Working Life > Business Clothing > Business Dress for Women

Women Business Clothing: How to Dress Formal and Casual

Definition, Explanation

Many experts regard the right business outfit, especially the women's, a decisive factor of success in business life. Styling-laws of the unwritten sort may not be as strict for women as they are for their male colleagues, but also they leave more room for blunders. Which is one more reason to take care of both the general and the special rules of dress-code.

Every women who wants to be successful in business should take a neat outer appearance for granted. This includes a good haircut, decent cosmetics and jewelry and manicured, non-extravagant finger nails.

Tips, Checklist

• Design your dress relatively conservative. This gives you an air of expertise and reliability. As a women you are allowed to dress more colourful and use more fashionable accessoires than your male colleagues are. Avoid, though, too shrill colours and combinations, especially in conservative professions or at a bank or an insurance company. The higher your position, the more conservative you dress
• Give variety to your dress. You should not wear the same dress for two days in a row, but you may combine things
• Expose as little as possible of your bare skin, and avoid anything that might seem playful or leisure time suited. Avoid too tight clothes
• If you go in for career, you should style your dressing relatively close too the next step in your career, without out-styling your current boss
• Orient yourself by your female colleagues' dresscode
• Wear compact shoes in decent colours with maximal half heels
• The taboos of business dress include:
  • spaghetti straps, mini skirts, low-cut pants and belly tops
  • long flowing manes, long red finger nails
  • frills, ribbons, fringes and high slits
  • spangled, strass
  • wild patterns, like tiger or snake patterns
  • open-toe shoes or shoes open at the back
  • visible tattoos or piercings
  • oversized and colourful belts or buckles
  • flashy make-up
  • overdone perfume application
  • underwear that prints through
  • un-ironed clothes, missing buttons, ladders in tights
  • no socks
  • worn-out, broken or intensively-heeled shoes, potentially with a price-label
  • colourfully patterned socks
• When compiling your wardrobe, consider the following:
  • Trousers - Even though trousers are widely accepted in business by now, there are still companies and branches where skirts are favoured. Thus, get a decent advice regarding this from your female colleagues. Mostly, with a neat trouser suit, you do well. Jeans, however, are suitable for leisure activities only, with few exceptions
  • Jackets - Good fit is important. The coat should fit loosely but not be too wide in the shoulder part. The sleeves should end where the thumbs start
  • Robes - decent robes like sheath dresses that you can combine with a coat, are very well suited for business. In no way it should be transparent. A coat dress can be worn without additional coat
  • Ladies' suits - The best choice is a suit in decent colours and of good quality with a good fit. Potential slits should not leave any skin uncovered. A good match are white, pastel-coloured or decent-patterned blouses. Close the jacket whenever you stand up. Do not wear knitwear
  • Skirts - Skirts, in business, should be knee-covering or ending sharply over the knees. Flowing, wide skirts are suited for social occasions, but not in every-day business. Tight, short skirts are not suited
  • Sweaters - light sweaters can well be worn under coats, as long as they do not impair the fit of the coat. For inofficial occasions, also twin-sets are appropriate
  • Neck - The neck cut of your top clothing should be such that it definetely covers the shoulders and the axels
  • Jewelry - be modest with jewelry. Prefer pearls, silver or gold, or decent costume jewelry. Do not forget your watch!
  • Bags - Bags made out of leather oder art. Leather should match the belt and shoes. Use a good-looking suitcase. Not suited are rucksacks and large, pouch-shaped bags

Last update: 06/02/2010