Who said business casual had to be boring?

It’s important to dress right for the office, but if the dress code is business casual, you have a little bit more room to have fun with your outfits.

For those who are still confused about what exactly “business casual” means, think about it this way: it’s the middle ground between formal business wear and every day wear. This means mix up your traditional business pieces with everyday clothing items.

Think dress pants/khakis/pencil skirt with a nice blouse/sweater. Or pair a dress (knee-length!) with a blazer/cardigan.

To make sure you’re dressing appropriately for work, stick to these four guidelines:

  1. Modesty is key. Cover your cleavage and make sure your skirts aren’t too short. If you’d wear your outfit to a party, you definitely shouldn’t wear it to work.
  2. Close-toed shoes are a good idea. If your workplace is more lax, sandals may work. Just make sure your toes and polished and pretty!
  3. Forget anything with logos, rips, and tears to avoid looking sloppy.
  4. Have fun with prints and patterns! Business casual gives you room to play with some color, prints, and patterns. Just don’t overdo it.  A patterned pencil skirt goes great with a solid blouse and a patterned cardigan is a great way to easily add color to your outfit.

To give you an idea on how to dress business casual, I put together an outfit that you can easily take from work to a night out.

For the workplace, add a blazer or cardigan over a tank and replace open-toed heels with closed-toe heels (these nude heels are my favorite) or flats in your favorite color.

For a night out, remove the blazer/cardigan, replace the pants with black jeans or a skirt, and keep the heels.

P.S. If you don’t have one already, invest in a peplum! It’s a flattering wardrobe staple for every body type. Experiment with peplum tops, dresses, and jackets to see which one you love most.

Peplum Business Casual Outfit

 

Outfit Details: 

What are your favorite outfits to wear to work?