How to dress for work: business casual

Mar 3

Have you ever had a Timehop pop up in your feed and you're just like—I wore WUT?

Ugh okay so glad I'm not alone.

I can recall many, many travesties I've worn over the years (I'm looking at you, zebra-print-and-pink dress). What's worse, is that several of those mistakes were also made when I was trying to figure out how to dress for work when I was fresh out of college. Call it equal parts naiveté, equal parts unwillingness to change.

Acknowledging how poorly I executed my first work outfits, I feel like I can say that the collective "we" owe it to ourselves to elevate our business casual wardrobes.

Whether your goal is to find more self-respect, make more money (yep, totally related) or simply get ready faster, let's dig in.

Dress for the job you want

This is one of my very favorite sayings because it immediately puts your wardrobe into perspective. Ask yourself, "Am I dressing like those around me now, or those I want to be surrounded by?"

In fact, one survey showed that more than 41 percent of employers were more likely to promote someone who dressed more professionally (oh, and one-third of companies had sent employees home for unsuitable attire.)

Ouch, right?

There's also a psychological factor. Karen Pine, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire and fashion psychologist, says, “When we put on an item of clothing it is common for the wearer to adopt the characteristics associated with that garment. A lot of clothing has symbolic meaning for us, whether it’s ‘professional work attire’ or ‘relaxing weekend wear’, so when we put it on we prime the brain to behave in ways consistent with that meaning.”

It’s the reason you feel more fit in your Nike joggers or more professional in your pencil skirt. So, ask yourself: Is your wardrobe helping you reach your goals?

Mental ways to elevate your work wardrobe

Believe you deserve to feel beautiful and respected

When you get dressed and do your makeup (this is assuming you wear makeup) in the morning, is it with a feeling of annoyance or obligation? Is it with a feeling of downright dread? Do you feel like you don't deserve to be happy or beautiful or respected? Does this hold you back from dressing like "that woman" who looks like she has her life together? You're not alone. In fact, feeling undeserving creates resistance to positive change.

If your apprehension to elevating your wardrobe goes deeper than the fear of mixing patterns, this is where you must start. Buying a new wardrobe won't make you feel deserving—you gotta believe it first, sister.

Stop feeling entitled to your wardrobe

This door swings both ways.

Scenario 1, a.k.a. where *I* hit a major roadblock once or twice in my life. This is the "I look cute and I'm going to wear what I want" mentality. It's when it doesn't matter how short the skirt is or how high the heels are, you think you look good and ain't nobody going to tell you otherwise. (Spoiler alert: You look unprofessional, childish and like you don't want a raise any time soon.)

Scenario 2. This is the "My work should speak for itself" mentality. You wear what's comfortable, accessible and easy. You think you're not calling too much attention to yourself, when in fact your wardrobe speaks for itself. It says you don't care, you can't be bothered and maybe that you don't even want to be there. All of these things probably aren't true because we all know you're a badass lady boss, but wrinkled button-downs speak louder than words.

Both scenarios are inappropriate. You can do better. I know you can.

Redefine casual for yourself

Casual looks different for each person, especially depending on the industry you work in. In tech, it could be a T-shirt and jeans or, in corporate, a blazer and slacks. What you need to do is decide here and now that casual does not mean leggings, old jeans, hoodies or flip-flops. It does not give you an allowance to look like you're going to the club or like you literally could not care less. Redefine casual for yourself by learning how to curate a better casual wardrobe.

Practical ways to elevate your work attire

Stick to dark on the bottom

This is a pretty hard and fast rule that will work nine times out of 10. (Yes, I know khakis exist. Work with me here.) Even if your office allows jeans, you're always safe to go with black or very dark blue denim. They should be neither vacuum-sealed nor baggy, neither ripped nor low-rise.

Save the skin

If you have to even ask yourself if you're showing too much cleavage, you are. If there's a chance I can see your midriff (or anything else I shouldn't see in an office) the answer is no. If your skirt doesn't pass the high school fingertip test, save it for the club, sister.

Find what flatters you and make a uniform

I'm a big believer in buying something in every color, so to speak, if it works for you. Once you find that perfect combo that you know looks fantastic on your body, is flattering and is easy to mix and match, you'll be getting ready in half the time and feeling twice as confident.

A great example of this is my own go-to: button-down or flowy top, dark jeans rolled twice, ankle boots and a long gold necklace. There are literally endless iterations of this one "uniform" and they all look flawless and make me feel super confident. They also get me out the door in half the time. If I'm not your end-all-be-all in fashion icons (shame on you), take it from Donna Karen, Grace Coddington, and Diane von Furstenberg.

What is one thing you can change about your daily work wardrobe to up your casual game?

All photos by Liz Porter Photography for Fox and Bloom.

Daniella Siebert