If you’re a business lady and your workplace demands a professional look, looking stylish might be the easiest thing to forgo especially when pantsuits and skirt suits are a must. So if you don’t want to look like an office clone, how can you rebuke the rules and look clever than clueless? Keep on reading for our style guidelines on how to look unique yet professional in the office.
- If you’re working in a conservative office, make your business suits modern and creative.
More traditional offices, like legal and financial firms, demand business suits. If your audience is more conservative and buttoned up, express yourself in small details. For instance, you may go for the traditional black and white combination of your business suit, but add some flair to your style by trading your straight-leg pants with a pair of leather trousers with a decent fit like fashion blogger Lara Caspari did. It’s about degrees of deviation, not completely separating you from the pack. Going for pastel shades yet monochromatic business suits can be great as long as you keep just enough of the conventional uniform to exhibit your know-how.
- If you’re working in a creative office, make your outfit unique with prints.
Working in certain industries has a distinct advantage when it comes to just how far you can take the rule-bending. Creative fields and startups have more of an “anything goes” mindset, which means that dressing too formally can actually work against you. In creative offices, wearing prints and colors are often encouraged, so think of decent prints you can incorporate to your outfits whether it’s a blazer blouse, top, or skirt. You must believe your style and the skills it represents are top-notch.
- If you’re working in a casual environment, make your outfit a bit trendy yet polished.
Keep in mind that when it comes to workplace, casual means polished. There’s a fine line between trendy and sloppy so be mindful of the pieces you’re going to wear. Wearing shorts to a casual workplace can be acceptable if your hemlines are decent, like Bermuda shorts, and your fabrics are dressy. Leather trousers and leggings can be appropriate if you’re going to team them with chic and long tops. It’s a great preference for comfort that gives you the license to dress for yourself.
- If classic black pumps are not strict, add some pop of color with your accessories.
Wearing a pair of brightly colored heels, shoes, or bag is a lot safer than wearing bright colored clothes. If you’re on doubt, start with elegant colors, perhaps jewel tone shades like ruby red, sapphire blue, emerald green, or ruby red. If you feel it’s just fine in your workplace, go for neon yellow, hot pink, orange and such that can add some summer-inspired vibe to your office outfits.
- Make your monochromatic dressing modern yet professional.
Dressing in a way that offends or threatens those things will not do you any favors. Even if it’s your idealized look, it likely won’t get you hired or promoted, and it won’t win strategic allies. Since monochromatic dressing is a means of looking polished and timeless, think of pastel hues and jewel tones that can spice up your office looks without looking quirky on your style. Remember, dressing for yourself, instead of the job can be hip and noble, but it demands a little compromise.