What is Business Casual?-Style Tips

“What is business casual?” is a question that is more commonplace than you may think! If you find yourself asking that question, keep reading to have your questions answered!

As you can imagine, I get quite a few texts and calls from clients asking me different questions about style and clothing. One question that seems to come up the most often is “What is business casual?”. As millennials, I think the majority of us have the luxury of working in spaces where the dress code is pretty relaxed. However, this comes at a disadvantage when you get invited to an event or you have a meeting where the attire is set. Business casual seems to be this perplexing space in the dress code because you just don’t know just how dressed up you should be. No full suit needed but can you wear jeans? A sleeveless top? A sweater dress? Those who call me confused on this subject have all these questions and then some.

So, what is business casual? I like to think of business casual as what you would look like if you took the blazer away from a suit. What would you be left with? If it’s a pantsuit, most likely a blouse or sweater and dress pants. If you’re wearing a skirt suit, just substitute the skirt for pants. This, my friends, is business casual. If you’re like me and prefer to wear dresses then a nice, a structured work dress on its own would fall into the business casual category.

Surprisingly enough, business casual is a very simple dress code but when people ask what is business casual, my guess is they get confused by the “casual” portion of the phrase. Now, although that word “casual” is in the phrase, that does not give you free reign to throw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt or a dress that’s a little bit too tight. You can however, step away from the more traditional color schemes of black, grey, beige, etc. and wear a pant with a print or that’s a more unconventional color.  I like to reach for the pieces I’ve bought that caught my eye in the store but may be too bold for an interview. Business casual is that happy medium between business professional and casual Fridays.

If you still have a hard time figuring out if something would constitute as business casual, I have a quick fix. Put together a business professional look: slacks or skirt, blouse, blazer, accessories. Once you have that look together, just take off the blazer and voila! I recommend sticking with modest apparel for your business casual looks. Stay away from pants and skirts that are too tight, skirts that are too short, and skirts with high splits. Even if you’re dressing for an after work event, it’s important that you convey that you are to be taken seriously and you know your worth!

Next time you’re asking yourself “What is business casual?” feel free to come back and use this post as a guide. Business casual is one of my favorite styles and it can become one of yours too once you’ve gained familiarity. I hope this post was helpful! Leave a comment with any questions you may have about professional style, we’re here to help!

Until next time,