Creating The Right Corporate Casual Wardrobe Posted

Tag : Corporate Garments
What is Not Corporate Casual?

There are casual clothes and there are corporate casual garments.Not all casual clothes can be worn to the office as part of acorporate casual dress code, even on casual Fridays. What anyoneshould remember when dressing for the office is that even on casualFridays, one should look like a professional, a person withauthority and a person who can be trusted to do the job well.

What does not count as corporate casual? Sneakers and sweatpantshave no place in a corporate casual wardrobe. They are casual andvery comfortable to wear, indeed, but they are too laidback to beworn to the office.

Counting jeans as a corporate casual garment depends on the dresscode of the particular office. Some offices allow their employeesto wear jeans while some do not. Some, however, do let their peoplewear them on casual Fridays.

Garments that are too tight, too short and too revealing should notbe worn to the office either. So, very short mini-dresses, veryshort miniskirts and short pants cannot be counted as corporatecasual garments. Tube tops, halter tops, spaghetti-strapped blousesand any top made out of sheer, see-through fabric cannot be worn tothe office either, unless one has a jacket, a blazer or a cardiganto wear over the blouse.

Wearing flip-flops to the office should also be avoided, even oncasual Fridays. It is acceptable to wear flip-flops at home, whengoing to the mall or when going to the beach, but not when going tothe office. It is far too laid-back and emits the wrong vibes atthe office.

T-shirts and polo shirts are staples of casual Fridays, but eventhose have limits. One should avoid wearing faded T-shirts orT-shirts with big logos on the front to the office. They look toounprofessional.

Building a Corporate Casual Wardrobe

When shopping for garments that will be used for corporate casualor casual Friday outfits, the shopper should make her choice justthe way she would when she is considering career outfits. Even ifthey are casual clothes, they should still show her as a competent,professional person who knows what to do and can be trusted to dowhat needs to be done.

For the sake of practicality, one should buy corporate casualclothes in the five basic colors that can be mixed and matchedtogether. For those who do not know, the five basic colors used incorporate attire are navy blue, maroon, dark green, brown andblack. One does not need to have a lot of corporate casual clothesas long as what she has are of good quality and can be mixed andmatched.

Some staple garments in corporate casual attire are:

* T-shirts or polo shirts. They can be plain or patterned. They canhave subdued or bright colors. They could be of any style or sleevelength. The important thing about choosing the right T-shirt aspart of a corporate casual get-up is that it does not have loud,attention-getting logos or messages, and that it does not have ahem that is short enough to bare the waist or bellybutton.

* Jeans. Jeans are the ultimate in casual comfort and style.Bootleg cuts are the best because they never go out of style. Oneshould check first if it is acceptable to wear jeans in the office.

* Dresses. Some dresses are nice and fresh to wear at the office.However, if one is to wear a dress for casual Fridays, one shouldchoose a dress that has sleeves, does not have a low neckline, isnot made of sheer fabric, and has a hemline that is around an inchor two above the knee and not another inch more. If the dress issleeveless, it should be paired with a flattering jacket orcardigan.

As for shoes, sneakers and flip-flops should be avoided at allcosts. Flat shoes or low-heeled shoes are great casual Fridayfootwear.

Accessorizing a Corporate Casual Outfit

The accessories one wears as part of corporate casual dressing oras part of a casual Friday outfit should match the intended overalllook. For example, a sporty watch may look better with a casualFriday outfit rather than a dress watch. Sparkly baubles andexpensive, eye-catching jewelry should also be worn minimally orleft out totally.

Taking Care of Casual Clothes

It is natural to take care of career outfits because they are theclothes worn to work. But casual clothes need the proper care andmaintenance as well. Shirts, jeans and other garments that aremeant to be part of a corporate casual or casual Fridays get-upshould be clean, mended and ironed properly before they are worn towork. Shoes should be clean; if they are made of leather, theyshould be given a polish.

Corporate casual clothes and casual Friday outfits may be a littlemore laidback than the usual career garments. Nonetheless, evenwhen one is wearing casual clothes to work, one should stillmaintain a look that bespeaks of professionalism, capability andtrust.