Professional business attire for women should convey your credibility and competence, but also reflect some personality without going overboard. It is important to understand your office’s cultural norms for both business casual and “client-ready” days, as standards differ across states, occupations, and offices.
Determining Your Office Dress Code
How you should dress in your office is largely dependent on your company’s dress code and the cultural norms of your office. Companies usually issue employee handbooks with formalized dress codes, and that is also a good starting point to understand what is appropriate to wear in your office.
A good tip is to observe the attire of your supervisors and women who are similar in rank to you in your office for a week or two whenever you start a new job. It is important to pay attention to what they wear on days where there might be an important meeting (when you will typically see the most formal of attire) and ordinary days. Seeing what others wear is the best barometer in determining the appropriate level of formality in your office.
Think of business formal attire as what you would wear to an interview, when you’re giving an important presentation to the CEO, or going to court. It’s the most formal attire one can wear to work.
Formal Business Suits
Business suits are the most basic building block of business formal attire. They consist of a blazer and either a pair of trousers or a skirt in a matching fabric. It is best to suits in a neutral color, like black or dark grey, and in a seasonless fabric like wool. Talbot’s offers a variety of classic, stylish coordinating suit separates (which helps ensure the best possible fit) in styles appropriate for the most formal work environments.
Suits should be well fitting. Pay particular attention to details like:
- Length of the sleeves on the blazer. The sleeves should end at your wrist without having down over your hands.
- How the blazer sits on your shoulders. It should fit snugly at the edge of your shoulders without hanging past.
- Length of the skirt and the slit at the back of the skirt, especially when sitting down or walking. The skirt should come at least to the top of your knees.
- Length of the trouser pants, especially when worn with heels or flats. The trouser cuff should hit at the midway-point of either type of shoe, and may need to be tailored depending on your height and height of shoe you typically wear.
- Button closure in the front. Even if you plan to wear the jacket open, you should be able to comfortably fasten any front button. There should not be a lot of extra room when the blazer is buttoned.
There are trends in business suits, similar to the rest of fashion, but the tried-and-true simple, unembellished suit is appropriate for all formal business occasions.
Formal Business Tops
The buttoned-up shirt is sometimes described as the workhorse of a business formal outfit, because it comes in a huge variety of colors, patterns, and fabrics, and is suitable for all business formal occasions. Pullover shell blouses in lightweight fabrics can also be appropriate to pair with business suits. Ann Taylor has a lovely selection of work-appropriate tops perfect for pairing with business suits.
- A cotton blend, rayon or silk top is often the best option.
- The color or pattern you choose should coordinate with your suit. Conservative tones like black, white, burgundy, hunter green navy are good, as are light colors, like baby blue, light pink, and white. Avoid neon tones or anything too trendy.
- Any neckline you prefer is fine, as long as does not plunge to reveal too much cleavage.
Footwear
Well-made leather pumps are essential to a professional woman’s wardrobe. They should be comfortable while remaining stylish and work-appropriate. Both flats and heels are appropriate for the workday. Close toe styles are preferred for formal business wear in most cases. Hush Puppies has a great line of attractive and comfortable shoes for formal business wardrobes.
- For shoes with heels, ranging from two to four inches are generally recommended for both comfort and maintaining professionalism. Flats can also be appropriate.
- Two pairs of shoes are necessary at a minimum (though chances are you’ll want more than that!). A pair in black leather and a nude patent shoe would be appropriate for most workwear outfits.
- It is also important to maintain the condition of your shoes. Scuffed toes and worn-down heels are no-no’s in a professional situation, so be sure to frequently take them to the cobbler or get them cleaned once a season.
Pearls
Pearls are the ultimate in conservative accessories. In a formal business environment, you will never go wrong with a great set of pearls, be it a pair of earrings or a single-strand necklace. Pearls range dramatically in price points, but cheaper pearls and even fake pearls would be appropriate in the right size. Overstock.com is a great place to find affordable pearl jewelry for your formal business wardrobe. There are also a number of other places to find discount pearl jewelry.
Leather Handbag
A quality designer or other leather handbag large enough to fit letter-sized documents is a necessity in the workplace. The Rachel Satchel from Fossil is a great option. For a formal workplace, it’s best to buy a handbag in a neutral color, like black or brown, that does not show stains easily. You can find quality leather handbags at a variety of stores and online retailers. Marshall’s is a great place to look for high quality bags at affordable prices.
Women business attire enhances the professional image of yourself and the workplace itself. As stated above, your business clothing should always be neat, pressed, never wrinkled and always complying with your company’s formal image.
