If your office has a business casual dress code, it's great news for all your "weekend" clothes that you've been dying to use more often. You know: your chunky knits, your jeans, your graphic tops, even your crop tops if the situation is right! Business casual is somewhere between a full suit (which is just business attire) and a tee and jeans (which is just casual attire)—as the name implies, it theoretically straddles these two dress codes effortlessly. In practice, it's a little harder to pull off, but that's what we're here for. We've got a few inspo outfits to help you navigate the minefield of business casual dressing.
A Coat and Jeans
This is a good foundation for a business casual outfit. Just switch out your trousers for jeans and keep the rest of your outfit the same.
If you want to retain the "business" vibe, swap out this bomber for a blazer (or layer a structured shirt underneath). Tie up the top if you're worried about your belly button showing.
A Slouchier Suit
Similarly, this is suit-esque, just slouchier. The material in the jacket and pants is a little softer, and keeping the sweater collar popped feels more laidback instead of fussy. The bag and shoes are still nice and work-appropriate, it's important to note.
Fancy Denim
With an Oxford shirt on top and chunky loafers on bottom, there's still some structure to the look—which means you can get away with jeans. The print on the denim is cool and funky, and you'd style them like printed trousers.
A Patterned Sweater
Instead of a button-down shirt, how about a statement sweater? This option is slouchy and cool (and no doubt more comfortable than a collared shirt), but keep the trousers and boots so there's still a touch of formality.
Tonal Beige
This head-to-toe tan knit is a glorious execution of the style. Everything's a cozy soft knit (and a t-shirt peeks out from underneath the sweater), but everything's high quality—which is an important part of making it look office-appropriate.
A Statement Blazer
Taking the basic principle of blazer and jeans, why not spice things up a bit by replacing your black blazer with something a bit more textured? These pals are essentially using the same formula (we love a matching BFF): visual interest on top, neutral on bottom.
Dark Denim
The key is to have everything be a darker rinse and have everything match or near-match, that way it just looks like a denim dress suit!
Oversized Knits
This long tunic turtleneck would be divine for sitting on the couch and having a warm beverage. But you can bring it into your business casual repertoire by pairing it with stiffer pieces: jacket, bag, and boots.
A Cardigan as a Top
Here Bella Hadid uses a cardigan as a top and plays with layering, allowing the top to peek out under her blazer. Opt to button all the buttons if you'd rather not show skin.
A Nicer Coat
White denim in winter is absolutely fine, in case you were wondering. If you want to ground the look, use a bulkier jacket to make it clear this is a wintry outfit. You could even do white fashion sneakers in place of loafers here.
A Graphic Sweater
If a graphic tee or sweater feels out of place as normal workwear, save it for Casual Fridays. This one is still deeply cool and, at the very least, a conversation starter.
A Leather Skirt
Leather as a concept doesn't have to be reserved for business casual attire, but a patent leather button skirt is a bit edgier than, say, a leather or vegan leather blazer. If you did want to make this business-appropriate, swap the tee out with a collared shirt. As it is, though, this outfit is chic and cool in all the right ways.
A Canadian Tuxedo
If you're feeling daring, use your denim pieces as if they were a suit and pair them together. In that case, you'll want to use denim that isn't distressed as the pants are here, and you'll want to use two pieces that are similar in color.
Suit Shorts
Like her sister, Gigi Hadid has some strong street style creds. Weather permitting, emulate her by getting some formal shorts (or turning up some formal capris, as she does) and pairing them with a blazer in a similar color. In colder weather, wear tights.
Black Tights
This is not for the faint of heart (or for the everyday office). If you work for a fashion house or magazine—or anywhere else where it won't cause people to be shocked—it's okay to dip a toe into the "no pants" trend. Just use some very opaque tights, okay? (And if that's too much for you, opt for a mini instead!)
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