Do you want to be more stylish at work but the idea of how to do it daunts you? There isn’t a person on the planet who doesn’t want to look good in what they wear. However, what stops most people is how to pull it off. There are no rules or firm guidelines on how to look more stylish, and, with all the different styles, options and things to choose from, it can get downright overwhelming.
Going from A to Z in one big step is not only impossible but really too much for anyone to handle. This is true with personal style. If you want to make some changes with your own style and appearance, there is nothing wrong with making changes slowly. In fact, in today’s post, I am going to show you how to create stylish work outfits with the tiniest of tweaks. What you may realize from reading this post is that the difference between looking like just another person in a crowd and looking pulled together and memorable doesn’t really take all that much effort or a closet full of new clothes.
Stylish Work Outfits with Just a Few Tweaks
Below are three common business-casual work looks. On the left you will see three perfectly fine and acceptable outfits. There is nothing wrong with them, they’re just a little predictable. On the right, with just some subtle changes, I made these basic looking outfits more stylish. Using the tweaks that I did, you too may be able to create some more memorable outfits using what already exists in your closet.
Outfit #1- Adding more colorful accessories
This first outfit is a very basic work look: a pair of navy pinstripe pants and a v-neck sweater in burgundy. In the outfit on the left, I accessorized the look with a pair of navy booties from Sole Society and a basic silver necklace from Kate Spade. It’s not uncommon for women to not only use the simplest of accessories, but to use them every single day.
In the outfit on the right, all I did was change out the necklace for something more colorful. As you can see, this necklace from Carolee picks up the colors found in the outfit and adds a few more. By doing this, the outfits gets infused with something a little less expected. There is no additional effort in making this outfit more pulled together. If you’re adding a necklace anyway, why not make it more interesting?
Outfit #2- Warming up black
If you’re among the millions of women who rely heavily on black in your work wardrobe and have gotten a bit bored with it, there is a way to make your black-heavy outfit look fresh again. One of my favorite ways to do that is to add warmer accessories like I am here.
In the outfit on the left, while it is clean and sleek looking with a versatile black Boden dress, pair of black boots and basic silver Stella & Dot necklace, it’s not exactly winning any personality plus awards. It’s just a good, workable outfit that probably won’t get you into any trouble at the office.
On the right, this is a solution for those times where you are just sick of black or want to make it look less stark. Warm it up. Brown and black rarely go together, but brown and cognac combined makes an outfit look rich. It also changes up black pieces so they look different. If you have a black-heavy wardrobe and want to change the pieces up without breaking the bank, try adding in some cognac and lighter brown shades. In the outfit on the right I added a pair of cognac boots, a tortoise bracelet, gold watch and gold bracelet, along with a gold-tone octagon necklace.
Outfit #3- Playing up a print
Do you have prints in your wardrobe that you’re not getting the most of? It’s not uncommon to downplay prints, like this Modcloth blouse, by just wearing them with black, like how the outfit on the left is styled with a black J. Crew cardigan, black a-line skirt from Vince Camuto and black Naturalizer pumps. Sure, it works, but the outfit is not all that special or purposeful looking.
On the right, with just a few tweaks, the outfit stands out while still being work appropriate. Prints are a great way to get comfortable with color combining and easily infuse some colors into an outfit because you can look to the prints to dictate what shades can be used. Here, for example, instead of the black cardigan, I changed it for the same style only in green, changed the black pumps for a teal suede pair from Clarks, and changed out these basic gold hoop earrings for a more colorful pair that picks up the orange and gray in the printed top. Same outfit components, just more interesting.
Through today’s post, it is my hope that you will see that creating stylish work outfits really don’t involve a lot more effort than creating mediocre or passable ones. All it really takes is having key finishing components that enhance your looks.
