How to dress for a casual office, with style

With the rise of the casual workplace, a common question is “How do I dress for a casual office while still looking polished, professional, and stylish?”. Let’s dive into how office attire has (generally) become more relaxed and how you can match the vibe in an elevated way.

One of THE most common questions we get asked is “how to dress for a casual office?”. I think this question comes up for a few reasons. The first is that millennials who entered the workforce when professional dress was more, well, professional are wondering just how casual they should go when all they know is slacks and blazers. Another is that you may want to embrace the casual vibe at the office, but you still want to put effort into looking good; without doing too much, of course.

One phrase we live by is “it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed”, and that rule even applies to your casual office. If you have a full professional wardrobe that you want to keep wearing, go for it! Chances are no one will think less of you for dressing professionally. However, if you feel like dressing more casually will help you fit in with your peers and make you more approachable, it’s very easy to walk the line between casual and polished.

The good news is that you can start with pieces from your professional wardrobe like blazers, blouses, and trousers and dress them down with casual pieces like t-shirts, denim, and sneakers. The effortlessly chic style is always in, and you can achieve it by pairing those tailored, polished pieces with more relaxed ones. The final look is the perfect cross-section of traditionally professional and modern street style.

You can also use a casual office as an opportunity to let your personal style shine. Play around with bold colors and unique silhouettes that you wouldn’t be able to wear to a more conservative office. You should still dress appropriately, but you have a wider range of clothes to choose from, even dipping into some of your “weekend clothes” and pulling them into the work week.

Another way to inform how to dress for a casual office with style is to pay attention to how everyone else dresses, and take it up a notch or two. You may wear some cargo pants but maybe you pair them with heels and a cute blouse. Or, you wear my favorite outfit combo, jeans and a blazer paired with a fun graphic tee. That way, you’re blending all the elements of who you are into outfits that make you feel confident and that make sense for the office.

You could even give yourself a “work uniform”—a specific outfit formula that you wear every day— to make getting dressed easier. Now, that doesn’t mean that you have to have a closet full of the exact same outfit like a cartoon character. It just means that you want to wear jeans and a button down shirt to work every day, you can do that and still have some variety.

You can wear a plain white button down shirt and wide leg jeans one day, and a striped button down shirt with boot cut jeans the next. The essence of each outfit is the same, but the specific pieces make them different.

All in all, a casual dress code doesn’t mean zero effort, it just signals a more laid back approach.

Do you work in a casual office? Have you found it difficult to dress for or have you found your groove? Let me know in the comments.

If you’re looking for some casual wardrobe staples, here are some of the pieces that are on repeat from my own closet.