Working Woman: What to Wear When They Say ‘Business Casual’

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WHAT I’M WEARING

jcrew scarf {old; last seen here + love this similar style} || jcrew turtleneck {looove! + last seen here} || current elliott jeans || jcrew metallic heels {old; similar here} || rebecca minkoff bag {old; last seen here + here; love these similar styles: 1 + 2 + 3} || karen walker sunnies | mac lipstick in ‘saint germain’

Welcome to the first installment of my new once-per-month Working Woman Wednesday series. As many of you know, I work full time at Adobe in addition to my blog and I’ve never really shared that part of my life with you. You can read a little more about my career path here and watch my recent TV interview about the amazing benefits my employer offers, but stay tuned for more and feel free to ask any questions about my work life that I can answer in future Working Woman posts.

One common challenge I’ve seen in my years of office life is not knowing what to wear when the dress code is “business casual.” It certainly depends on the culture of your office, but my mind immediately jumps to jeans and heels as a starting point. If I’m not in the mood for heels, I typically wear dressier flats, like these or these.

The key with denim is to go as light as possible on the distressed elements. Some office cultures might advise against any distressed details at all, in which case, I’d choose a darker wash and wear these jeans. Luckily for me, my office is a bit more on the casual side, so I feel comfortable wearing my favorite Current Elliott jeans pretty often, which dress up really nicely with these metallic heels or these suede heels.

The rest is pretty intuitive! It’s cold out so I’ve been wearing turtlenecks and scarves with jeans a lot lately. But you could easily switch things up for a nice blouse and cardi. I think the point of business casual is to look presentable, but still feel comfortable. So I almost always choose pants over a skirt or dress in this case.

Do you work in an office? What do you wear when the dress code is business casual?

Photos by The High Pines.

Amanda

Comments

  1. I think your company’s “business casual” leans on the side of casual! Cute outfit.

    I can basically wear anything to my work, so I’m always in leggings, a hoodie and sneakers. Haha!

    Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
    http://charmainenyw.com

    Posted January 11, 2017 | Reply
  2. Natali says:

    Great scarf and bag, you’re always rocking your casual outfits 100%!

    https://lartoffashion.com/on-board/

    Posted January 11, 2017 | Reply
  3. Rach says:

    I love that you work full time and blog! This outfit is def a perfect business casual style!

    http://www.rdsobsessions.com

    Posted January 11, 2017 | Reply
    • Thanks, Rach! My life is crazy sometimes, but it works. Thanks for reading my blog! XO

      Posted January 12, 2017 | Reply
  4. Jane says:

    Super love this business casual look! That is a hard one to decipher but I think this look is PERFECT for Fridays at the office!

    Posted January 11, 2017 | Reply
    • Thank you! I’ve been in the more “casual” business setting for a while so my daily work style definitely has more of a TGIF vibe. 😉

      Posted January 12, 2017 | Reply
  5. Monika says:

    Love how you put together this outfit!

    http://www.thestyleventure.com/2017/01/11/statement-t-shirts/

    Posted January 12, 2017 | Reply
  6. I wish teachers had paid time off! We have to use our sick days or personal days and then the rest is unpaid. Its hard and stressful as a mom! Im glad Adobe does this!!

    Posted January 12, 2017 | Reply
    • Ugh, that is so hard. I’m sorry. I feel very fortunate, but I just wish every company would offer this. Moms are so deserving and it would show so much respect for women and motherhood (honestly the hardest job in the world). Hang in there. XO

      Posted January 18, 2017 | Reply