Whether I commute in work clothes or not has a lot to do with the length of the ride and conditions.

Work clothes are fine for me for shorter commutes without excessive heat and humidity. For moderate temperatures, I can wear whatever. For cool to frigid temperatures, I go with layers. Being a girl kitty makes things easier in many ways; in extreme cold, I can simply put long underwear under leggings and a skirt, put merino boot socks under dress boots, and add another sweater or two over the one I'll wear at work. A sleeveless dress with cardigan allows for similar configurations. If there's rain, there is outerwear for that. My commuter bikes have foot retention that does not require special shoes.

OTOH, I find rides (whether commutes or not) over around a half hour to be much more comfortable with proper cycling shorts. Once in a while is fine, but in the longer term, there is a reason why chamois exists. If it's hot/humid and a longer commute, then it's time to go full lycra and change; if it's really hot, a second cycling outfit is required for the ride home. I've just found that sitting around in wet clothing all day is not the healthiest thing.

On a few occasions, I've just paired cycling shorts with dress clothes, like if it's a longer commute but I'm just going in for an hour long meeting.