How to Dress Business Casual and Take it From the Workplace to a Night Out
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:
- 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.
- 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!
- Forget anything with logos, rips, and tears to avoid looking sloppy.
- 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.
Outfit Details:
- Urban Outfitters Peplum Top (similar here)
- H&M Slim Fit Suit Pants (My favorite pants to wear to work!)
- Steve Madden Ankle Strap heels (similar from Steve Madden)
- Marc by Marc Jacobs watch
What are your favorite outfits to wear to work?
