As I promised, here are some tips for finding your style at work. If you missed Part 1, make sure read it first, here.
My motto is, if you have to wake up in the morning and go to work, you might as well look cute! Not that I dread going to work everday, I enjoy my job and the people I work with…but let’s be real, it’s still a job. Picking out a cute outfit the night before (rare), or in the morning adds some joy to my day. You may think this is weird, but sometimes, I day dream of different outfits I can put together from existing pieces in my closet. Like I said in my last post, putting an outfit together from earrings to shoes is a way that I express my creativity!
In Allison’s post this week she talked about how appearance does matter. Appearance is so much more than the color of your hair, how thick your eyelashes are, or how great your calves look in those heels. I truly believe a put-together outfit (this can be a Target outfit!!), minimal tasteful makeup, a smile, and confidence goes further than anything. You are constantly marketing yourself to others no matter what phase or season of life you are in.
Although this post is more applicable to those who work in a business casual or business professional setting, I still think it is applicable for everyone. Who knows when you’re next job interview might be or that occasion when you do need to dress a little nicer than your everyday! Also, it’s kind of fun every now and then to pull out the pencil skirts… Or is that just me? 😉
Many of the tips from Part 1 apply to finding your work style. These are 6 steps to creating the perfect work appropriate outfit that also expresses you!
1. Pick your neutral(s). I love color but most days I don’t want to look like a walking watermelon 😉 Pick a neutral and choose this as your base. This could be black, navy, gray just to name a few. And you may even have all of those! It helps to start with a neutral base and then move on to the rest of your outfit. Your neutral could be your pants, skirt, blouse or sweater.
2. Pick your colors. This part is fun. This could be as simple as asking your closest friends, husband, boyfriend what colors they think accentuate your natural beauty. Obviously we all gravitate to certain colors for decorating, accessories and nail polish, but there are colors that look better on you than others. These colors should draw out the natural beauty of your complexion, hair color, and eye color.
This book , Color Me Beautiful was popular when my mom was about my age, and somehow in middle school my friends and I discovered it and became obsessed. The book categorizes colors into seasons and everyone fits a season. If you are curious to find out what colors look the most beautiful on you, it’s worth checking out at the library! I found out that I am an Autumn color. This includes corals, plums, mustards, deep browns along with a host of other colors. Here is a little guide I found on Pinterest that is helpful.
I like to have a neutral in the form of my dress pants or pencil skirt and accent with a colored blouse or sweater. In the summer, I love bright pants, so I will pair that with a black, navy, or off white top.
3. Pick your patterns. Do you love horizontal stripes? Do floral patterns make your heart go pitter patter? There are so many different designs out there. Figure out what you like and choose a piece with a pattern that fits your personality. Not everyone can pull off a big bold pattern, and not everyone can pull off vertical stripes, but that is what makes us unique! Our different tastes and styles are what make this world a more fun and creative place.
4. Utilize pieces from you’re everyday (weekend) wardrobe. This is something that is more difficult for me. I tend to separate the two- work wardrobe and weekend wardrobe. To be completely honest, I get so bored of my work clothes, that by the weekend I just want to wear totally the opposite. My work style tends to be more put together and preppy while my weekend style is very relaxed and boho chic. For the sake of my budget and the room available in my closet, I try to purchase pieces that I can wear for work and play.
This is an example of how I transition a work top to a weekend outfit. I would wear this to coffee with a friend on Saturday morning and shopping that afternoon. It’s relaxed, yet still put together.
5. Accessorize. Statement necklaces are very trendy right now and easily make a simple outfit stand out. If statement necklaces aren’t your thing, try a long pendant or tassel necklace. Although I LOVE jewelry, I have a weird thing about looking “over accessorized.” I don’t like looking as if I tried too hard. That is one of my weird quirks. It isn’t comfortable for me to be wearing dangle earrings, a chunky necklace, and a stack full of bracelets. I think some people can totally pull this off admirably, but it’s not my style. Find what you feel comfortable with and don’t feel the need to over accessorize (or under accessorize!) because Pinterest told you to.
6. Shoes!! I am a shoe girl…but I try, try, try to refrain to what will fit in my bedroom closet. I think shoes are the cherry on top to an outfit. A good pair of heels or wedges can make most outfits look polished and elegant. In my line of work, I rarely, if ever, wear heels. I am on my feet a good majority of the day and frequently walking back and forth through a kitchen so my shoes can get pretty worn out. I tend to wear flats on a daily basis so that is what I invest in. You may have a job that does require you to be a little more dressy, and a nice pair of heels are an easy way to dress it up if that’s your style. Wedges tend to be more comfortable and a little more casual while still being work appropriate.
Realistically I would never wear these heels to work. I save my heels for going out on the weekends, date nights, weddings, or church.
I love my flats. These lace ups have my heart. They have been on my weekly rotation to add a fun pop to an outfit.
As the popular saying goes, “don’t dress for the job you have, dress for the job you want.” You may already have the job you want, but I think we can all glean something from this statement. For me, it is a reminder to carry myself in a manner that is true to myself and to how I perceive myself.
I hope that I have helped you see that it is possible to dress business appropriate, maintain your style, and have fun without maxing out the Credit Card!
Shop the Post
Blouse / Ruche (sold out) / Similar
Skirt / Target (old) / Similar
Heels / DSW
Flats / Amazon
The Nook Girls 