Being stylish doesn’t only have to be for fun occasions. As a matter of fact, we can also be stylish at the office. I think it is a great opportunity to challenge ourselves to have fun with our clothes. Of course there are still some things to keep in mind in order to look professional, especially in a corporate workplace.
I recently heard “The way you dress is the way you will be addressed,” most of the time, the way we dress has an impact on how seriously we want to be taken and also shows on how much we care about our job.
Lately, I noticed how people tend to go for a more casual look for going to work, for example, by wearing sweatpants, hoodies, yoga pants, and footwear that looks like sleepers. At times it is a shame to see how far people let go of the way they present themselves, because the exterior is also a projection of our interior and of how much we are putting ourselves into what we do. Putting effort into our outfits could be an opportunity to stand out and to be confident with our intentional presence at work.
First of all, starting with a good foundation will make it easier to build up an “office day wardrobe”. For example, when it comes to colour, it’s good to have neutrals that are able to match with colourful pieces or accessories. There are also some pieces that are a must-have, for example, trousers, cardigans, button-up shirts, and knit tops. From there, adding a more extravagant piece to make an outfit will be easier and less intimidating. Also, there are so many resources available that are a good guide to find the colour that best suits a certain skin tone. As long as we build up our wardrobe with good quality clothes, we won’t need a large amount of clothes. We can always explore thrift stores to find affordable alternatives as mentioned in the article “Thrift shopping not for you? Think again... “
Office clothes don't mean boring and rigid, especially for ladies. We have so many possibilities, like blouses with fun sleeves, gored skirts, skirts with pleats, or wide leg trousers. It doesn’t have to be a basic plain blazer and trouser. Wearing pieces with fluidity and movement can be a way to express our style and personality. Giving some structure to our look could be enough to give a professional look to our outfit. As mentioned in the previous article “EveryBODY can dress Beautifully,” dressing up according to our body shape is a nice way to wear clothes that enhance our natural and beautiful body shape. We can really try things out, ask a friend's opinion, and mix something fun that reflects our style and personality with something more formal and traditional so that we end up with outfits that we will enjoy wearing at the office, but that will still fit well in a corporate environment.
When attention has been put into the outfit, it can really level up the look. A good habit that I got from my mom was to iron my clothes, remove pet hairs with a sticky roll, and remove the excess pilling from knits. This practice is a very basic thing that goes a long way, just like taking care of our hair in the morning, which if forgotten could give the impression of a lazy person.
Of course, we cannot forget about accessories. Again, we don’t need a large amount, but a nice pair of earrings or a necklace can be a nice touch. Gold or silver coloured jewelry is an easy go-to for a corporate environment. Avoiding jewelry that tarnishes rapidly would be best, and the ones that have glued fake diamonds. Artisanal jewelry could be nice as long as it is well balanced and not overdone.
The one thing that can really put an outfit together for a day at the office is the footwear. It doesn’t need to be high heels. There are so many options that are comfortable to wear, like a low heel pump, loafers, oxfords, ballet flats, pointy toe flats, mules, pointy chelsea boots, or wedges heels. As long as they are good quality shoes that provide comfort and style, we are good to go.
It can take time to find the right style that reflects our personality and has a corporate look, but we should not be discouraged. We should be more daring by adding colour and texture to our looks. All the little steps to prepare our clothes will be worth it in the end and will inspire others to put more effort in their work attire.
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