Business casual attire ranges from coat and tie to well-
pressed jeans, with the moderate range being chinos and
Oxford shirts. But those conventional dress codes are for
men: women usually look too casual in chinos, and in trying
to find a semi-professional look, the proper business casual
office wardrobe can become a confusing quagmire of bad
fashion choices.
If you want to stay on the upper end of business casual, your
best bet is to wear skirts more often than pants to work. As
sexist as it is, people of both genders and all ages still
perceive women to be better-dressed (and thus, more
professional-looking) when wearing skirts. Business casual
means you don’t have to shell out the big bucks for a suit-
skirt: you can go with slightly tailored chino, cotton, linen
or wool skirts. Like professional skirts, business casual
skirts should fall slightly below or above the knee, with
occasional forays into long skirts being acceptable in autumn
and winter. Mini-skirts should not be part of the business
casual wardrobe; nor should midriff-baring tops, running
shoes, or anklets.
Colorful Accessories Define Your Personal Business Style
In business casual dress codes, you can play around more with
color, but if you want to build a look that’s polished, save
the ultra-trendy clothes for the weekend. Bring bright colors
into your wardrobe by way of scarves, but keep your clothes
in the neutral range for maximum professionalism with minimal
economic investment.
Womens Business Casual Look Don’t Have To Mimic Men’s Fashions
The recent trend in fitted cotton-spandex blend tops (cuffs,
lapels and nipped-in waist), provides today’s working woman
with a blouse that doesn’t have to be tucked in, that fits
nicely and that looks tailored as well. They’re available in a
range of colors, and can be worn with skirts or pants. The
most common mistake with these tops is to wear them too tight,
which can look pretty tacky. If they fit well, they create a
put-together look without much work or expense on your part.
Business Casual Shoes
Loafers, low-heeled pumps, and strappy sandals can all work
in the business-casual environment. (Don’t pay attention to
websites that list flip-flops as summertime career shoes: they
are not.) Match your shoes to your overall look, and if you
wear sandals, make sure your feet and toenails look neat.
Boots are fine in cool weather, and you may choose a style
that comes an inch or two below the knee, or shorter, ankle-
top boots.
Some Colorful Jewelry & Makeup Is Okay
Jewelry and makeup can be a bit brighter and more playful
than it is in professional dress, but try to keep your style
consistent across each outfit. I have a friend who spent some
time at school in the Midwest, and one of her overriding
memories was of university secretaries who wore business
casual skirts with holiday-themed earrings, red plastic
Santa’s dangling from their earlobes, or jack-o’-lantern pins
stapled across fuzzy, orange sweaters. It’s easy to go wrong
with jewelry, but if you keep it simple and only wear a couple
of pieces at a time, you’ll be safe. (I said “no anklets, under
any circumstances,” already, didn’t I?”)
Key To Dressing In Business Casual At The Office
The key to a successful working wardrobe is to dress better
than your co-workers (and your boss) without anyone really
being able to say how you do it. It’s more about style than
expense, and if you start with a couple of skirts, a couple
of tailored-looking pairs of pants and a half-dozen tops to
match, you’re on your way. Avoiding trendy looks (boat-necks,
three-quarter sleeves, anything slinky or glittery) means
you’ll have an easier time matching pieces, and the stuff you
acquire won’t go out of season as easily. For major wardrobe
staples, staying with neutral colors (off-white, chino, taupe,
gray, brown, dark blue) will help you create and add to your
cache of separates.
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