I shopped for work outfits at COS and Zara and preferred the more expensive store

• London retailer COS, which is owned by H&M, has been expanding in the US.
• Its sustainable, luxury pieces are often ideal for work attire. 
• I decided to compare COS and Zara's professional clothes.

Like clockwork, a handful of "it girl" retailers capture a generation's attention every few years.

In the early 2000s, Hollister, American Eagle, and Abercrombie & Fitch were the only places cool girls shopped. In the 2010s, you couldn't go anywhere without seeing people wearing Madewell or Urban Outfitters clothes.

Today, Zara, H&M, and Aritzia have become the go-to stores.

Zara and H&M often compete as two fast-fashion brands catering to millennial and Gen Z shoppers. But as Zara has leaned into clothing for young professionals in recent years, it's finding a new competitor in another H&M Group brand: COS.

COS makes minimalist, sustainable clothes for professionals

The London-based retailer COS has been part of the H&M Group since 2007. It's almost like H&M's more sophisticated, socially conscious, and luxurious older sister, as its pieces are minimalist and sustainable by design.

As Katie Reeves, the managing director of COS North America, told Glossy, COS often appeals to a mature buyer who has a bit more to spend than the H&M buyer.

"They're typically professionals," she said of COS customers. "They work or dabble in creative fields. They reside in metropolitan cities. They appreciate trends, but they're not defined by them. Their wardrobe is also a collection of pieces they wear and return to now and forever."

In 2022, the brand found global success by partnering with three wholesalers, including Nordstrom in the US, to bring its clothes to a larger audience.

And in 2024, COS expanded again by opening a flagship store in Mexico, according to H&M Group's annual report. COS has 47 brick-and-mortar stores worldwide and is available in 38 online markets as of 2024.

"Professional" isn't part of Zara's brand ethos. However, its parent company, Inditex, said on its website, "Zara's designers respond instinctively to their changing needs, reacting to the latest trends and constant feedback to deliver new ideas for everyone in the right place and at the right moment."

Part of that responsiveness has been its expansion into professional attire, as was clear when it released its workwear edit in 2023.

Given that they approach the professional fashion market differently, I visited COS and Zara to compare their business-casual clothes. I focused on outfits that would work for most business-casual office environments in the summer.

Zara didn't quite work for me

I headed to each brand's location in Lower Manhattan, popping into Zara first.

As I wandered through the store, I noticed that much of what I would consider work attire, like blazers and trousers, were arranged on hangers next to more casual clothes, giving the impression that the "professional" clothes were designed to be worn in various settings.

Versatile attire rather than strictly professional clothes makes sense with Zara's brand mission. But I found that a lot of the work-leaning pieces looked like the idea of what someone would wear to work rather than an actual go-to work outfit.

For instance, I saw several sets arranged in the store on hangers and mannequin displays, with one half of the look appearing work-appropriate while the other didn't, like this cropped blazer and coordinating shorts.

I could see myself wearing the $89 blazer with a pair of high-waisted pants, but the $45.90 shorts wouldn't work for many business-casual office environments.

Likewise, I tried on a matching blazer and skort, which cost $89.90 and $45.90, respectively, after seeing the jacket and skort paired on a hanger display.

Again, the jacket was work-appropriate, but I thought I would feel uncomfortable in the office in the skort because of its length. I likely wouldn't have even considered the skort for a work look if it hadn't been paired with the blazer when I walked through the store I went to in June. The material was also thick, which I found impractical for a summery work look.

Similarly, I liked the idea of pairing one of Zara's oversize blazers, which cost $75, with a pair of $109 wide-legged pants. Still, the jacket was made of an uncomfortably thick material that I couldn't see myself wearing to multiple meetings in a day.

Meanwhile, the linen pants were see-through, and I was disappointed when I saw that a black version of the same pants was sheer, too. I wouldn't mind if a pair of trousers I wore to dinner with friends were slightly transparent, but I wouldn't want to wear them to work. The $35.90 shirt I found to try on with the suit was also see-through.

I've had better luck with pants at Zara, so I was surprised the store I went to seemed to have a limited inventory.

As of Friday, its website still had ample trouser options, but based on what I saw at the store that day, I struggled to see myself building a practical and comfortable work wardrobe from Zara.

I could see myself investing in COS clothing

Before this experiment, I had never shopped at COS, so I wasn't sure if the clothes would meet my expectations in-store.

After browsing the store with racks of clothing organized by color and mannequins displayed in central areas, I selected a handful of garments to try on, sticking to neutral tones as I did at Zara.

To my delight, I loved the COS looks.

First, I tried on an $89 linen top and $120 trousers, and not only were they not see-through, but I loved the way they fit.

The pieces were comfortable but structured, and I liked that the sleeves of the button-down were a bit longer, as it gave the whole look a professional feel without me having to wear a stuffy blazer in the summer. I felt similarly about a $120 black dress with the same silhouette as the blouse.

The outfit that surprised me most was a white set with a $69 tank top and $89 shorts.

The items were a big departure from my usual style, but I loved how they looked and felt. The fabric wasn't see-through, and the ribbing elevated the look so I would feel comfortable wearing it to the office, even though it included shorts.

The COS clothes were slightly more expensive than the pieces from Zara, but the price difference felt minuscule considering the COS pieces' quality. The materials felt like they would last, so I could see myself returning to the retailer to build a capsule wardrobe for work.

Overall, I think COS lived up to its mission of dressing professional, creative buyers, and Zara's catch-all of creating items for every occasion fell a little flat for me when it comes to work clothes.