https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional Style Advice for Fashion Lovers en-US Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:34:13 +0000 http://bbpress.org/?v=1.0.2 q https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/search.php https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1252183 Thu, 15 May 2014 04:34:18 +0000 Anonymous 1252183@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>No. &nbsp;It is not professional. &nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1252180 Thu, 15 May 2014 04:32:55 +0000 Greyscale 1252180@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I find that it's not always the sheerness itself that makes something appropriate or not. It's the suggestiveness (but I hesitate to use that word because it's so in the eye of the beholder, and no one can truly control others' reactions). An opaque blouse with strategically placed sheer cutouts somehow seems more daring than a thin white blouse over a cami. The other day I wore a long-sleeve, high-neck linen sweater... with "cold shoulder" cutouts. I was thinking it would be fine for my campus environment but I felt so self-conscious all day. My guy (who has excellent judgment) said it was&nbsp;fine but definitely did look more suggestive&nbsp;than if I just cut the sleeves off entirely and left a sleeveless turtleneck sweater...</p> <p>Anyway, I'll wear semi-sheer tops to work&nbsp;(a thin cotton blouse, a black silk button-down with a sheer back panel that I didn't notice when I bought it) but I have a cami under and bring along a sweater in case I start feeling awkward. I still haven't ever been bold enough to follow the "visible bra under very sheer top" trend when I'm out partying at night, though! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1251581 Wed, 14 May 2014 17:18:37 +0000 Jules 1251581@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting Isabel - for my casual office&nbsp;I've been doing plenty of sheer (with cami or tank under) lately. I don't feel self-concious about it, basically bought and worn without a second thought.&nbsp;But I also work in a male-dominated field and was the subject of way more attention that I wanted in my twenties. I might not have felt so comfortable with the look then, depending on how people reacted to it I guess. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1202104 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 17:37:53 +0000 Kat 1202104@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Depending on the workplace, I second the suggestions for a substantial tank or cami with a higher neckline and wide shoulders that thoroughly cover bra straps. &nbsp;Then it becomes a layer for the tank. &nbsp;I do this with sheer linen over layers than with blouses. &nbsp;This is nice for my workplace come warmer spring weather because it's both cool in midday and still gives me coverage because it's not summer yet!&nbsp; I guess my rule is, if wearing that kind of tank is okay, then wearing it with an added layer over it&nbsp;is fine. &nbsp;But I have a workplace where, say, bare shoulders in warm weather would be no problem. &nbsp;As always, it depends on how you pull it all together and what you're wearing with it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1201675 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 03:34:18 +0000 DonnaF 1201675@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Sheer hose:&nbsp; Totally professional.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1201666 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 03:23:02 +0000 Kiwichik 1201666@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I don't work in a corporate environment the dress code is more casual so I would wear sheer - judiciously with no actual flesh or boob age showing. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1201624 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 02:43:32 +0000 cciele 1201624@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I also think it depends on the work environment and the amount of sheer. For example, my black feather silk chiffon blouse (I think it's Hinge; several people here have it) is sheer and I wear a cami under it. I also have other sheer silk chiffon blouses I think are work appropriate. The key for me&nbsp;is they are not that sheer and not body con.&nbsp;I do have a tight black sheer woven tee that is definitely not work appropriate, no matter what you wear underneath or over </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1201610 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 02:06:51 +0000 Isabel 1201610@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have thought about this most of the day......remember, I am a SAHM, so I ponder deep, theoretical, questions that are paramount to our survival as a species when I do laundry and pick up dog poop.<br /> ; )</p> <p>OK. I thought back to my job of 15 years. I could definitely do it with a vest over it or some sort of jacket. My employer was corporate with a dress code. My clients were very laid back, but I would not feel very credible. During the first 10 years of my job, there were very few women in the field. Though my customers were VERY casual ( often shorts and t shirts in the summer ), it would have been disastrous to show up in something sheer even with great underpinnings. Really anything beyond just sheer sleeves would have been detrimental. Plus I was kinda cute in my mid-20s !!! DISTRACTING !!!! LOL </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional/page/2#post-1201589 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 01:45:52 +0000 dustt 1201589@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Midwest - upper management&nbsp; - educational setting</p> <p>no, no and no - it just doesn't work at work for me</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201537 Sat, 22 Mar 2014 00:41:55 +0000 Angie 1201537@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>It depends on 2 things: <ul> <li>Wear is the sheer?</li> <li>How conservative is your work setting?&nbsp;</li> </ul> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201418 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:35:05 +0000 Diana 1201418@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I agree with Echo.&nbsp; I've always thought of sheer blouses as a way to wear long sleeves in the summer without dying.&nbsp; So it's actually more modest than what I would be wearing otherwise.&nbsp; </p> <p>But again, not an office-dweller here. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201415 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:27:17 +0000 rabbit 1201415@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>What is puzzling me a little is that I always thought of heavier silk&nbsp;chiffon&nbsp;blouses (until very recently) as predominantly for office wear. &nbsp; </p> <p>It's true that back when I was in an office they were only&nbsp;slightly transparent and some came with a built in underlayer if they were&nbsp;not designed to be worn with a cami. &nbsp; </p> <p>Either I had a skewed sense of office wear based on what I saw at&nbsp;places I worked, or chiffon is just reading completely different now because it's more transparent, hmm... </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201413 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:22:11 +0000 MsLuna 1201413@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>In a smart casual environment, I think it can be acceptable, as long as a modest cami is worn. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201412 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:21:56 +0000 Kristin L 1201412@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think I'd wear one. I'd do it&nbsp;like Diana described - with a cami underneath and a blazer over it. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201411 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:18:36 +0000 Emily 1201411@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I have a couple of printed chiffon tops that I wear to work. &nbsp; I always have something substantial underneath (a tee or tank/shell rather than a camisole with spaghetti straps - absolutely no bra strap exposure)&nbsp;and I usually layer a cardigan over top. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201401 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 22:02:18 +0000 Echo 1201401@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Unfrumped makes a good point, I think. In general, I don't think sheer is office-appropriate - at least not for any office I have worked in. The nature of sheer is to be sexy, I think, which makes it somewhat questionable in a professional environment. Clearly, each person knows their own work environment better than any outsider, though.</p> <p>I do have a semi-sheer blouse that I sometimes wear as a substitute teacher, and the reason I wear it (going back to unfrumped's question) is because it is patterned and almost opaque. Worn with a full coverage tank underneath, it actually allows me MORE coverage than a regular tank or short sleeved blouse would provide (peplum and 3/4 sleeves), while not being too warm in a building without air conditioning.</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201310 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:20:53 +0000 Makrame 1201310@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Interesting. &nbsp;I have three somewhat sheer blouses in various patterns that I wear to work often with a cami under. &nbsp;They are not super-sheer but thin enough where I would not wear them without a cami, even for a non-work occasion. &nbsp;It has never occurred to me that they were not work-appropriate, at least for my work environment (I have probably worn them on teaching days, too). &nbsp;On the other hand, I would never wear a light-colored, sheer blouse (white or ivory, for example), because I would worry that it was too see-through.</p> <p>The reason why I wear these blouses often is because they are fluid and go well with slim trousers and also because they are non-wrinkly and great for travel. </p> <p>Here is one of them, just as an example.<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.lyst.com/clothing/pleione-sheer-print-shirt-coral-digital/">http://www.lyst.com/clothing/p.....l-digital/</a></p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201288 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 20:11:03 +0000 Glory 1201288@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>When I travelled to an office daily no version of sheer would be acceptable. Even now, when I travel for business it would not be ok. Size and thickness of cami would not be a factor. It probably depends on the type of business one is in. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201223 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 19:08:21 +0000 unfrumped 1201223@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>For these types of considerations, I usually ask, "why", as in, why sheer? What is the point? Sometimes that helps answer. Sheer shows more body parts, more underwear parts, so, why? And&nbsp;culturally at least,&nbsp;sheer&nbsp;fabrics are &nbsp;associated with more provocative intent or plans, usually. Why is that more desirable than,,, not? In a <u>typical</u> work situation, that is.&nbsp;<br />I'm thinking more of overall sheer garments and not, say, a decorative band or some other non-revealing construction.</p> <p>The same&nbsp;"why" question&nbsp;might be applied when someone asks, can't I wear my skirt 5" above the knee, or in the opposite, casual direction, can't I wear distressed jeans? </p> <p>Maybe I'm too into psychology, but I think there's always a message in clothing, whether we acknowledge it or not, and we partly want to separate "them"--meaning someone who says we can or can't--from "us" which is, why do we want to wear these things in the first place? So at one level you only don't wear something because the dress code won't let you, and at another level you set your own standard for your message.</p> <p>Kind of like the schools having to make a dress code to forbid teachers from wearing sweatpants and flip-flops (among other things) to work. Sorry, I would never have expected that to have to be policed! </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201095 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:08:29 +0000 rachylou 1201095@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Not with a camisole, I say, but with a tank - something more substantial - I think that's ok. The sheer top is actually serving as a topper. I agree, too, that this still requires a fairly casual office. If you're in an office where sleeveless is not OK, this is a no go.</p> <p>Oh, I have another caveat. I think the style of the sheer matters a lot. If it's something "sporty" like Una's link, that works. If it's more "polished" or "ladylike" in styling - say like a tailored button-down - I think not. Ironic, but I think that formality makes you look cheap. It's misplaced. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201085 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 17:01:34 +0000 Thistle 1201085@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I work in a business casual environment in the conservative Midwest. Sheer would not be appropriate for work, even with a cami or tank.&nbsp; Sheer is pretty, and frankly, a bit sexy, even if nothing is shown. That would not be an appropriate image for me to convey in my company or in my profession. </p> <p>Date night, I would wear it for sure!</p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201078 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:56:35 +0000 ironkurtin 1201078@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wear sheer-ish items a fair amount because it is so hot, and I layer.&nbsp; So to me, an opaque camisole with a sheerish (but not totally see-through) linen sweater is fine.</p> <p>But like others, I work in a more casual environment. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201020 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 16:03:34 +0000 Janet 1201020@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>IMHO, all sheers are not created equal. I have had -- and still do have -- blouses that are sheer enough to require an under layer that I would wear in a professional ensemble. For instance, my patterned green Equipment blouse with a black tank underneath. That shirt is subtly sheer. But I can think of other tops that would not make the cut because they are *too* sheer, even with a tank or cami, and those I would save for either more casual wear or for an evening out. I think it depends on the overall style, cut, color, print, and level of sheerness. Something with a print often appears less sheer than a solid, to my eye. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1201005 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 15:50:35 +0000 El Cee 1201005@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wear semi-sheer blouses in a professional setting&nbsp;in the warmer months. I always wear them with a tank in either a similar color or a flesh tone. In the end, all that really appear sheer are the arms and part of the neckline. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1200967 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 15:16:57 +0000 Transcona Shannon 1200967@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think sheer can be appropriate with the proper under layer. In fact, I have worn items that are too sheer without a tank-type cami and have felt fine at work. And if you pop a blazer on top, even better. But of course, it all depends on the office attire norm. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1200956 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 15:09:59 +0000 Joyce B 1200956@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>No, Adelfa, it is not b/o age, it's because of the type of work that sheer would not be appropriate. As I said, it is fine if your work is less conservative. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1200922 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:29:36 +0000 Suz 1200922@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I think the item Una showed would be acceptable pretty much anywhere, except it might not be formal enough for some offices. But I would love it, myself!&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1200905 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 14:11:01 +0000 Adelfa 1200905@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>Anne, Diana, Vin, A, kkards--I don't think you're alone. In fact at my last job the dress code actually said sheer was okay with a cami!</p> <p>Mary, Denise, Una, Joyce--I wonder if for some of us our age is mediating our response?</p> <p>I have two silk blouses that are not sheer per se but that on close inspection are not 100% opaque either. One of them, a cherry blossom pink, I wear anyway. The other, an ivory, I'm getting uncomfortable about without a blazer.</p> <p>I do think the sheer trend is super pretty though. </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1200801 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 10:16:26 +0000 kkards 1200801@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>i do think sheer can be business appropriate, maybe not for the most conservative banks or law firms, but i think it could work in most business casual workplaces. i think its all in the detail and the taste level. &nbsp;for example, in the pieces in the&nbsp;Refinery 29 link, the blue blouse from&nbsp;Massimo Dutti&nbsp;, with a cami or tank underneath, the ASOS sweater, the alice and olivia sweater, and both of the shoes would&nbsp;completely work in my office.&nbsp; </p> https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/topic/can-sheer-be-professional#post-1200797 Fri, 21 Mar 2014 09:46:18 +0000 Anonymous 1200797@https://youlookfab.com/welookfab/ <p>I wear coloured sheer with a substantial cami like Mary K described. For some reason, coloured sheer blouses look less provocative to me. I work in finance but back office. My clients are fellow bankers. I do make sure arms are covered, neckline is high. it's not a 'to the bar' blouse </p>