Samantha Murray Greenway.

A refreshed wardrobe – or just a few smart pieces – can help start the working year off right, says

Don’t underestimate the influence of a simple white shirt. We all know that wearing certain clothes can make people feel more confident/powerful/attractive. But what about the clothes that make us more productive? I’m adding a crisp white shirt to the list. It’s proven that what we wear can make us feel more industrious, and actually gets results. A study asked people to wear a lab coat to perform experiments. When they were told it was a doctor’s coat, the results of their cognitive tests were better than when they were told it was a painter’s coat.

Why do I find that so surprising when I know that wearing the right clothes for the job immediately makes me feel more capable? After a few weeks of letting exercise slide, pulling on a pair of leggings is my quickest route to getting back in the game. How I look wearing them is one thing (let’s face it, wearing leggings is tantamount to being naked with only the barest veneer of yarn as camouflage), but all that stretchy freedom puts me in the right mindset. Wearing clothes that I can really move in, makes me more inclined to get moving. Job (almost) done.

I was speaking to a medical consultant who explained that after the long Christmas/school/summer holidays, the thing that helps her snap back into professional mode is footwear. “When I have to go back into the real world, I put away my squashy trainers and bring out my proper work shoes,” she says.

The idea of comfort isn’t something we immediately associate with victory in the workplace – it’s why traditional business suits, tailored to speak the language of discipline, posture, conformity and confidence, don’t come with elasticated waistbands. Even those in more creative professions appreciate a certain rigour in dress.

“If I put on a properly tailored pair of pants, the kind that hold everything in, then they’ve got me under control and I feel as though I can get things under control, too,” explains hairdresser Jennie Thorp, co-owner of Auckland salon, Disco. “I have plenty of customers who tell me that they wear certain clothes for difficult conversations.”

People often have a physical version of the metaphorical “Big Girl Pants”, the clothes you put on to help foster a more capable mindset. One of my first pieces of sartorial advice came from the fiercely chic managing editor of a newspaper: “Dress for the job you want.” She also perceptively advised, when in doubt, choose a white shirt.

There are plenty of reasons why a white shirt is still a good starting point for getting back in work mode. This summer we are spoilt for choice. Designers took the wardrobe stalwart to all sorts of style destinations – swingy at Valentino, wrapover at Stella McCartney, cape-sleeved at Sacai, oversized at Tibi.

There are variations at every price point. Design-wise, so long as your white shirt comes with a collar, cuffs, and fastens through the centre, it can take a variety of style overlays. Consider it the less statement-y little sister of the power jacket. Wearing one conveys all kinds of signals, among them that you’re pulledtogether (a white shirt is always smart enough – providing you keep it stain-free); fresh (all that white reflecting up under the face is universally flattering), but perhaps most attractive of all is that it’s a simple blank canvas. One that allows you to forget your clothes and get on with being your capable best.