In today’s business environment, there are three levels of business attire:
- Business formal: think suits, ties, blouses, heels, solids, more traditional styling, small pops of color, tailored fit but not fitted, knee-length hemlines, dress down summers and casual Fridays
- Smart business casual: think dress slacks, knit blazers or sports coats, layering, more use of patterns and prints, pointed-toe flats, structured loafers, more fashion-forward, more hi-low dressing, more wrinkle-resistant and wool blend fabrics, dark denim on rare occasions, more stretch fabrics
- Business casual: more relaxed and flowy fits, ballerina flats, slip-ons and loafers, khakis and other cotton blend materials, use of trendier pieces, polos and other short sleeve shirts, sweaters and cardigans, denim on any day
Which business environment do you work in most days?
As a rule, your closet should consist of 75% of those types of clothing. The remainder is for you to decide but if you believe that “you should dress for the job you want” then the majority of the remainder should likely be in that category/level.
Using myself as an example, I live in the Smart Casual category most days however, I interact with politicians and C-suite folks frequently so most of my other pieces fall into the Business Formal category. The only times you’ll find me super casual are when I’m home chilling or going to see my clients in their homes. For clients, I basically wear two looks and those pieces take up almost no space in my closet! Even my jeans are darker and can be elevated with a blazer or zesty top…
So, figure out where you fit most days and focus there first!
