Stylish at Work When It is Hot Outside and Freezing Inside

We have come to the time of year that it's warm outside, and you know what this means. Get ready for freezing cold temperatures at work. Needless to say, getting dressed in the summer can be frustrating. You want to keep cool so you don't look like a drowned rat the second you arrive at the office, yet know that once you're at your your desk you'll have chattering teeth and icicles hanging from your nose. How do you dress for both?

The obvious solution is to keep a sweater at work. Sure, this works, but is it stylish? Can you guarantee that every outfit you wear to work with match the cardigan hanging off the back of your office chair? Not likely. Instead, take a look at these simple ways to look stylish at work when your office is freezing that will also keep you cool when you are outdoors.

Stylish at Work When it is Hot Outside and Freezing Inside

Outfit #1
Be sure to have some dresses with sleeves for the summer. Sleeveless dresses may seem like the obvious choice, but if you are uncomfortable showing off your arms you'll likely want to have some coverage. Instead of being stuck having to keep a jacket or cardigan on, a dress with sleeves will allow you to keep cool without additional layers.

In this outfit the Boden jacket works perfectly over this cobalt Reiss dress for colder temperatures, yet the dress on its own not only offers coverage but still looks professional. Finishing the outfit, I added this blue and coral necklace fro Stella & Dot, a pair of coral d'orsay pumps from Sole Society and gold bracelet from Ann Taylor.

Outfit #2
A shirt dress, like this one from Theory, is perfect for summer. It's a tailored look and the collar gives the dress a professional appearance without a jacket. Plus, for sub-zero temperatures at the office, a cardigan can easily be layered over the dress, like I did here with this basic Tory Burch cardigan in ivory.

Finishing the outfit, I added some color to the look using these green slingbacks from Nine West and colorful necklace from Kate Spade.

Outfit #3
The tops you choose to wear under a suit jacket or cardigan can make a huge difference when needing to keep cool and warm at the same time. Choose styles that will look polished with our without the layering piece. Here, I used this eShakti top that as a small cap sleeve and a tie front finish that works on its own and underneath a jacket, like this summer style from J. Crew, or cardigan. The outfit is ready for the office with a pair of basic navy pants, tan pumps from Nordstrom, a pair of gold drop earrings from Banana Republic.

The goal when dressing for work during the summer months is to make sure that your outfit look finished and professional with our without a topper piece.