Every career girl will understand this dilemma; dressing for the office is a complicated and puzzling affair for the style conscious.
Seemingly simple yet so easy to get wrong, mixing fashion and formal workwear is always a subject for discussion in every workplace. Are short skirts appropriate and if so, how short? Are stiletto heels too high? And just how much color is too much?
Marie Clare recently posted about the right clothes to wear for the workplace in an article called How to Dress for the Job You Want, which details some obvious rules about not dressing to be too sexy, and to not be too distracting with patterns and colors. But are rules really the way forward for a liberal approach to women in the work place? Some feminists may not believe so. Last year, the Huffington Post shared an article, 11 Ways The American Workplace is Still Really Sexist, which highlights that the problem is still very much present in this day and age, and occupational sexism is still an issue in the Western world.
So should workplace sexism dictate the way we dress? Or are we looking at it all wrong? – Ms Career Girl
So should workplace sexism dictate the way we dress? Or are we looking at it all wrong? Perhaps workplace sexism would cease to exist if we did change the way we dressed? Or maybe there’s just no problem at all and the way we dress shouldn’t make a difference to all the other issues.
So there really are no rules – and the truth is, every line of work will vary in its so-called “rulesâ€� for workplace attire. But there are some nuggets of wisdom which will help every working girl get on top of her capsule work wardrobe‌
The Power of Accessories: Can They Reveal Your Personality?
Firstly, shoes should never be a last thought; an interesting study by Kansas University shows that strangers can judge 90% of a person’s personality by looking at their shoes. When a client or colleague looks at your shoes, what would you like them to think? Clean? Polished? And you might be surprised at just how many people do look at your shoes in a meeting or an interview. The easiest way to include fashion trends into an office outfit is to accessorize, so shoes are very important.
So other than some obvious pointers of not being too revealing or distracting, there really are no exact rules to dressing for the office. Just be respectful of the office culture and let your personality shine in small yet high-impact ways.
It’s also no secret that every career girl needs a designer watch to complete her look and finish off her outfit or a designer handbag to adorn her arm – and this is where color comes in. Color isn’t always easy to weave into your office wardrobe if you need big CEOs to take you seriously and not get distracted by your neon pink heels. But the right application of color can be a great way of showing how bold and fearless you are. Accessorizing with colors can say a lot about your personality without giving too much away – and this makes a great start for creating capsule wardrobe.
A capsule wardrobe can help you create a stylish foundation for your daily outfits and you can create style and trend variety by mixing up the bags, shoes, scarves, jewelry and accessories that suit you.
So other than some obvious pointers of not being too revealing or distracting, there really are no exact rules to dressing for the office. But if in doubt, I’ve found that the article Five Levels of Business Attire by Business Insider gives good guidelines.
What are your thoughts on the debate on office dress code? Let us know below or tweet us @mscareergirl!
