When it comes to professional outfits, don’t ever feel like you’re limited to pants and button-down shirts. There are so many stylish ways to rock dresses and skirts at work, without compromising a professional and polished look. In fact, it’s a lot easier to decide on one dress than it is to mix and match a top and a pair of pants! If you need to put together work outfits in a snap or if you’re feeling girly today, I’ll show you how you can skip the pants but still stay professional.
10 Professional Outfits That Don’t Involve Pants
Bring Out Your Feminine Side With These Office-Appropriate Outfits
I love a good power suit as much as anyone else, but I also have days when I feel girly and want to show off my feminine side at work. Don’t you agree? For those days, I go for skirts or dresses instead of pants. But it can be a challenge to wear a dress to work. How do you distinguish party dresses from weekend dresses and professional outfits? The same goes for skirts. So to help you pick out the perfect professional outfit, here are just some of the outfits I wear to work when I don’t feel like rocking my power suits.
1. Floral Skirts
If you know me, you know that I wear florals all year ’round. Like I always say, it’s all a matter of styling them right! For work, opt for darker shades like black, or pastel colors like pink and blue.
2. High-Low Skirts
Yes, you can wear trends to work! The key is to be subtle about them, and style trends with classic or basic pieces. Take the high-low skirt. To wear one, make sure the high-low hem isn’t as drastic and that it doesn’t go from mini skirt to maxi skirt. Then, pair it with a classic blazer and an office-appropriate blouse. It’s that simple!
3. Graphic Print Dresses
Approach prints with caution when you’re putting together professional outfits. That said, graphic prints should be your go-to style if you haven’t quite mastered the art of wearing prints to work. They’re a no-fail way to add color and personality to your professional outfits.
#Maxi skirt for the office? I must say yes. Level up your typical corporate attire. For a semi-formal look, layer a… pic.twitter.com/QbgRM0p1Ow
— You’re So Pretty (@YSPdotcom) July 9, 2016
4. Midi Skirts
If you want the coverage of pants but don’t actually want to wear a pair, midi skirts are your best friend. Plus, because midi skirts are longer and more modest, you can get away with a slit to show off your legs, or more trendy elements like stripes and big buttons. Check out this guide from InStyle for more ways to wear midi skirts.
5. Structured Dresses
In general, professional outfits should look more tailored than usual. So unless you work in fashion, no boho dresses at work! Instead, go for dresses made with more structured silhouettes.
6. Fit And Flare Dresses
There’s a reason why I love fit and flare dresses so much, and that’s because I can wear them everywhere. I style them down for the weekend, but I can also throw a blazer over them for effortless and chic professional outfits.
7. Long Sleeved Jersey Dresses
If you’re feeling chilly or you want a more mature and polished dress, go for long sleeves and form-fitting cuts. This jersey dress is perfect! The sleeves are just the right length to make it formal, and the hem is right at the knees, not too long or too short.
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8. Circle Skirts
The secret to wearing circle skirts is similar to how you’d wear trendy pieces like high-low hems. Go for longer lengths below the knee, neutral colors like black and white, and pair with modest pieces like this black sweater and black pumps. It’s youthful but still professional.
9. Pencil Skirts
A pencil skirt is another classic cut you can wear at work. Just like the perfect pair of jeans, every working girl needs to have a few pencil skirts in her wardrobe. To me they’re like the jeans of workwear, you can rock them with any blouse or blazer!
10. A-Line Skirts
For professional outfits, skip the frilly party skirts and go for classic cuts like a line. Also, go for skirts that are slightly longer and go below the knee. Then just pair it with your favorite blouse and a matching blazer! Because A-line skirts are so classic, you can even play around with color. Don’t you just love this magenta outfit? It’s very fall-ready.
Watch this video from NET-A-PORTER for workwear tips from the pros:
While I won’t be ditching the cigarette pants and power suits any time soon (and you shouldn’t either!), these professional outfits prove that skirts and dresses can make you feel like a #GirlBoss, too. How else do you wear skirts and dresses to work? Let me know in the comments section below!
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