3 Tips On Dressing Business Casual With Personality

Photo by Maksim Goncharenok

The older I get, the more often I have to dress business casual… and the more I learn to enjoy it. From networking events to conferences to jobs to internships to classes to parties, society often calls for you to dress a certain way. One of the most common ways is, “business casual.” 

Many times, the terminology itself can be confusing because there’s such a wide range of what it entails–and those who aren’t confused can often feel restricted. However, as I continue to be in environments that require professional attire, I also continue to see ways I can still have fun and feel like me.

Below are my top tips on how to dress business casual with personality.

01 | Reach for comfortability

If you’re dressing business casual, there’s a high chance your environment will be calling for more seriousness. I am all for being respectful and taking yourself and others seriously, but I’ve found that if I take myself too seriously, I start to feel stiff.

Now, there will be times when you have to wear an outfit that is not comfortable at all and that is just part of professional settings. Award dinners, fancy events and meetings of that sort require attire that is more classy and uptight. 

However, there are also many comfortable options for when you have to wear business casual in a typical setting. For example, find pants that are more flowy, shoes that you can easily walk in, and a top that doesn’t feel constricting. When you’re more comfortable, you’ll feel more relaxed, more like yourself, and be able to focus better!

02 | Don’t forget to accessorize

One of my favorite ways to dress business casual with personality is to use accessories! I feel more put together when I not only intentionally choose an outfit, but also intentionally choose the little details like jewelry.

Some ideas would be to find earrings that match your top in a unique way (if you’re wearing a blouse with flowers on it, wear flower earrings), shoes that are a fun color (but still match), or a hair clip that matches the shade of your pants (or a different part of your outfit).

Of course, you don’t want to overdo accessories because it can cause distraction or look thrown together or tacky, but if you strategically choose pieces, it can enhance your outfit.

03 | Go for the colors

A  lot of business casual outfits consist of colors like white, black, cream, and maybe a dark blue. While there’s a reason those classier colors are what people gravitate toward, that’s not to say you can’t reach for something bolder from time to time.

I personally love to have fun with different colors. Most of the time, that looks like reaching for a dusty pink or a sage green, but sometimes I’ll wear a blouse with vibrant orange flowers or colorful jewelry. 

As long as you’re still wearing nice outfits that fit into the business casual range, wearing more colorful clothes can make dressing fun and has the potential to make you stand out more at networking events.

In short…

Dressing business casual doesn’t have to be something that you dread, but rather something you can enjoy. I hope the tips above help you bring more personality to your outfits!