What Is Considered Women’s Business Attire?
As the name implies, business attire is the clothing you’re designed to wear in a professional setting. The type of clothes you wear can mainly depend on the field and office you’re working in, and on the event you’re planning to attend. Having that in mind, it’s more than obvious that there are different types of business attire for women, and understanding them can give you a clear picture of what the best option is for you.
Casual
The first type of business attire is the informal one also known as casual business attire. Being informal, except in offices that allow informal dress code, you can wear them outside of work as well. The most common and obvious example of casual business attire is the one consisting of t-shirts, blouses, sweaters, jeans, cropped pants and even shorts. Regarding the shoes, the casual dress code allows wearing sneakers, open-toe shoes, low heels and flat sandals.
Smart Casual
Smart casual business attire is an improved version of casual business attire. Here, you can wear more stylish and trendy clothing corporate wear womens pieces which are appropriate for more flexible informal settings and offices. In case you are going on an interview for a more informal office, dressing smart casual can certainly help you fit in the informal dress code of the office.
All this while still looking professional and polished at the interview! For this purpose, you can choose to wear blouses, blazers, dresses, sweaters combined with shirts underneath, skirts, trousers, heels, flats, scarves and a bit of jewellery as an accessory.
Business Casual
Truth is that business casual dress code for women is one of the most common worn in offices. While this type of dress code seeks the use of more professional and business clothing pieces, still, it allows wearing some more casual women’s business attire options like khaki pants and trousers. It also allows the use of pencil skirts, blouses, button-down shirts, blazers and on some occasions – sweaters.
Regarding shoes, you can wear loafers, flats, mules, boots, and more classic high heels. The business casual dress code also allows the use of simple jewellery and belts as an accessory. It isn’t that formal and casual at the same time which makes it the ideal way of dressing when not sure about the work setting, interview or event you’re planning to attend.
Business Professional
When it comes to choosing business professional corporate wear womens choice is huge although at first, it seems small. Corporate business attire is all about wearing button-down shirts of all kinds, blouses, blazers, skirts, pants, and tidy dresses. Depending on the company, there might be a strict dress code that requires the need of wearing only pants or skirts like in banking, finance, and accounting, however, this is optional.
Business professional is a type of dress code that is also worn in government and law institutions. When it comes to accessories, you can wear minimal jewellery and belts, while the shoes need to be classic and elegant. You can wear polished flats and loafers, though heels are more preferred. The thing you should know about shoes is that they shouldn’t have heels higher than 7cm.
Business Formal
Business formal dress code is mainly preferred in more formal settings like corporate dinners, ceremonies, and some other business-related events. Quite similar to business professional attire, this women’s corporate wear is all about wearing a skirt suit, pants suit in darker colour or suit dress. In case the event allows it, you can also wear a long evening dress. When it comes to choosing the right shoes, you can stick to formal flats, classic heels and even oxfords and loafers. Minimal jewellery is also allowed in these cases.
Helpful Tips from Which You Could Benefit
Once you’ve got the job, you can get an idea of how to dress by observing your new colleagues. The way they dress and behave can help you understand how you should dress and act in the future.
When going to an interview in a company you know nothing about, dressing business casual is great. However, first, you should check the company’s ‘About Us’ page and social media and look for any images or videos of their employees to get a clue. In case you’re applying in a bank, accounting, or finance company, make sure to dress formally.
Even if applying for a job in a casual setting, avoid wearing too bulky and large accessories and heels that are above 7cm. This can look offensive and not appealing at all. Regarding jeans, even if the company you’re working in is casual, make sure to stay away from ripped jeans and frayed pants. It’s best to keep some professional standards regardless of the surrounding, and mind the dress code rules.
The easiest way to shop for different types of work clothing pieces is in specialised work clothes stores. There, you can find suitable pieces of all kinds that can meet even the pickiest formal dress code standards in some institutions.
