Have you ever been stumped trying to figure out what to wear when an invitation or event notice states: Professional attire Or Business casual?
Well, deciding what to wear is much simpler than you may think. There are a few easy rules to live by to ensure you're always dressed appropriately, no matter what the occasion.
Rule #1: If you're unsure about what to wear, error on the side of caution - over dress rather than under dress. No one will give you the side eye if you come to an event wearing a tie and suit jacket. The great thing about over dressing is you can usually remove pieces to dress your outfit down. However, fellas if you leave the house without a sport coat and ladies without a pair of heels you're S.O.L ($h!t out of luck for those that don't know the acronym).
Rule #2: If you have an interview ladies wear a suit, it doesn't matter if it's a pant suit or skirt suit just wear one. Men, you should always wear a tie with your suit. For interviews, you want to look sharp and dress to impress! This requires you to be in business professional dress, so don't leave anything up to chance when you walk in for a job. Make the interviewer focus on you and your skill set, the last thing you want them judging are your clothes. Whether you're interviewing internally or externally, you have to show the interviewer you care enough about the job to dress like you want it!
Rule #3: Neither option includes gym shoes or flip flops! No, for business casual you don't necessarily have to go for the wing tip shoes or pointy toe pumps, but you should never enter a business casual event with gym shoes, sandals, crocs, timbs, etc. Remember business casual still has the word "business" in it. This means you can forego the tie and jacket and wear a collar shirt or button down but there needs to be a collar. For guys, as long as the shoes look more like dress shoes than gym shoes you should be alright, however, don't attempt to express your bold fashion sense at a business casual event. Leave that for the club, date or day party.
Women this is a great opportunity to wear a really nice dress with or without sleeves, pencil skirts or pants with a nice printed blouse, collar shirt or sweater. Ladies, leggins with long shirts and boots should not be considered business casual. Nor are short skirts, dresses or lets just say club-like attire. Keep in mind business casual is just one step down from business professional so you still want to keep it classy and elegant. Open toe shoes in this case are okay as well as flats. I have to be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about flats in a business professional setting so I suggest just wearing a pair of heels to be safe, and throwing flats in the trunk of your car for after the event. Here are a few of my examples:
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| Left: Business Attire Right: Business Casual |
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| Business Casual |
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