I love styling work and professional clothes. I truly feel like that is where my style thrives. I feel my best in business casual and professional style, so it makes me so happy when I can dress nicely for an internship or interview. Even though I’m not in the workforce yet, I have had several internship experiences that required me to dress nicely. I mostly dress in business casual for my internships, but on the occasion I dress professional or more casual. Today I wanted to share 5 outfit ideas for business casual or even business professional.
First, let’s clear up business casual versus business professional.
I like to think of business casual being anything but jeans. This means nice blouses, dresses, professional shoes (preferably flats or wedges), work pants or skirts, and sometimes blazers. Business professional is structured dresses, heels or very professional shoes, suits (powersuit or skirt set), and trousers. But business style honestly comes down to the work environment you are at. My business casual internship this summer allowed jeans and more casual blouses and dresses, but my PR internship last semester didn’t allow jeans and they were business casual. So to get a clear idea of what your company prefers, email your HR rep or the person who hired you and ask for a run-down of the dress code. This is totally normal and honestly encouraged! You want to show up to work dressed to impress but also to fit in with the rest of the crowd.
I also wanted to share my favorite places to get work clothes. J.Crew and J.Crew Factory are where I find the majority of my business clothes, but I also search for a lot of things on Poshmark. For shoes, I love searching Sole Society on Poshmark and even looking on their website. For snappy casual pants, I prefer the J.Crew Pixie pant as well as the Old Navy version of the pixie. These are my go-to and are perfect for business casual.
// outfit one //
This look would be perfect for any business casual wear. You got a conservative yet fashion-forward blouse, professional pants, and comfy shoes. I also like to add fun accessories such as headbands and earrings that pull the look together without going overboard.
// outfit two //
This look would be for the dressier end of business casual and could potentially fall into business professional if you added a blazer. I love sticking to neutral colors such as black and white and really sprucing it up with a statement blouse and fun accessories.
// outfit three //
This look screams summer business casual. I actually wore this outfit to an interview last summer and I got the position! I would recommend a slightly longer skirt, but my internship was a bit more casual and trendy so I think this slid by.
// outfit four //
earrings // dress- boutique // shoes (similar)
I love a flouncy dress. This one was my fave piece for my internship last semester- I seriously wore it all the time! To make it a bit dressier I would add these fun block heels from Sole Society as well as some fun hoop earrings. This dress was the perfect length too.
// outfit five //
This is probably the most professional outfit of the bunch. This vintage-style dress hits below my knee and has longer sleeves, making it perfect for dressier workplaces. I added a blazer to this one when I wore it to the first day of my internship last semester. I again added my block heels and a fun headband to keep my hair back.
What do you love to wear to work? Also be sure to check out my Tik Tok (linked in my Instagram bio) to see these outfits in action!!
xoxo,
Madison
All of these outfits are so cute and I love how professional they are! There are so many cute combinations!
I love ALL of these outfits!! But outfit #4 is my FAV! I love the dress on you and it’s adorable paired with these shoes!! Definitely all super chic & professional looks. Thank you so much for revealing some of your ideas with us! 🙌🏽
✨ Morga*
I love outfit 2&5 the most! I don't have a dressy profession (hello home life) but I love this style and I'm obsessed with wearing blazers!
The first and last outfits are definitely my favorite. Gosh it's been so long since I've needed to wear a professional work outfit, since I blog full-time, but you're making me *almost* miss this style of clothing!
How cute do you look! I am especially loving the last dress!
J crew has the best workwear staples!!! Ugh I miss dressing up for work!
J crew has the best workwear staples!!! Ugh I miss dressing up for work!
J crew has the best workwear staples!!! Ugh I miss dressing up for work!