WIW 2/19: how to make this business casual? - YouLookFab Forum

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WIW 2/19: how to make this business casual?

adorkable

Veteran

I'm currently in the middle of a work transition where I have two overlapping jobs.

One is academic, and anything goes. I have to be covered up - but there's a lot of flexibility for what counts as professional.

The other is really business casual. People are a bit more conservative in terms of both colors and silhouettes. N.B. it's California, so people can and do wear dark, well-fitting jeans. Yesterday's outfit - moderately conservative colors but not as traditional a silhouette - was fine, but this outfit feels really out there.

I'm trying to figure out how I can transform an outfit like this - which I LOVE - into something that feels slightly more business casual. This jacket looks and feels like an outdoor jacket. Maybe a nice grey blazer? I have a grey suit-jacket blazer that I should try later...

Please do send me any advice and thoughts!

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20 replies

Latest reply was from rachylou

carter

Veteran

What if you tuck the top, add a skinny belt and a cropped jacket...maybe in a white or a dark denim?

Catnip

Veteran

You could try the pretty yellow skirt with a white top and a navy blazer. You could try tucking in the rose blouse and adding a belt. You could also try smaller earrings. I agree with you that the jacket in #2 isn't quite right.

Good luck with the transition!

Laura (rhubarbgirl)

(website)

Veteran

I think it's the combination of the confused seasons - springy full skirt and sandals, heavier jacket - as well as the silhouettes. With a full skirt like this I think you need a shorter jacket, maybe a cropped cardigan or something that's not quite so heavy visually. I agree, try tucking the shirt in, add a cute belt and a lighter topper with in between in formality shoes - ballet flats or loafers?

adorkable

Veteran

Thanks for the advice!

@carter: I tried tucking it, and it blouses a bit funny. The skirt is a bit big, too, so it looks better with the waistline covered if possible.

@Catnip: I don't have a navy blazer, but I like this idea a lot. I may have to try it!

@Laura: You might be right. I'm used to seeing sandals year-round with a variety of outer layers - because Los Angeles - but I don't think the jacket looks right indoors anyway. I actually tried it on with silver ballet wedges and a charcoal grey blazer and while the blazer is also visually heavy, I think it might kind of work? I still can't quite tell, so ... back to the drawing board.

I do love these colors together, though - and the pink is a good bit brighter than it looked in that light.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

So...what about the outfit do you love most? Is it the combination of colours? The skirt style? The top? The idea of skirt and sweater? The jacket-with-skirt idea? I ask because this might help identify which directions to go in turning it into "business casual."

I do think Laura's right that the jacket and shoes together seem seasonally confused. Then again, my seasons are very, very different from yours and I have a super sensitive radar and poison eye for this so take my opinion with a large grain of salt.

adorkable

Veteran

@Suz: I think I really just love the colors, so maybe the trick is to buy bright colors in more classic shapes? I suspect that if the skirt were a pencil instead it would look much more work-appropriate to my eye. What do you think?

One of my biggest challenges at the moment is finding tops that are colorful or otherwise interesting, nice enough for work, and don't look absolutely awful. (The combination of petite, short-waisted, and very chesty is not doing me any favors in the top-shopping department.)

Thistle

Veteran

I agree. The jacket and shoes do look seasonally confused. I would love to see it with a grey jacket!

I am not sure on the tops. I have a long torso myself and short little legs. As for chesty, I tend to find quality knits work well. As they are super on trend at the moment, they are pretty easy to find at retail. Not sure your budget, but GAP might be a good mid-point place to check out, and I thinkt hey are running a 40% off sale right now.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I haven't read the other replies but I am just not feelin' this outfit. I think it is because there is too much going on at once: short skirt, plus bright colors, plus bright glasses. And to me the brown jacket and shoes look too fall-like. What if you paired the bright skirt (which I like) with a crisp white shirt, metallic statement necklace, and white, metallic, or nude flats/low heels? Or maybe the bright top with gray pants and black blazer or sweater? I feel like an outfit should have a focal point and this one just lacks focus for me. YMMV!

Suz

(website)

Veteran

Do you like pencil skirts? Do you wear them? If you do, then go for it!

Both these items (top and skirt) actually look fairly classic, so I don't know if that is the issue, per se. I think there is a problem with the proportions of this outfit -- the length of the top seems to be wrong for the skirt's shape, and same for the jacket. And there also seems to be some dissonance in the details -- the sporty collar seems to compete with the slightly boho style of the earrings, and then the earrings and your glasses vie for attention, the jacket seems too "weighty" for the skirt and sandals and bare legs.

And then...the items aren't "inappropriate" in themselves...but they are sort of leaning in that direction, if you know what I mean. The skirt is relatively short (mind you, you can wear it really well!!) but combined with its fullness and bright colour it might read more like a weekend or even party skirt than a business skirt. The top, meanwhile, reads as a bit sporty, and might seem on the too casual side, especially with sandals.

I do think that modern classic items in bright colours is a foolproof business casual option -- as our own MaryK illustrates brilliantly every single day -- and today's featured blogger did as well. Actually, their jobs require a higher level of dressiness than yours from the sounds of it. But the idea is the same.

How about trying the top with charcoal or navy trousers (even denim), simpler earrings, and different footwear?

And the skirt, as suggested, with a tucked white top, or maybe with a semi-tucked knit in a colour of a different value (lighter or darker than the skirt) or with a neutral?

I do think these colours look great together and I do think they can be worn together in a business environment, but it might take some skill to make them work. And until you get the silhouettes that you like down pat, it might be easier to play around with them by mixing with neutrals.

Phew. I went on a lot longer than I expected there. Apologies for that.

adorkable

Veteran

So many good suggestions and so much good advice!

@Thistle - sadly, being short-waisted means that most Gap tops come down to about my knees! I like them, but they are too long almost without fail. I generally do better in stores with a petite option - AT, AT Loft, or Banana Republic - but I'd like some options that are more interesting! Any further thoughts in that same general price range would be wonderful.

@petitesanonymous - Most of my shoes are brown - works with my hair! But the jacket is definitely too heavy. What kind of crisp white shirt? I can't find button-downs that fit (or almost anything woven that fits, for that matter) - and they don't really feel like me - so I have some pretty severe limitations there. Would a white sweater work, do you think?

@Suz - thanks for the long list of suggestions! So many ideas to try. I may have to give up on the skirt for work. The combination of color, length, and shape may just be too much for the workplace - although I will try it with a plain grey knit top as well. I'll also see how the shirt looks with black pants and grey.

I'll get around to trying those outfits and taking some pictures ... this weekend or so. Thanks again for all of the thoughts - I'm looking forward to hearing your opinions on future iterations!

As a side note, it's interesting to me that so many people have remarked on the earrings and the glasses. (These earrings are relatively conservative as far as my earrings go in that they're metal and have no color - but they look much shinier in that light than they really are.)

A lot of what I'm realizing is that I have a lot of work-related shopping to do! Yikes!

Gigi

Veteran

Others are giving excellent advice and breaking down the outfit in ways I could never hope to do! I will say that my first thought (and keep in mind that I am pretty new to the forum) was to switch out the skirt for a pencil skirt, which you mentioned in an earlier post. I think you could find something in a fun color, so it wouldn't have to be boring. I think that would be the *easy* solution.

I think for me maybe the problem boils down to both pieces being somewhat casual. I think you could have one piece that was casual and one piece that was more tailored/structured. Swapping the current skirt out for the pencil skirt achieves this. You could alternatively keep the skirt and swap out the top for maybe a button-down silky top (?).

I love these types of posts, because we all learn a lot!

Greyscale

Veteran

I tried on a lot of Uniqlo shirts recently and I think they would be great on short-waisted people. And really not good on my long torso! So if you have one near you yet, you might check it out. Good prices for good quality basics. They have silk, cotton, rayon, and linen button-downs, including some with cute patterns.

And though I'm not a color-wearing person at all, nor in a businessy environment, I love browsing the J Crew catalog to see their crazy color combinations.

rabbit

Veteran

Your earrings and glasses are cool, and totally work appropriate to me. To my eye, all the separate pieces of your outfit are too, including the yellow skirt, I'd just space them out a little with more neutral/classic/slightly more formal accompaniments, during the transition period at your new job, just until you have a solid sense of the sartorial culture :). Then you'll know what feels most comfortable to you in that environment.

Your gray WIW outfit you posted a little while ago was a completely great outfit for expressing some personality and fitting a more business casual setting as well. It sounds like your gray blazer might really work too, gray goes well with brights.

I shop at Macy's a lot for basics. Pretty much every weekend, you can get a savings pass coupon from the paper (or google it) which takes an additional 10-20% off or 10$ off of 25$. There are a ton of knit tops, sweaters and pants on clearance now, so with the pass they work out to 75% off or so (I normally pay less than 10$ per top or skirt). They have a good sized petites section in the two stores I've visited.

For button up plain oxford tops, I sometimes shop the Men's section (or the boys, if you need smaller), if I want a simple classic cut with a lot of color and fabric options. But if you aren't into wovens or they don't work across the chest, you could just stick with knits to fill any immediate needs. My sister, who is petite, a budget shopper like me, and an office worker at a nonprofit in DC, also checks out the juniors and tweens sections for basic shirts, or if some staple is still too long or big in the petite sizes. She collects a lot of simple but dressy cardigans to wear instead of jackets.

shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

@adorkable, I have problems with crisp button downs myself. The best fitting I've found are BR petites. I think they call them non-iron shirts or something. An alternative to a crisp white buttondown might be something similar in a lighter woven material. I just bought this shirt and it is way more comfy than stiffer button downs. ETA top pictured is from BR and does come in petites.

And if you like brown shoes, nude is a nice leg-lengthening alternative to wear with skirts!

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shoppingisfun

(website)

Veteran

I'm picturing something like this.

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shiny

Veteran

I hear you on the petite tops. FYI, GAP offers petites online. Most stores seem to have a greater selection of petite options online rather than B&M, so if you have a good idea of what brands tend to work, check there too.

Suz

(website)

Veteran

I think the comments about your earrings and glasses are because a statement earring and a statement spec compete with each other for attention. -- especially on someone who is petite with a small face. Keep in mind that I'm a bit of a minimalist myself, but i know for me (not actually petite, but bordering on it) if I wear my glasses, I wear my simplest, smallest earrings and if I want jewellery I wear something other than that. If I'm wearing my contacts, I can take a statement earring (if I want one).

It is the same with two bright colours worn together. They are happy colours that pair beautifully, IMO, but because they are equal in visual weight, the eye is looking for a place to rest. I do think less detailing (e.g. pencil skirt instead of full skirt) could help with that, for a business environment, if you wanted to wear the brights together.

I would study at the "school of MaryK" for this stuff -- she's brilliant at it! She has a fun, maximal, colourful style that is always work appropriate (when she's working, that is.) And she lives in a similar climate to yours, which is also helpful. AND she is petite.

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MsMary

Veteran

My ears were burning and when I clicked on this thread I found out why! LOL

I love the pink and yellow together, but both pieces are very casual, and adding the brown blazer just makes it look like you're trying unsuccessfully to make them office-appropriate. Maybe a white blazer, or even a cardigan? Or, as has been suggested, a navy blazer? Here's how I've styled a similarly-shaped skirt for the office with a casual top and a more dressy jacket.

I copy a ton of my outfits from Pinterest. Go over there and poke around. My boards are here, to get you started: http://www.pinterest.com/mrskpasadena/

adorkable

Veteran

@Gigi: seriously! It's all a learning experience!

@Greyscale: ooh! We don't have one here, but my folks are in NY. I'll take a look next time I'm back there.

@rabbit: Thanks! I wore something very similar to the grey outfit today. I'm definitely playing it more conservative for office days. I am going to try to make it over to Macy's this weekend or next and see how I do.

@petitesanonymous: Thanks!

@Suz: I'm trying to tame my too-much tendencies. I also need to invest in a second pair of specs ...perhaps something a little bit quieter? I'm going to study up on MaryK's page!

@MaryK: I love it. Thanks! And based on the "Pasadena" in your pinterest name I'm going to guess we're not just in similar climates but the very same one. (I'm a Westsider myself.) As a born-and-raised New Yorker, one of my favorite things about California is the freedom to wear lots and lots of color. And I love how you balance all the color with classic, minimalist shapes!

rachylou

Veteran

I'd add stockings and knee boots. Ankle boots would also be good. Closed-toe, bottom line...

...ok, this was a drive by, doggy wants to walk!