Wraps with suit pants or skirts make a great work outfit for casual friday. Wearing a wrap on a day when you’re supposed to be in your snazy proffessional attire won’t do though. A wrap would definately be considered business casual, and not formal business attire. But if the work situation allows, a wrap is a great item that you can be really comfortable in, and it looks a little bit dressed up if you wear it with pearls or semi-precious stone necklace. We ought to have at least one good wrap in our work wardobe. If you wear your wrap with jeans it really makes the whole work outfit much more casual, and you ought to think through which degree of casualness you want to go to. Usually, the best way to create a casual friday outfit is by choosing one item from your formal business attire wardobe, and then mixing it with one casual item. For example, a casual top (e.g. a wrap) with a pair of slacks from one of your business suits. Or a formal top (e.g. a suit jacket) with a pair of jeans. If you wear casual garments both top and bottom, then it is really no longer a work outfit. Mix one formal item with one casual item, and then you have a good casual friday outfit.

Should you always strive to be in the middle ground? Are there fine lines of what is too casual, and what is too fancy for women’s business attire? Having to stay within such a margin can be really limiting and frustrating. If you are going to err, then always “err” on the side of being too fancy, than too casual. Rarealy will you get complaints regarding your work clothes for “looking too nice”.

Here are two examples. The flanel blouse is too casual of a work outfit even for casual friday. The silk blouse is ok, but could be too fancy in some situations. If you  are dealing with a client who dresses very casual you can make her uncomfortable if you dress to formal.

But the rule of thumb for women’s business attire is that overedressed is usually better than under dressed.

For casual work clothes, wear a skirt. But what kind of a skirt? Here are two completely different styles – talk about dichotomy. Both skirt styles are casual, but nice. One style is pretty trendy, the other is quite conservative and shall we say… mature. When you put together a casual work outfit with a skirt, think about what personality you want to come across. Wearing a business casual outfit with a skirt is still more dressy than jeans.

Compare these two women’s business suits in light summer colors. One is rather casual and the other is more formal. They are of a similar colors scheme and follow pretty much the same formula – suit jacket with separate pants. What is it about them that makes one look like business casual and the other like formal business attire? Is one more expensive? No, not necessarily. The business casual outfit is made of fabric that wrinkles easily, and where the indentations of the wrinkles stay (until next time it is pressed). This doesn’t necessarily mean that it is less expensive – there are many women’s suits that are made of wrinkle-prone material that are high priced (often too high priced in my opinion).

The other suit, on the right is made of a fabric that wrinkles less, is less stiff, is more “flowy”, and has more “fall” as we call it. The fact that the fabric doesn’t wrinkle is the main thing that makes a business sut look more formal or casual. And this may or may not mean a big difference in price. You just need to check the fabric when you shop for your work cloths, and the way to check is to grab a handfull of fabric in your hand and squeeze it like an apple – then watch how much/little the wrinkles stay when you let go.

When wearing a bold or bright colored dress with a work outfit, it is important to select a suit jacket that doesn’t detract from the colors of the dress. This white suit jacket makes the bright colors of the dress pop. It shows the colors. If you were to put a black suit jacket over this dress it would bring the colors down and make this work outfit slightly dull, and less visible. Although, on some days perhaps you feel like being less visible. This style of bright dress with jacket would be a good work outfit for someone who works in advertising or a creative field. Or perhaps for casual Friday.

Here are some examples of different looks you can create with cardigans. These cardigans are not twin sets but they are in harmony with the blouses they are worn over. They make a complete outfit and don’t contrast so much that they take away from the blouse. When you shop for a cardigan, try to find 2 or 3 blouses that will go with the same cardigan without breaking off too much. In the summer when it is too hot to wear a jacket with your business suit, a cardigan could be an option to throw over your shoulders in the evening if it gets chilly when you go out with friends after work.

Accessories is an important part of your professional image. They can make or break an outfit. They can make an old business suit look new. Someone said that the rule to have matching shoes and purse no longer have to be followed. It’s true – that isn’t a strict rule anymore at all. However, it still looks good. So if you see a pair of hot shoes with a cool matching purse – grab ‘em. Add some color to your professional wardrobe.

Cute and simple work outfit. Easy to throw on in the morning when you are tired and can’t think about what to wear. Put on a crisp basic white blouse, a cardigan in a color you like, and accessorize with a cute necklace in a color that matches the cardigan. An easy and pretty work outfit. Wear it with your favorit basic black or char coal gray slacks, and dart off in a flash.

Here are some examples of simple but classic plus size dresses that would work really well with the “suit dress” look. These dresses have clean lines and simple cuts, and would make a great work outfit. Put a classic black suit jacket over this dress and you’ll have a really nice casual business look. Your business attire wardrobe should consist of casual work clothes as well as formal women’s business suits. And having a couple of simple but classic dresses like these to wear under a suit jacket, gives more options to what you can do with your business suit.

I found these pretty dresses at OverStock.com

For spring business casual outfits, get a couple of pretty cardigans that you can wear over a pair of nice slacks and a plain top. If you get to twin sets that you can mix-and-match then you get 4 business casual outfits for the price of 2. Every now and then you should break away form strict business attire. A bit of a floral print brightens up a pair of plain suit slacks. And if  it’s an overcast day, then even more reason to wear bright colors.

Get a flared skirt for your casual work outfits this spring. Wear your suit jacket with a casual skirt in a fun color and put some spring in your work wardrobe. This would be a good business casual look, or a good work outfit for casual Friday – a cute blouse with a flared skirt and throw a regular suit jacket over it. Se to go.

While browsing around Nordstrom’s we found a couple of examples of nice casual work outfits in plus sizes that are very accessorized well. For plus size outfits we recommend long necklaces as accessories.

TOP: This work outfit consists of a staple black skirt, with a casual cardigan over a classic white blouse. This ensemble would have worked well by itself, but accessorized with the lime green multi string necklace it gets a completely different feel to it. Don’t under estimate how just one accessory can change the look of a professional attire outfit.

BOTTOM: The blue cardigan set is rather plain by itself, even though good quality. In this image it is the necklace and the purse that makes this work outfit what it is. Accessorize a plain work outfit with two accessories that don’t necessarily match, but that add spunk and class. When using un-matching accessories limit them to 2 – if you use 3 or more un-matching accessories, it will look messy.

Finding fashion deals on the web can be time consuming sometimes. We can take advanatage of the fact that there are some fashion blogs that devote most of their time to doing that. That’s not our primary mission here (our main thing is to write about fashion mostly as it applies to business attire, and getting a good work look). But occationally we come across other fashion blogs that write about particular items available at good prices. Like for example Mumba Fashion that had the skinny of this red cowl neck sweater that went on sale for $39.00. Unfortunatly I missed that sale, but I might have bought this sweater as it is a very nice item to just throw over a pair of black or gray basic slacks, for  a nice casual work outfit, when late for work. I am going to keep an eye on this blog to see if they’ll alert to more good sales.

New fashion blogs to check out

Are you getting cold? Here are some examples of how you can accessorize a casual work outfit with a shawl. These two sweater outfits that are rather casual. It’s just a simple sweater and cardigan over a pair of nice slacks. In the first photo the shawl matches the tones of the sweater and is tied in a rolled knot. It’s more of a polished look. In the second photo the shawl contrasts the color of the cardigan and becomes the dominant expression of the outfit. It’s a very casual and comfy look. Dress it up with pumps and it will be good business casual look for winter. You can have 3 different shawls to accessorize same sweater, and create various looks by changing the shawls around.

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Here are some ideas of how to break up the all black business casual work outfits. Keep your most comfortable standard black slacks, and add tops or jackets in black and white. Keep it simple. Add a little bit of white. Or a lot of white. Lighten things up in your buisness casual outfits by putting together mix and match items in black and white.

A light business suit will keep you cool in hot summer weather. Keep your most comfortable white slacks at hand, and mix-match them with a cool, light weight, gray suit jacket. Use your white slacks and summer suit separate jackets to create casual business suit ensembles. But that alone could be a little bit bland. What makes this work outfit interesting is the accessory – the yellow necklace perfectly matched with the yellow top peaking out between the suit lapels. It’s worth spending time to find the right accessories for your business suit.

Belts can be a great accessory for a business casual outfit. You can accessories with belt both for skirts and pants. First we have a skirt and white blouse with a thin belt. Next is an example of a work oufit with a wide black belt accessorizing a pair of white slacks with a short sleeved blouse. Last we have a business casual outfit accessorized with a belt in a contrasting color, simply resting over the cardigan. A belt, as an accessory, can say so much.

What should you prioritize if your work clothes budget isn’t big enough to buy you everything you need? If your wardrobe budget is miserably limited you should put most of the money on this garment: the suit jacket. Best would of course be to wear a woman’s business suit, with a suit jacket and pants that go together. But if there isn’t enough money for that, then create a work outfit with suit separates using a blazer or suit jacket and a pair of slacks in a neutral color (black, gray, brown etc.) that goes with the jacket. Suit separates are great for business casual outfits.

When your wardrobe budget is uncomfortably tight, you can get away with skimping on quality in regards to the work slacks, the blouse, and possibly the shoes – you can even buy these clothes on sale at a discount clothing store, like Ross or Marshalls. But never skimp on quality for the suit jacket; it is the one thing that people notice the most and that suit jacket sets the tone of your entire professional work outfit. Always make sure the suit jacket is lined, has good buttons and detailing, lapels that lay flat, and that it fits your body well (if it doesn’t fit you right, it may look cheap on you even if it cost a lot). It’s worth spending some time in the dressing room trying on jackets to make sure you get a good fit.

On those rare days that you don’t go into the office (you lucky girl) yet still wish to appear pulled together you can find yourself quickly lost in weekday fashion; somewhere between suits and sweats. Since you’re not in the office, there’s no need for the full hair and makeup: gloss, mascara, and blush are all you need at the most. For hair that’s done but not done up, dry your bangs with a round brush and simply pull the rest back in a loose ponytail. On days like this, linen, cotton, and organic cotton are a wonderful choice since they will move with you and the fabric will breathe well. Thin belts are your best accessory choice on these days since they can be that fun color add on and define your curves. Boots are always a great idea; brown flat riding boots with a small metal embellishment are not only popular this season, they are also hugely comfortable and can go with anything from skirts to Bermuda shorts to denim. This can also be a fun time to wear short sleeve jackets in colorful options and even white pants, it is spring after all.

By: Danielle Gonzalez

When you shop for a woman’s business suit, think ahead and plan out what else you can wear it with. Perhaps you have other suit separates at home that your new wardrobe addition can be mix and matched with. If not, you could look around the mall for other business suits, or separate jackets that can be worn with it. Don’t just buy one piece of clothing because you like it, think of how it can be recombined to make as many work outfits as possible.

Here are some examples of women’s business suits and suit separates in red, gray and white that can be mix and matched and recombined into many various work outfits.

Why not wear a twin set with a pair of relaxed slacks for a business casual outfit? Get a twin set with matching top and cardigan. Wear the cardigan open and loose. Wear your twin set with your favorite pair of slacks, or with the pants from one of your business suits. Alternating it with a twin set, is one way to get yet another work outfit out of a woman’s business suit. However, this look is pretty relaxed and suitable for a business casual outfit only – if you have an important meeting that requires formal business attire, then wear the full business suit.

With the implementation of casual Friday and the overall relaxed feel at offices, jeans are now being seen around the cubicles with increasing frequency.  Each office environment is different and it is up to you to decide if your office can handle the casualness of jeans. Though a general rule that can always see you through and make sure you look professional is this: dress for the position a level higher than yourself.  If you never see your supervisor wearing jeans, it’s a good bet it would be inappropriate for you too.  But if you can wear jeans, the difference between casual chic and casual is a good fit and wash. Dark denim in a bootcut will never steer you wrong; some great brands that instantly slim and offer full coverage are: Sevens, Joe’s and Citizens (all of which can be found at Macy’s for one stop shopping).

When wearing denim to the office, layers are important to keep the look professional.  Blazers are especially sleek since they are unexpected, and paired with a lacy cami and slim cardigan makes the look feminine and effortless.  With jeans, jewelry can play a huge part: necklaces and bracelets are a great way to be eclectic and boho chic.  Denim can be a fun break away from the usual office attire and remain sleek and styled.

 By: Danielle Gonzalez

Outfits by Ann Taylor and Anthropology

How about adding some green to your work wardrobe? Pep things up a bit with a bright green top or jacket. You can mix in a green top with business suits in black and white. Or brighten a brown women’s suit with a green silk top that has a very slight shine to it. What about creating a casual office outfit with a green separate suit jacket to wear with a blouse, and your favorite black or white slacks? Perhaps balance it with a subtle green bracelet.

Working women are buying a lot of business suits in light colors for summer. Work outfits with suits and separate slacks and jackets in white, cream, bone and taupe is the order of the day. Here are some examples of how to accessorize light colored business suits with coral and orange. Short necklaces with big coral stones contrasts nicely with a cream suit jacket. Career blouses and casual tops in organge and coral creates a lovely spring office look. Combining work outfits by alternating long gold necklaces, beige bags, big buckeled belts and a few bright orange or soft coral tops brings your light colored suits to life.