Let’s Define Business Casual

Top: Abercrombie ($11) | Pants: Brandy Melville | Shoes: Calvin Klein

Photography by: Ban Avenue

Hi friends! It’s been entirely too long since I’ve posted a Work Wear Wednesday look so I apologize! Since quitting my full time job, traveling the world and having major hip surgery it’s been hard to shoot looks for you but don’t worry there are lots of Fall/Winter looks and office inspiration coming to the blog soon.

A question that comes up a lot is always “what is considered business casual?”. I can guarantee that every person and company will define it a bit different. Handy dandy Google defines it as such: “relating to or denoting a style of clothing that is less formal than traditional business wear, but is still intended to give a professional and businesslike impression”. In my opinion this is still pretty darn vague. The obvious answer is that it is somewhere between business professional (think suits, button downs, the whole shebang) and casual (jeans and a tee shirt).

The great thing about business casual being that it is somewhere in the middle of the two is that you can buy pieces that could either be dressed up or dressed down. For instance, my top that I am wearing in today’s post is just a “fancy” cotton tee that I wear on the reg with jeans or leggings. It actually comes in 5 colors and is only $11 right now so if you are needing a few basic tees I would highly suggest stocking up! Then take these pants for instance. While I did dress them up with a pair of heels, they could easily be worn on the weekend with a pair of slides or even dressed up to a bit more professional with the help of a blazer.

If you are still stuck on ideas for business casual I urge to check out some of my other Work Wear Wednesday posts as almost all of them would be considered business casual. I would also encourage you to always err on the overdressed side if unsure. After all it is always better to be overdressed than underdressed. And as a last resort here are a few quick tips if you are still questioning business casual.

1. No jeans or leggings– While I do know a few companies that allow jeans at the office, technically jeans are not considered business casual. Nope, not even if they are colored. There are so many options out there that are actually more comfortable than jeans anyway if you just search. My hands down favorite pair of work pants are these stretchy ones from Gap.
2. Cover your shoulders– Wear a top or dress that has sleeves. Showing your shoulders in the office is considered unprofessional. That being said I almost always wear a sleeveless top but throw on a cardigan or blazer on top of it. This way you can ditch some clothing if need be when you escape the office.
3. Length does matter– If you are questioning if it’s too short, it most definitely is. Even if you think you can get away with it, leave it for another occasion because chances are once you are sitting at your desk or in a meeting, you are going to be even more self conscious and uncomfortable than when you were debating wearing it in the first place.
4. When in doubt, thrown on a blazer- Time after time blazers have come to every girl’s rescue. If you aren’t feeling your outfit or think it might be just a tad too casual, throw on a blazer. It will instantly bring your outfit up a few professional points. Trust me on this one 🙂

Since work wear is my most requested topic, I would love to hear topic ideas that you are specifically wanting to hear about. Feel free to leave a comment, message or email me with your suggestions.