The way you look can affect a person’s opinion of you. A stylish yet elegant work outfit can get you the promotion you want – just because your business partner will see you as a highly professional person. On the other hand, a stained blouse can be the fastest way to leave the company. A business outfit can impact your career success, which is why it’s extremely important to choose clothes, accessories, and a hairstyle wisely. In this article, you’ll find the best ideas for professional attire.
Basics
The first thing to remember is that a business outfit should be classic. This doesn’t mean that you have to wear boring pieces. On the contrary, you can wear bright colors and unique patterns. But avoid prints with symbols like hearts or stars, as they can look a bit childish.
Black, grey, and navy are the best basic colors for a professional outfit. Avoid white and cream as they can look too casual. You can also choose blue, but only if you pair it with black accessories so you don’t look too casual.
Haircut & Hairstyle
Your hair is an essential part of your overall look. When choosing a haircut, make sure it suits your face shape and suits your profession. If you don’t have enough time to visit a professional hairstylist, then you can always trim your split ends at home.
There are plenty of tutorials online on how to do it, all you need is the right equipment. You’ll need a comb, hair clips, and some professional scissors.
We recommend the Matsui Scissors from Scissor Tech to do the job at home. As for styling your hair, you can choose a simple hairstyle, something that is easy to do at home like smooth straight hair or a ponytail.
Accessories
When it comes to accessories, always choose quality over quantity. A small bag made out of leather or a satin clutch, a watch, and earrings is more than enough. Do not wear too many rings, bracelets, or necklaces as they can look gaudy and cheap and that’s not very professional.
Men’s Business Casual Outfit
It’s extremely important for men to have their clothes tailored. Buy shirts and pants in the right size, rather than choosing something too large, so the clothes will fit you perfectly. In terms of color combinations, dark colors look more formal than light ones. Try to avoid white, pale yellow, and black, as they can give off a strong informal vibe which is not appropriate for a business outfit.
Women’s Business Outfit
Women can wear skirts and dresses in the office, but keep in mind that they do need to be somewhat longer than the knee length. Of course, women can also opt to wear a suit to the office as well. The same rule applies to tops, they should fit perfectly on your body without showing too much skin. In terms of color combinations, try to stick to one main color (black, grey, or navy) combined with accessories in another color (white, cream, or blue).
Makeup
Make sure your makeup looks clean and fresh, but subtle at the same time. Avoid wearing too much makeup and going overboard with blusher and mascara otherwise, you’ll end up looking amateur and unprofessional. There is plenty of information out there on some of the best products out there that will look great all day.
Also, one small piece of advice to keep your makeup in good condition during the workday: you can use private car sharing instead of public transport, which will save your pretty makeup from unpredictable troubles.
Shoes & Socks
The shoes should be polished and clean at all times, this is crucial! If you wear heels for work, choose classy ones that are fine enough for the workplace. The same rule applies to men, choose elegant leather shoes that are the right height for your pants. As for socks, choose black ones that match your shoes, no matter how tempted you are to wear patterned socks with printed panda faces!
Blouses & Skirts
Blouses should be made out of natural fabrics like cotton or silk so they feel comfortable against your skin when you wear them for long hours in an air-conditioned office building. There is nothing worse than having to change because the fabric irritates your skin! If you are wearing a skirt, make sure it fits your hips perfectly otherwise, it will make you look larger than you actually are and thus unprofessional.
Colors That Look Professional In The Office
- Black – Black is the most formal color of all and goes with any kind of shoes or accessories – it’s a safe bet for every business outfit. It can make you look more serious and authoritative in the office so if you want to appear both stylish and professional, it’s the best choice you have!
- White – White looks great on women who have tan skin but avoid it when you’re fair-skinned because you might end up looking washed out in comparison with your white blouse or shirt. However, white is always a great choice for a skirt because it makes your legs look slimmer (which can be a great advantage if you’re self-conscious about them).
- Navy – Navy goes well with everything from white shirts to bold accessories like hats – after all, the navy anchor was chosen by Coco Chanel as her favorite symbol. The reason navy looks so good in the office is that it makes you look more serious and professional without appearing too formal.
- Grey – Grey is another great color for an elegant business outfit. It’s classy, subtle and it can make you look like a successful professional. This color is particularly good for women with fair skin because it will make you look more tanned than usual.
- Blue – If you want to wear a color that’s striking but professional at the same time, then blue is your best choice. Navy blue looks especially good in the office, but you can also go for a light blue as well.
- Dark Green – Dark green looks great on women with olive skin and dark hair. However, fair-skinned ladies can also wear this color if they choose a lighter shade – if they choose a deeper one, they might end up looking washed out by the contrast.
- Bright Red – Bright red is one of the most striking colors for a professional outfit. It’s best worn by women who have tan skin and dark hair, but anyone else can wear it if they choose the right shade (the darker it is, the better). Choose a slightly darker shade of red for an evening event rather than wearing something bright during the day otherwise, you may end up looking unprofessional.
Summary
Putting together a professional-looking outfit can be hard if you have never done it before. You don’t want to walk into a new office somewhere looking like you just threw your outfit together. It can give the impression that you don’t care about how you look, which is not the impression you want to leave, especially if it is a new job you just started.
If you give this impression, your boss might also think you don’t care about your job, and that’s not a good start for anyone. Try to build a work wardrobe that is filled with classic items such as suits and dress shoes. Stick to minimal accessories and colors that work well together. If you can get your outfits tailored, do so! Stick to classic hair and makeup styles that look refined and polished. If you follow all the tips in this article, you will look like a million bucks!
