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.

Does your black power suit bore you? Break it up with some bright yellow jackets. Business attire doesn’t always have to be dark to create a professional image. Buy a bright yellow suit jacket to wear with your favorit black suit pants.  Don’t let business attire dress codes restirct you in terms of color.

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.

Here are two dramatic examples of black business suits with red tops. The first one is a black pant suit with very wide lapels, and black top under neath that creates a dramatic contrast. The second is a business suit with a skirt and a suit jacket that has ruffled lapels. It is also contrasted with a red top that shows in the wide opening of the suit jacket. Both of these power suits have lapels that are unique.

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.

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.

How about breaking up your regular black power suit and wearing the pants or skirt with a suit jacket that has contrasting trim at the edges? This is a great way to create new work outfits, by mix and matching women’s business suits. The fundamentals of business attire for women is to build a wardrobe with classic matching pant suits and skirt suits. But after that you can add various suit jackets with design details that makes women’s business suits into whole new suits. When you go shopping for women’s business attire, don’t just look at the suit – look at what other work outfits can be created with it.

Choose a trouser sock in a neutral tone with a subtle design for your pant suit.

DO NOT wear bright colored trouser socks with your pant suit.

When you wear pant suits and flat shoes, like loafers, etc. there are many options for your trouser socks and knee highs. You can wear socks in neutral colors that have subtle patterns or designs on them. This gives an individual touch to a woman’s business suit. It’s sort of like viewing the sock as an accessory. If you wear trouser socks or knee highs in a color, it should be the same color and hue as either the slacks or the shoes. Never wear socks in a contrasting, bright color with your business suit - that breaks up your leg into three segments – and also it draws attention in a unnecessary way. The idea is to add something subtle to your business attire that makes your look more individual. For short women, it could give the optical illusion of having a longer leg if the socks or nylons are the same color as the pants. You can also wear textures socks or knee highs with pumps and high heels if the sock is about as thin as a nylon.

A tip: Before I throw my socks in the washer, I fasten the pairs together with a safety pin. That solves the problem of ending up with ONE stylish sock whose mate is missing.

Some people get confused by what’s meant by “business casual”, and wonder if you can wear a t-shirt with a work outfit. Most people would say “no way”. But I say there are exceptions.  Here are what I consider to be the exceptions for t-shirts with your work clothes:

1. Silky material: If the material of the t-shirt has a slight silk-like shine to it, as many synthetic blends do, it will fit with your professional wardrobe.

2. Design details: It will work if there is some slight design detail, like the gathers and braided neckline in the t-shirt just below. 

3. Patterns: A pattern or texture in the fabric of the t-shirt will make it suitable for either business casual or formal business attire, depending on what you wear it with. 

4. Flowy material: Material that flows with a nice fall, makes a t-shirt or top look more dressy. (The kind of t-shirt that is not allowable has a stiff, wrinkly material.)

One might argue what should be called a “t-shirt”, and what should be called a “top”. What makes it a t-shirt is really how it is cut. The 100% cotton t-shirts you would typically wear with sweats are absolutely forbidden, no matter how nice the slacks are. And it’s even worse if it has something written on it. A plain, cheap, cotton t-shirt can’t be dressed up – not even if you iron it and wear it with pearls and a nice business suit.   Cotton t-shirts that you would work out in do not belong in your professional wardrobe – ever.

Above Left: This t-shirt is made of a material with a silky shine, and has design details that make it dressy. It will look good in a work outfit.

Above Right: This t-shirt looks just like a plain t-shirt in the cut, though it is made of a thick nice silky material that has a flow to it. Worn with nice dress slacks, this will work with a comfortable work outfit. 

Above: three are Armani t-shirts with prints and textured material. We could call them tops, but the cut is like a t-shirt. They would look good either with a woman’s business suit or with a casual work outfit.

While wandering around the malls yesterday, I noticed a color combination for suit separates that I haven’t tried before: orange, navy and beige. In two different stores I saw mannequins dressed in business outfits combining these three colors. I think it’s doable for a casual work outfit, and I might try it myself – it had never occured to me before to try orange and navy together. In the left photo we have a orange suit jacket, beige pants with a navy top. In the right photo we have a beige suit jacket, navy slacks with an oragne top, accessorized with a two layer silver necklace. This may not work for a super formal business meeting in which you have to wear strict business attire, but I think it would be a fun and spunky casual office outfit.

What should you wear to create a work outfit with brown pants? With pants in a warm brown tone, like in the first photo, you can wear a rich golden orange suit jacket. This suit jacket has a slight silky sheen to it, which gives this outfit a formal look.

With pants in a cool brown tone, as in the second photo, why not wear a purple blouse and a long off-white jacket. This makes a nice casual work outfit.

In the last two photos, we have the same pair of brown pants: once with ruffle blouse in a white and brown hound’s tooth design, accentuated with a bold brown belt. And again with a brown top and a casual off-white suit jacket. These last two are comfortable office outfits that can be mix and matched. A pair of brown pants that fit you well is a good basic, that creates a solid foundation for your professional wardrobe.

By: Danielle Gonzalez

When looking in a woman’s closet, most likely, it is filled with black; black sweaters, black blouses, black dresses, and black suits.  And though black does go with nearly everything and is a simple solution to most wardrobe questions, adding a couple colorful suits is a fresh way to add dimension and more outfit choices to mix and match with your professional wardrobe.  Shades of red are always a popular choice for business suits in the spring, don’t be afraid to find the right tone for you; coral, pink, and even peach are soft colors with a lot of professional appeal.  Navy is common also in the spring,  and should you be more daring, a softer blue can also be a lovely choice for a young woman.  But if you are more conservative when it comes to suiting colors, grey tones in tweed are an excellent choice.  When it comes to colorful women’s suits, make sure that you’re picking strong shoes in a color at least two shades darker than the suit, the idea is to look bold, not matchie-matchie. 

These suits from: Chadwicks and Barry Pace

By Danielle Gonzalez

In the ever present quest for appropriate work attire, it is an eventuality that some days will not include the omnipresent black power suit.   However dear shopper, this need give you no extra burden of stress; women’s business suits are leaving the popular arena in favor of something more individualistic, giving  each woman the opportunity to express herself in a more unique way.  And though this new development does mean you have the opportunity to spread your wardrobes wings and really get creative with your day to day outfits, there are a few guidelines along the way to keep your look polished and effortlessly chic.

Should you be more conservative in your buisness attire, now is a wonderful opportunity to mix and match suit separates for a vibrant and fresh take – don’t be afraid to pair that white blazer that only comes out in summer with your favorite fall wear navy slacks.  Multiple colors and textures appear creative, just be sure to keep it under  2 bright patterns to avoiding looking like a kaleidoscope.  Also, layers are essential to keeping the look sophisticated: camisoles, cardigans, sweaters, belts, and even t-shirts can all be implemented to add depth to an otherwise boring look.

Always remember; casual work clothes can mean items bought on the cheap, but it doesn’t mean it suddenly doesn’t need to fit. No matter how good the sale! And as a general rule, you want to be casual enough to be comfortable, but pulled together enough to still be appropriate should your boss’ boss call together an impromptu meeting.

By Danielle Gonzalez

Updating an office outfit can be as simple as adding a little white to give your business attire some pop.  White on black especially adds a modern and polished tone to any ensemble. To spice up the classic black suit, a crisp white blouse underneath always does the trick, but to give the woman’s business suit some flair, go for an off white silk, it’s unexpected glamour adds a soft femininity.  A dress with a bold white on black pattern is mature and fresh, paired with a black cardigan and black pumps makes its an understated power outfit.  And don’t forget about the white or creme jacket.  A long coat is more appropriate for dressier occasions and seen during the evening, but a cropped white jacket can be paired with any classic or trendy look in your professional wardrobe.  Even white accessories such as a purse, jewelry, or scarf gives a striking impression that is impossible to ignore in its intensity.

Look at right from The Limited

Wearing a turtle neck sweater under a business suit in a contrasting color, is almost like a means of accessorizing. Regard it the same way, as when you put on a scarf in a different color to accessorize your suit. Sometimes we ad interest to our business attire by adding a scarf around the neck, but another way to acheive a silimar effect, is to purposly choose a turtle neck in a color that sort of “accessorizes” the suit outfit. This red suit jacket is contrasted with  a black turtle neck, which also ties in with the black buttons of the jacket. The black/white speckled suit jacket is accessorized with a white turtle neck, that blends with the white spots in the jacket. And last, this gray business suit has a pink turtle neck that adds a little extra life to the gray. (This pink sweater is not a true turtle neck, but it has the same effect). The last two examples have a lifting effect on the business suit, whereas the first example gives a striking, dramatic effect to the whole image. Having at least one turtle neck in a color is a good foundation for a professional wardrobe.

How about a green suit jacket to alternate with your black suit pants? What color are you in the mood for today? Here are some examples of various ways to wear a green suit jacket, to mix-match career clothes and woman’s business suits. The first one has a long coat-like cut, and when worn indoors looks best if kept unbuttoned so that you see the blouse. The second is a short conservative jacket cut with standard lapels, which looks very cute with a basic white blouse under it. The third is also short, but has a more unique cut in that it is rounded at the bottom, has hidden buttons, and collar style lapels. (With this type of collar you would not wear a blouse showing over the jacket.) When building a professional wardrobe, take into account what type of suit jacket cut best fits your own personality. Which jacket cut do you think is more like your style?

Here are some ideas on how to create work outfits with white pants (without using the obvious white suit jacket). First we have a casual, cute outfit, with a tomato red jacket over a black and white print top. That outfit could work very well with a black jacket, but the red adds some spunk. This outfit would be good for casual work clothes. Second we have a very formal business outfit, with a pair of flowy white dress slacks and a light gray plaid blazer. The gray blazer has a very slight shine to it, which makes it look even more formal. This is a good business attire combination to have in addition to the other matching formal suits in your professional wardrobe. The third pair of white slacks are worn with a simple gray blouse, that has a light luster to the fabric which makes it look more dressy. This work outfit could pass for either business casual, or professional business attire depending on what type of black suit jacket is put with it.

These classic gray women’s business suits are brightened up with tops in bold colors, like pink and purple. Contrasting a gray suit jacket with a top in a bright color, like purple, is a great way to lift your mood if you are in a funk. You might cheer people up in the office with this type of work outfit. Pink and purple tops work well if the gray suit has an undertone of blue in the gray, but if the gray has an undertone of green, it might not. Match up the top with your business suit in the day light, if possible.

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Here are four completely different examples of how to wear a cardigan with a work outfit. They are four different colors, four different styles, for four different women with different personalities. Which one is your personality?

1. The first is a long gray cardigan with a fun print top, over white pants. This will do well for a casual work wardrobe. It’s comfortable, but more dressy than jeans.

2. The second example is a little more formal, with a light purple cardigan over a nice blouse and brown pencil skirt.

3. And more formal still, the third example is very conservative, and you migth even say a bit of a strict look. A red cardigan and a crisp white blouse with the collar sticking up over it, over nice black slacks. This look will work well if you work in a very formal place.

4. And last, a very bold, unique look, that takes some personality to pull off – a very bright striking yellow cardigan, belted over a white top and black suit skirt. This look does fit within what one might call a professional wardrobe, it just takes some boldness to make a statement like that. But making statements is what fashion is all about – even business attire.

If you wear a cardigan with a business suit, make sure that it is not longer than the suit jacket – unlike blouses, it doesn’t look good if you see the cardigan sticking out under the jacket.

These outfits from: Banana Republic, Macy’s and Bloomingdales.

Excuse me, but am I the only one who has been told not to wear white pants after labor day? I saw several pairs of white pants on display at the mall. I gues that rule is of the past now. Well, in that case, maybe I’ll just go through the summer clothes I packed away for the cold season, and see if there is anything I can wear with my winter suits. I always did think that a pair of white slacks looks really good with a gray or black suit jacket.