At the moment I dress business casual for the office, occasionally I will have a day which requires a more formal dress code. If I remain in this field, a very big IF, I would have to start dressing more formally on a regular basis.

My preferred look for work at the moment is skinny trousers, sleek tunic or voluminous shirt, smart flats plus jewellery.

My personal challenge is to find ways to appropriately cover my body art on my feet and legs (which I love). During the Autumn/ Winter, when I'm able to wear opaque tights and knee high boots, I wear skirts and dresses to work. During the summer months I have to dress for the heat whilst keeping my legs covered so it is trousers all of the way.

I'm unable to wear jackets at the office, files are kept up high to maximise space and a jacket is constantly having to be removed to allow for arm movement.

Due to my limited wardrobe, I wear clothes to work which I wear smart casually as well.

Yes Angie, some business casual formulas would work a treat.

I am so excited about this topic! My work place is definitely business casual, with the occasional need for formal business attire.

I work with 5 other women and I find it really had to settle on my own interpretation of this style of dressing without parodying (is that a word?) my work mates style at times. I really don't think that I am coming anywhere close to developing my own style.

I would particularly like some more options that include trousers, at the moment I am wearing skirts and dresses with hose everyday, I am happy with this at the moment, but I know that in a few months as the temperature starts to increase I will want some trouser options so that I can start to wear open toed shoes and not bare legs.

Angie - I am so excited about ths possibilities!

I'm self-employed, but I need business casual (as opposed to smart casual) for meeting with potential clients and volunteering with a professional association that is all about networking and career-building. It's been a long journey away from business formal (blazer, matching skirt, pumps) to a more casual but professional look.

My biggest challenge is what to wear to meet with a potential client--my clients are almost all business casual themselves. How to look credible, approachable, polished and casual--that's a tall order!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what you do with this, Angie! My workplace is sort of odd this way - the demographic skews older, so some of the older employees dress up more and/or dress more conservatively (and often frumpily, I hate to say it). But no one seems to notice or care what anyone wears unless it's obviously inappropriate, so I think there's room for creativity. I don't have to meet with clients or anything like that, and I don't think well-put-together smart casual or business casual would keep me from being taken seriously.

I MIGHT do the skinny jeans at work if the top was dressy enough. My skinny jeans are not skintight. I doubt anyone would say anything, it would just be my comfort level.

I have a bunch of neutral slacks (black, brown. gray) and while I'm getting bored with them since reading here, they're not very old and it would be nice to learn how to work with them.

I veer between suits and business casual. I would welcome more posts on business casual that can help infuse a little more trend into my wardrobe. I tend to get stuck in my classic style but I love the idea of mixing it up.

Tara! I'm so glad to see you post! I've missed you.

I have a question kind of regarding this topic that I was hoping you could address. If a shoes is closed toe, is 3.5 inches too high for a shoe for a young high school teacher? I really love to wear heels but I'm not sure what is appropriate and what is pushing it. Thanks!!

I dress business casual for school (a professional program where most of the students are dressed business casual/business formal and I want to fit in!) and for an organization in which I am involved (we meet every month and hold various events). But of course, mostly I dress either casual (at home/playground) or smart casual (around town). When I used to work, I dressed mostly business casual although many of my colleagues were no-so-smart casual.

I do business casual when I have the energy and depending on the clients I'm working with that day. And smart casual - mostly same top but with jeans on other days. I love business casual.

I am extremely interested in this topic and am looking forward to learning more about it this year!

While, as a scientist, I usually dress smart casual or even casual; I do need business casual clothing for events such as conferences, meetings, presentations etc, probably more now that I am not student anymore and starting a new job. My business casual requirements are exactly opposite from yours Angie: it needs to be on the less formal side of the code, conservative and based on pants exclusively - skirts and dresses are frowned upon and lead to one not being taken seriously. I have a feeling that many YLF readers are in the similar boat

I am basically looking for a nice equivalent to men's formula of light blue button-down shirt and tan khakis. I personally seriously dislike khakis/chinos, and after trying them in different colors such as grey and olive, and different cuts, completely gave up on them. They just make me feel frumpy. I have found a gorgeous pair of Theory pants in caramel with ivory pinstripes that serve as my version of khakis. And I am on the lookout for a great pair of black pinstripe pants. in my business casual settings, I will be limited to outfits based on dressy trousers. I need to learn how to to stick to the conservative and less formal version of BC, yet still inject some of my personal style into it so that I don't fall asleep with boredom at my ownself.

I'm also keeping an eye on this - I need to dress 'business casual' in the office, but I also have to have an outfit that will handle my job: I've fixed water heaters and leaking toilets, cleaned apartments and community kitchens, then walked back to campus for a departmental meeting or roommate mediation. Changing isn't always an option, so I've gotten creative with how to look professional without being afraid of getting dirty (plus, stain sticks and a change of shoes are always in my cubicle!).

I've taken the casual MOTG formulas and added slacks or nicer shoes and accessories, and that works for me as well. I'm looking forward to more!

I lost the post I'd wanted to post here, but more briefly I'm most myself in business casual although it really isn't my lifestyle now. I'd love to learn more about how to wear business casual, especially as I'm older. I'd rather wear jackets than cardies and woven shirts and blouses rather than knits.

Business casual is my everyday style! Perfect for your and for the weekend! I have tons of photos, here are some:

http://s601.photobucket.com/albums/tt93/rute_m/

I dress business casual most of the time as well. I am a young professor in a social science department at a midwestern state university. Most of my older colleagues dress horribly, but my younger colleagues also dress business casual (at least the women). The men seem to be able to get away with jeans/button-down shirt/sweater/blazer combination. Most of the women do not wear jeans to work. The only jeans I ever wear are trouser jeans (not tight at all), and only on non-teaching days. I like to dress up on teaching and conference/presentation days, and down for non-teaching days when I am mostly working on my own in my office or attending departmental meetings. I don't wear jeans because I feel they are too young, and I don't want to wear anything too tight in the office, but if I could incorporate them without feeling uncomfortable, I would try it.

I would love to get some more ideas about what to wear, because right now I am stuck in a trouser or skirt/top/cardigan rut. I would also like to learn how to accessorize without being too trendy. I constantly struggle with wanting to express my style (chic, leaning toward avant-garde and edgy, lots of black) while not looking too out of place among my LLBean-loving colleages (nothing against LLBean, by the way).

I can't wait to see what you come up with, Angie!

I dress business casual for work. I do wear jeans on Fridays, but try to keep them to trouser jeans. I feel at quite a loss as to what to wear for the most part. It is entirely too easy to slip into a "uniform".
My biggest issue is that I look best in skirts and dresses, but I really feel like it's most appropriate when the hem hits right at my knee (when standing). I'm having a hard time finding that length.

Angie, I'm excited that you are going to focus on business casual next. I loved the 10 Mothers on the Go rules (fit for all Gals on the Go). My office is officially business casual, except on Fridays. However, most of my co workers are casual by your standards. I dress a mix of casual (on Fridays and holiday weeks with no appointments), business casual most days, and business formal for some client meetings. I tend to be more conservative, because I work in a more conservative industry, with some trendy pops here and there to jazz things up.

Business casual seems to have a wide range. For example, I think there is a big difference between a layered cardigan and a non matching suit jacket with slacks. I would not wear a cardigan to certain client meetings, but would wear a non matching jacket. Until you set me straight, I would have thought the non matching suit jacket was business formal. Putting a jacket over the same blouse or knit seem more formal than layering a cardigan over the same top.

I am absolutely business casual and I love it. When I worked at Boeing in the late 1980s and early 90s, we had to wear suits, pantyhose, and heels every day. Now, I am self-employed, and as the owner of a creative business I get both artistic license and freedom to do as I choose. My clients are all over the country, so I am usually dressing only for the office, not for clients. Outfits range from dressy to casual skirts, dresses, slacks and jeans, sometimes with a touch of funk or edge. This will be a great topic to pursue further.

I dress business casual for work and smart casual for almost every outing that's not work. I work in a non-profit law office, so corporate we are not, but I do prefer to dress nicely. I mostly wear dresses and skirts, but this past December, I got a great deal on two pairs of really nice dress slacks, so I've been wearing those, as well. I try to keep the look modern and stylish with my necklaces and shoes (these are my most recent purchase: http://www.zappos.com/clarks-d.....wn-leather).

This is all a work in progress for me, though. I used to be primarily smart casual, but over the last year (probably since I started watching Mad Men), I have really embraced dressing more businessy. I'm learning as I go along. If I can ever find the cord that connects my camera to my computer, I'll try to upload some photos.

I'm also excited about this topic. I work for a pharmaceutical company, and although our official dress code is called business casual, I think we are more on the formal end of that category and it's not at all unusual to see people in suits.

The building I work in is a tiny bit less formal than the one next to me. We're a different division and have a slightly different feel. We have suit-wearing folks but we also have people in certain departments who dress on the very low end of business casual, with a few rather frumpy ladies in the mix.

I need some bombshell business casual formulas - hee hee hee! I'm the receptionist and the vast majority of my visitors are internal folks and vendors. I don't have to worry about my "authority" or anything of the sort. My job is to look nice and be pleasant.

Wow. Such a huge response. Who knew!

It’s already apparent that biz casual codes differ, not only within companies, but within industries and countries. It’s a very diverse dress code and I have my opinions (of course I do because I’m a very opinioned person!) I’m trying to figure out HOW to present these options on the blog. Formulas aren’t really going to work as well for this code because biz casual is very industry and style specific.

One thing is for sure though – people have got to get their heads around the difference between biz casual and casual. I’m seeing lots of outfits described as biz casual when they are totally casual. Biz casual is smart casual sans denim. That’s always a safe way of looking at it.

Hmmmm. My thinking cap is on.

Angie, I am so glad that you're tackling this issue. I'm really excited to see your suggestions and also learn more about dressing for various business casual dress codes.

I think an additional complication that adds confusion is that many workplaces have a more relaxed interpretation of business casual. For example: my office has a "relaxed business casual" dress code, meaning that jeans or sneakers without holes would be okay to wear. I guess the idea is close to "smart casual" but making sure it's business-appropriate. A couple times a month, like today, I visit another office that has a strictly business casual dress code so I have to make sure I'm *not* wearing jeans that day.

Like Christie, Mad Men totally made me want to dress beautifully at work, too, particularly in bright, figure-hugging sheath dresses. I wonder how many other women revamped their work style after watching Mad Men?

I think my biggest downfall with biz casual is shoes (no surprises, I'm sure). They can really dress up an outfit, or dress it down. I don't know what counts as dressy; and odds are that if it is dressy, it will hurt. I do have some walking to do at work since I commute...but also because I work in a separate building from the main museum and sometimes I have to go back and forth between the two. Changing out shoes each time would be ridiculous.

As I said, I wear my Star Lings with dressy outfits. They are casual, but I just put them on and hope that the rest of the outfit sufficiently compensates. I'm not sure if my Eric Michael boots count or not (they are at the cobbler now anyway), and my Ecco boots are probably fine for biz casual...but I don't want to wear them every day. I don't have any booties other than my La Canadienne ankle boots, which look ok with some pants but not with others.

Spring and summer are going to be a major problem for me. I know it's ridiculous to get this anxious about footwear, but it really concerns me At least in winter, I know my problem is simply a lack of variety. I can work on that. In summer, the problem is that everything under the sun, minus the Brulees, is going to hurt. That is one of the reasons I'm so keen on oxfords. At least they won't have painful edges, plus I can wear them with socks. Hoping loafers will be a comfy option too, although they will probably look frumpy with biz casual. I prefer them worn in a funkier, more casual way. I just don't know what else I can wear if pumps and ballet flats are not options.

My office has a business casual dress code. And like the other ladies have stated, the outfits that are worn by my co-workers run the gammant. I have a few who were scrubs (medical uniforms), others who insist on suits, and then those who are wear slacks and either button downs or sweaters.

Prior to pregnancy, I was working on developing a profession "business casual" wardrobe that was industry, age, and office environment appropriate. I have managed to build a maternity wardrobe that fits our dress code - but often felt it was pretty basic - mostly dress pants with a top.

I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic Angie. Hopefully 2010 can be the year that I finally develop a wardrobe that works for my work life!

I think I'm another biz-casualer here (for at least 50 hours/week anyway). Although if I'm working an evening or night shift I can get away with denim. Still feel dressier in my stretch cotton H+M pants even if they are just as comfy as denim anyway!!

To Maya:

Shoes are definitely the hardest part for me, as well, and I am only slowly figuring this out (very slowly--my shoe budget is small). I commute most of the time by foot or bicycle, which means my shoes have to be stylish and comfortable. I'm lucky in that I can walk pretty far in comfortable heels (and I have no problems riding a bike in heels), but unlucky in that my feet are narrow, the skin on them is thin, and I get blisters quite easily. I have a hard time finding shoes that fit the bill. I can get by with slightly funky shoes, and I have found that I really like shoes from Miz Mooz, Clarks, and Franco Sarto. These are my favorites, and with all of them, I can walk about a mile straight (which is my commuting distance one-way). I'm still working on flats (but I do love heels).

Christie

I'm excited to see this come to YLF. Once a co-worker told me I always look so "Sunday school" which she said meant dressed up, but I took to mean BORING. Another interesting thing about our dress code, no jeans but flip flops are allowed.
Have you ever? It is Texas though.

I'd LOVE to see more info on business casual! I work in a health care setting where the dress code is business casual but I term it more "approachable" business casual. Put together but not too buttoned up, so to speak. Not a lot of blazers/suiting except on C-suite folks (CEO, COO, etc). I particularly find selecting tops difficult, especially in warmer months (So Cal). Shoes are tough too, we have a strict shoe dress code for safety reasons - closed toe and heels no higher than 2 inches.