How to Dress for Work (Corporate Casual)

Dressing Corporate Casual can be confusing if it's new to you. This articles will highlight the do's and dont's of Corporate Casual fashion.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• A moderate budget
• Good judgement
• Your company's handbook

1. 
   JCPenney's

   Corporate Casual is a little more laid back than Business Attire. Companies that require this dress code, want you to look good but not too formal. You're looking for nice slacks or long skirts, nice crisp shirts (button up shirts are normally a safe choice), golf shirts, collared shirts, comfortable casual shoes but not sneakers or tennis shoes. You can include more formal attire if you like but ties, suit jackets, blazers and high heels are usually not required to achieve the Corporate Casual look.

2. 
   TheDenimBlog.com

   It may be easier to understand "corporate casual" in terms of what not to wear. So lets start with what it's not:
   No tanks, tees, sweat shirts, jogging pants, yoga pants, or mini skirts.
   No showing tattoos, wild hair, piercings, hats, or see-through materials.
   No dirty, wrinkled, torn, or ill-fitting clothing.
   No clothes with offensive or obscene images on them.
   No flip flops, sneakers, gym shoes.
   Of course, you'll want to refer to your company's dress code to know what's appropriate. For example, some companies forbid jeans in the dress code. Other's don't mind as long as they are not too trendy looking. Click on the picture to the left to see the difference. The pair on the left may be fine for the office while the pair on the right is not.

3. My advice is to make sure your shopping for things that fit you well and make you look good. Don't wear something just because it fits the dress code. Dressing for success actually works for some individuals. At my company, management dresses corporate casual but no one else has to. One young woman is very well dressed each day even when she was entry level and didn't have to. Because she looked professional, neat, and confident, people assumed she was in management and would frequently stop her to ask questions. Because she sort of "looked the part," was very helpful to others, and had good performance, she was able to land a middle management position recently. Dressing well for her, was part of her strategy to compete for a better spot. In this case, she stood out first and then showed what she could do.

4. 

   Business attire has a lot of the same elements as Corporate Casual as far as being presented as always neat and pressed. But you may need to add clothing such as a suit jacket, tie, panty hose, or blazer. The picture to the left is an example of Business Attire.

Tips & Warnings

• You can dress for less by mixing up your wardrobe. On a tight budget, focus on 4-5 pairs of nice plain slacks. If they stand out too much, people will notice that you're wearing the same pants over and over. Maybe select 3 pair of black, one blue and one brown, to get a nice start. Now add one or two shirts a paycheck until you've created your new look.

[SophiaMaria]

on 1/7/2009 5 Stars! This is some great info! The part in step 3 where you mention about the entry level young woman who worked her way up by dressing professionally is actually what happened to me so I know it works!

[Alisiane]

on 11/5/2008 Excellent tips....so many people hear the "casual" in business casual and try to get away with things that just don't work in a professional environment. Great advice.