Business Casual for Her

College is the best place to take advantage of all the free resources on campus, including attending mock interviews by the Career Development Center which prepare you to follow any career aspirations after college. Amid RA processing, OL and TeamREC applications, and any other job interviews people may have off campus all going on this semester, here are my tips for the lovely ladies on my interpretation on business casual.

The term “business casual” is surprisingly enough one of the most confusing styles I often get asked about. It may be hard to wrap your head around two polar opposite styles to describe one. Many times I see women try to combine a little bit of both in their outfit: jeans and a blouse, but this is the wrong way to go about it. Another way to interpret business casual is the lazy side of business: you wake up in the morning and halfway through getting dressed you decide you don’t need a blazer and a blouse is more comfortable choice than a button-down. With this way of thinking here are three outfits for a business casual day:

1. Khakis: Khakis are slowly making a comeback in women’s fashion, probably because they look a little more clean-cut than jeans. With these bottom, pair a nice blouse that does NOT showcase the girls or a button down, whatever is more comfortable. Throw on a cable knit sweater, a statement necklace and finish off with a pair of flats—comfortable and professionally presentable.
2. Dress: For this look, choose a more loose-fitting dress, such as these gorgeous homecoming dresses at Peaches Boutique. Choose to highlight your outfit with accessories. Throw on a colored cardigan, a nice pair of earrings and a dainty necklace. Throw on some tights and tall boots and you’re good to go.
3. Long pants: This is the dressiest of the three, with long business pants as a base. I recommend heels if you are short like I am and if you’re tall, I still recommend them. Add a nice button down shirt and a cardigan is optional. My favorite part of this look is the nice long body line it creates, so try not to obstruct it with extra fabric.