. Meant for whispering distance.
47Hugo Boss BOSS Bottled Eau de Toilette for Men 10ml 0.33 oz/10 mL eau de toilette spray
$Apple, geranium and woody notes, ten millilitres. The sensible desk-drawer scent, with a flicker of something else.
48SEPHORA COLLECTION Bamboo + Rose Hydrating Hand Cream 1.01 oz/30 ml
$Green bamboo and eucalyptus in a small tube, kept beside the stapler for dry afternoons.
49L'Occitane Nourishing and Protective Shea Butter Hand Cream 5.1 oz/150 mL
$A generous tube of shea, for hands that have typed all day and want forgiving.
IV The Empty Floor
After hours, the office gives way to the sofa.
