Making Your Wardrobe Work for Work
By Tess Ferrton
There are more and more offices moving into the casual department, but there are still plenty of offices holding strong to the professional and tailored look. If your office fits in the latter category, there are tips to keep in mind while dressing for the corporate world without losing your personality in the mix.
Start With Color
If you are in a traditional office, image is everything. Trends are frowned upon as classic styles are still the norm. To keep your attire polished, stick to a color palette with black, navy and gray as the base. Add in softer contrast colors like pastels to keep from looking like you work at a funeral parlor. For offices with a little wiggle room or some creativity, you can throw in some bright punches of color like hot pink and chartreuse.
Jewelry
Jewelry is a great way to play up your personality. A few tips to start with are to avoid the jangling jewels like bangles and layered necklaces. Instead, try one bracelet at a time and some stud earrings. If that's not enough personality, and it really isn't much, try bringing in larger pieces like a great cocktail ring or bold watch.
Add in the Bag
Keep the flashy or slouchy bags for the weekend. To help round out the image of a strong and professional person, choose a bag that is structured to lend an image of being organized. Choose a solid color that won't clash with your wardrobe staples. The classic black and brown shades will always be in style, but you can also bring in personality with a bold color if it blends well with your typical overall look.
The Last Bit of Polish
The biggest part of making sure everything looks pulled together and professional lies in the details. Make sure to get clothes tailored to fit properly. After that, it's the little stuff like making sure nails are clean, shoes aren't scuffed, nylons are run-free and hair is done. Lastly, avoid excessive designer labels. A label or two is fine, but over-the-top labels are more of a weekend thing than part of a professional office.
Office Styles
Formal Business Attire is a business suit, closed-toe shoes, blouses, nylons and conservative hair, makeup and jewelry.
Corporate Casual typically means "smart business" such as dress pants, blouses and knit sweaters.
Casual Friday can range from corporate casual is formal business is the norm and go all the way to weekend wear and jeans depending on how casual the office is. The best bet for any dress code is to first see how a superior dresses, then emulate that look.
Tess Ferrton is a fashion lover and personal shopper with a flair for finding the perfect jeans.
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