- The Right Shirt: As a woman, wearing the right shirt really sets the tone of an outfit. Avoid wearing tops that reveal too much cleavage and are more suitable for the club. Rocking a sexy forever 21 low silk poly blend shirt with a blazer doesn’t make it business casual, it only makes you look like you are cold. Acceptable shirts include woven button down shirts, basic white v neck as well as two fer white shirts (which include a vest, or a belt, or a skirt all in one). Of course you can be creative and wear all kind of shirts. Do not limit yourself to a color or style. Get creative.
Banana Republic, $24.99
INC, $49
- Bottoms Up: Now that you have a few options top wise, it is important to get the right bottom. Fortunately for women, there are many options for career casual. Of course, there is a direct relationship between what you have on top. Therefore, if you have on a nice woven button down shirt, you should coordinate with a nice pair of wide leg trousers with a nice round toe pump. If you are wearing a dress, pair with a nice pair of novelty leggings and an office appropriate flat. If you are wearing a nice patterned blouse, you can pair that with a pencil skirt. It is okay to wear denim, but make sure that the denim is dark denim or black and is form fitting. There should be no holes, rips or anything too novelty.
LNA Skirt onShopbop.com, $33
Ann Taylor, $59.99
- Finishing Touches: Once you have the shirt and bottoms, you should accessorize the outfit to complete the look. You can accessorize with jewelry or throw a nice cardigan or blazer over the outfit. You can finish off a nice basic cut and sew dress with a wide belt. You can rock a patterned blazer with a brouche over a white tank and dark denim jean and boot. The most important is to put your personal style on the outfit.
Rampage Boyfriend Cardigan on Overstock.com, $25
Belts on Overstock.com, $22.99
Christian Law
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Glad to see Christian Law is back!
It’s true, the longer we work at a job the more casual we tend to get. This is also true of our coworkers which only exasperates the issue. Be true to yourself with color and pattern and follow the tips above to keep things professional.
Love all those picks! It is important to dress the part, but lots of young women don’t have to cash to drop $100 on a shirt, or $80 on a belt. The pieces are stylish AND affordable without looking cheap. I love it!
Tara
http://theyoungmommylife.com
I work in pre-school education. I go to work with women who wear, (seriously), flip-flops and 2 day old jeans. My Grandmother said “never be a study in ugliness”. So most of the time just wearing a necklace sets these women off into a frenzy of breaking down what I’m wearing. Workchic has it right, I dress by being true to who I am. If that bothers them…. ohhhh well.
Good for you Renee; and I like your grandmother! Flip flops and ripped or torn jeans are two of the biggest no-no’s in my work wardrobe handbook.
Keep your professional style intact!