Can a Ruffle Blouse Be Business Attire?

Make your wardrobe work for wherever you do.

Women's work wear can be a difficult genre to master. Where one style can be appropriate and even encouraged at one company, it could get you fired at another. Many companies offer guidelines on a preferred dress code, but these guidelines are not inclusive. To eliminate any worry and focus on the business at hand, smarten up your wardrobe with items that will work wherever you go, starting with a ruffle blouse.

Finance

Keep a ruffle blouse as conservative as possible in the finance industry.

Finance jobs are the most conservative when it comes to dress codes. In general, the goal is to let your intelligence shine and keep everything else to a suited-up minimum, especially during the interview process. Here, wearing a ruffle blouse is not ideal. During an interview, wear a black or navy suit and if you choose a skirted version, make sure it falls just above or below the knee.

After you land the job, you can up the fashion ante a bit with a ruffle blouse, but keep it on the conservative side. Solid colors like black, white or navy work best. Avoid any low-cut versions, even those on the conservative side.

Advertising & Public Relations

Ruffle blouses in this industry should be more fashionable and on trend.

Advertising and PR companies are still a bit on the conservative side when it comes to dress code, but playing up your personality and creative is ideal, especially within confined guidelines. You'll be doing this for your work anyway, so showcasing that you can do it in your fashion as well will put you at the top of your game.

If you work in this industry, a ruffle blouse is a great piece to wear as long as it matches a more professional setting rather than a partying one. Go for ruffle blouses in the season's trendiest colors and patterns. Your only rule here is to make sure the cut isn't too low, though a modest V-neck isn't out of the question.

Start-Up

In the start-up world, a ruffle blouse needs to show off your personality.

Start-up companies are notorious for long hours with big pay offs if you're lucky. With those long hours comes a more lenient dress code. Plus, in this industry, personality and how a team works together is of utmost importance, so showing your personality and tastes through your fashion is encouraged.

Ruffle blouses are a great addition to a start-up wardrobe. Feel free to wear any style and in any cut and color that you want as long as it is acceptable (e.g., no cropped tops.) You definitely have more wiggle room at a start-up, but don't overdo it. If you have a favorite ruffle blouse you wear out with your friends, feel free to wear it to work, but make sure you tone down the rest of the outfit to make it office appropriate.

Also, always make sure that if you work at a start-up, your fashion is comfortable so that you can last through the late nights.

Public Sector

Keep a public sector ruffle blouse conservative, but go for solid colors you like.

The public sector isn't as conservative about dress code as the finance industry mostly because you need to be comfortable working the long and exhausting hours. However, the dress code is still quite conservative given that you are working with the public and need to be seen in a professional light.

A ruffle blouse is great for this industry, but like in the finance industry, you'll want to keep it conservative with no low-cuts and in basic colors. Go ahead and explore the primary color range -- reds, yellow, blues -- but stick to solids so that what you say and do gain more attention than what you're wearing.

References

• How to Dress for Your Industry
• Work Wear Ruffled Blouses
• What to Wear to Work