Business Casual Rules

Power Dressing Must Have

"There are three types of people in this world: those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened. We all have a choice. You can decide which type of person you want to be. I have always chosen to be in the first group."  - Mary Kay Ash entrepreneur and visionary

Have you ever wondered exactly what the terms business casual  means? I recently put these tips on business casual dressing together for a speech for my Toastmasters group (Speak For Success, Bradford). While these tips are great for presentations they also apply to any business casual occasion. The secret to dressing business casual is to look professional and clean cut. Ask yourself as you are picking out your outfit, "What impression am I hoping to achieve with this look?"

Tops To Avoid:  sports attire, busy patterns, wrong season, too low cut, too tight.                                          

Tops Best Bets: Long-sleeved or short sleeved tailored blouses or shirts in white or light blue. Knit sweaters and cardigan sets. Unmatched jackets(for example a tweed blazer with khakis). Polo shirts (golf style)  tucked in can work for more casual situations.

Some other business casual power signals include white shirts with collars, well-made shoes and good watches.People immediately connect with the classic look of wearing light inner a top with a contrasting dark outer top. My favourite version of this is the white collared shirt with a solid black v neck sweater.

Pants/Skirts To Avoid: micro miniskirts; shorts, dress pants in fancy fabrics like satin or velvet and ripped or faded jeans.

Pants/Skirts Best Bets: Khakis, cotton or corduroy pants, neatly pressed with stretchy fabric in a figure flattering cut. Ladies, skirts  should come at least to your knees while you are standing. Both can be altered to fit.             

Blue jeans are not business casual. However, if you do insist on wearing jeans,  make them appear more businesslike, by have them pressed at your dry cleaner. The creases should hold through several machine washings. Most importantly, wear dark solid jeans in navy, black or dark gray.

Remember you can never be overdressed. This holds true whether you're at work, out speaking at events or simply enjoying a night out. You will feel uncomfortable if you're highly underdressed, but you won't lose anything by looking professional yet relaxed and neatly pulled together.