I could barley believe the quality of these pieces when shopping with a client yesterday. Beautifully made, not sloppy, and very pristine. They are definitely dressier than the run of the mill "plaid shirt". And on sale right now too.
They can absolutely be worn to work for business casual and to holiday parties. They don't look "grunge" if you know what I mean. And personally, I love the ruffle - which will probably put some people off.
I bought the multi coloured version (#1), and my client bought #1 and #3.