Choosing what to wear to work can be challenging. Sometimes, you just wish it was socially acceptable to work in your pajamas. The fact that there are different office outfit categories/dress codes makes it confusing. What eve is business casual? Well, that’s why we’ve come up with the best ways to dress to work under these categories. Let’s define office dress codes and make your mornings easier.
Smart Casual
This dress code is what you’ll find most people wearing at tech companies and business start-ups. Being the most undefined office dress code, the smart casual code is all about dressing down but appearing neat and smart.
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Pair untucked (ironed) shirts or casual sweaters with dark jeans or casual pants to follow this dress code. As for footwear, any pair of nice shoes or dark sneakers will do. You could also wear simple dresses.
Business Professional
The business professional dress code is more popular in government, law, and finance jobs. The whole idea is all about dressing up traditionally; it’s the classic ‘suit and tie’ look. Interestingly, it is one of the simplest dress codes to rock.
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The key is keeping things simple– don’t go overboard. You could wear charcoal or navy suits with matching pants or skirts and pair them with tucked-in button-down shirts and blouses. Dress shoes in neutral shades are the best choice for footwear.
Business Casual
As the name suggests, business casual is a ‘mixture’ of the traditional formal and casual codes. Commonly found in marketing, non-profit, and media firms, this dress code is all about feeling comfortable yet looking polished.
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The business casual dress code features professional dresses, nice shoes or loafers, professional shirts, and sweaters. Neckties are optional- except if your company mandates. You could add a more serious touch with blazers or add a bit of fun with patterns and colors.
Casual
The casual dress code is mostly found in tech companies, art-oriented firms, and small companies. This informal and comfortable dress code is about not taking appearance too seriously. However, avoid looking too casual.
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Dressing casually means wearing dresses, skirts, jeans, casual pants, hoodies, T-shirts, button-down shirts, and comfortable shoes. Your clothes need to be well-fitting so you don’t look sloppy.
Video Call Code
As remote jobs are becoming more popular, communicating with colleagues and superiors via video calls has become regular. However, deciding how to dress for a business video call might be confusing.
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It’s always better to dress up than to dress down; it can kill your morale to be the only one wearing a casual hoodie when your colleagues wear button-down shirts. Furthermore, wearing dressy sweatpants is a good option because you might need to get up from your desk.
