Show me your bis casual for hot weather, pretty please... - YouLookFab Forum

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Show me your bis casual for hot weather, pretty please...

celia

Veteran

Dear YLF
Finally the day comes when I have to go and work at an office. To keep from dwelling on the mixed feelings I have about this I am trying to figure out what to wear for next week which will be very hot.
I want my work wardrobe and persona to be completely separate from the rest of my life.
The company is in the field of engineering and my aim is business casual.
I was wondering if you could share photos of your outfits for hot weather in similar situations.
Thank you

Dressing

20 replies

Latest reply was from christieanne

Anonymous

Angie's tube skirt ensemble today in colors that suit you could be one answer to your problem.

rachylou

Veteran

Are you technical or working in HR/marcom/corporate/finance/legal... ? What sort of engineering? Like consumer software or bridges & tunnels?

celia

Veteran

rachy It is in the area of construction. Until now I have done some technical work from home but will be doing more administrative work at the office.I will be working around men dressed in jeans but the idea is that I will be more in contact with clients so I didn't want to get too much on the casual side of it.

Thistle

Veteran

I work for a company with a lot of engineers. So, the question becomes how much do you want to blend in. I love skirts and dresses, but if I wear them, I do NOT blend.

Angie's post on kahkis and a blazer is ideal. Sara modeled it today with her gladiator sandals.

IMHO this is perfect. You can take the blazer off if you want to be more casual or if it is too warm, but you still have it. Especially important if the office has arctic AC (which mine does), as this can help keep you warm and still look professional.

celia

Veteran

Thistle I do not want to blend in, much on the contrary. I want to make it clear that we have different responsibilities and scope of work because I have the feeling it is the only way I will be able to do what needs to be done instead of keeping doing 'urgent' things for others.
Dresses and skirts wont be a problem.
(I will look into Sara's outfit)

Anonymous

Not super-creative, but here are a few outfits I wore to work this week. The easy knit dress + cardigan combo is always a no-brainer and is nice and comfortable in the heat. And I feel like it's professional, but not too fussy.

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rachylou

Veteran

Hmm, construction. Hehe. Now I want to know what y'all build... houses, gated communities, strip malls, office buildings, roads...

What do you think of wearing of your cross-draped blouse?

I'd be wearing stuff like below...

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celia

Veteran

Rachy we are part of the acoustical and vibrationa l speciality. Regarding outfits I had thought on the same lines.
Aubergine your formula also seems very appropriate and I love the outfits you posted.

celia

Veteran

Rachy forgot to say that the outfit with the draped blouse was precisely for an office day.

Aida

Veteran

Hm I wish I had access to my outfit photos from this past summer I did a lot more bizcaz last year. I have a few outfits from previous years (clearly, with the very long hair!), though these are more the smart-casual spectrum. Are you thinking truly hot weather looks? Like, how to stay looking business casual when outside in the heat?

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celia

Veteran

Aida, I really like your outfits, and for what is worth my hair is that big now
I will still have to see how warm/cold is the office during summer, but usually I find it more difficult to dress in summer without getting too casual. Your outfits seem a good balance between summer and appropriate.

kkards

Veteran

we've only had 1 truly warm day this summer (+85F). this is what i wore, linen pants, dressy tee, knit jacket because the AC in my office is set to arctic.

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JamC

Veteran

Celia, I think the examples the other forum members have given are great. Thanks for asking the question. I will refer back to this often and I think others will also find it very helpful!

Adelfa

Veteran

I don't know about your firm or geographic location, but in my field--both in Northern and Southern California--smart casual can be interchanged for business casual, and can be quite a bit easier in the heat. The key is keeping it smart with groomed hair and makeup, great shoes, jewelry if you wear it, and other accessories. You would still stand out from the jeans-clad ones. But you could wear ankle length twill pants or white jeans as I do here:

http://youlookfab.com/welookfa.....ps-to-keep

It can be a challenge to dress professionally in a casual environment but it's also fun because there are more options than in a more traditional business environment!

Vix

Veteran

Hi Celia --

You've gotten some great examples/advice above -- hope the pros of going back to the office start to outweigh the cons soon.

Since you're trying to keep work and home wardrobes separate, you may want to explore picking a limited color palette. My two "sides" blend a lot but I find it makes integrating new stuff in with the older easier.

Don't know your preferences or what's in your closet, but since my commute involves walking I have mostly natural fabrics -- with an exception for poly jersey dresses since they wear, wash, and drip dry so well.

My staples:

printed jersey dresses; solid Ts and lightweight jersey cardigans; silk knit shells or short-sleeve tops
seasonless wool pants, skirts, and dresses (I *try* to wear lighter shades than just my beloved black)
linen Ts; linen-blend cardigans
printed blouses (shells and sleeved)
metallic or pale-colored shoes

A few of my warmer-weather business casual/corporate creative looks are below -- some are recent snaps, some from past seasons since I'm still wearing the pieces and/or combos. Warm and dry temps have come early to us this year, which has had me scrambling a bit since normally I wear boots into July to avoid wet toes!

[For context, I work where jeans are ok every day and the dress code is pretty liberal -- sleeveless and sandals are ok.]

Good luck with the new role and the new wardrobe. Let us know how it's going!

****

Grey wool pencil skirt -- photos #1-3

Stone wool trousers -- 2 variations in #4

Black sleeveless dress -- as dress with and with sleeveless print blouse on top (#5)

Navy wool straight leg -- #7-8

Ivory textured skirt -- #8-9

Two spring/summers with Pantone-y palettes

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Anonymous

Biz casual can be so difficult, I wish you luck on your new endeavor. I'd wear what you have until you figure out how cold or hot your office runs. I think a casual knit dress has the benefit of always looking dressier than jeans or khakis, and it's often more comfortable.

celia

Veteran

I didn't want to bump up this post but I couldn't pass up without saying a big thank you for your advice and your very helpful suggestions for dressing up for the office.
kkards- a linen blazer would be a wonderful idea and it went up to my list.
Adelfa- I have the same pleone cobalt blouse that you do and had intention of wearing it with white jeans
Vix- Oh my, I could wear any of your outfits happily. My colors do not differ much from the ones you posted and I guess sleeveless and sandals will be ok.I am trying to limit the colors for the work capsule and there is already a lot of black in it.Have to lighten up somehow.
claire- Thank you. That is indeed very good advice, I have to see what will be more comfortable.
Thank you again all, I will try to show you either my work outfit or work capsule.

bella

(website)

Veteran

If we are talking about truly hot summers, nothing beats a shirt dress, imo. Breezy, yet business-y!

Lisa

Veteran

A great question, thanks for asking. I think blazers are great for dressing up jeans (or trousers). And skirts and dresses work very well in the heat.

christieanne

Veteran

You already have great suggestions. I wanted to chime on on wearing color/black for summer. I have been adding touches of white and light mettalics (silver primarily). For example, a pair of snakeskin flats that have white, gray and silver print.Seems to lighten up the black enough to say summer. Of course it isn't super hot where I live on the coast.
For distinguishing yourself from the standard business casual, I think you have a good plan.