Work Attire Guidelines

What should you wear to work? It depends on what type of work you do and the level you're at in your industry.

Appropriate work attire is dictated by the level of formality of the type of business you work in. Here are the four different levels:

Traditional Businesses like law, banking, accounting, etc., still call for the traditional business suit.

Creative Businesses like architecture, interior design, and the arts calls for traditional work attire with a creative flair. So instead of a business suit, for example, you might wear a wool skirt with a suede jacket.

Informal Businesses like writer, software developer, teacher, etc. call for more casual work attire that's professional, comfortable, and approachable.

Labor-Intensive Businesses like housecleaning, yard keeping, and child care require comfortable, durable clothes that also clean easily.

What's more, what you wear depends on the level you're at in your industry.  If you're a lawyer, you might wear a suit and heels to work; if your a para-legal, you might wear a business dress.  A hotel housekeeper might wear a uniform; the head of the housekeeping deparment might might wear a business suit.

As you can see, while it's easy to define evening attire and cocktail attire, there's no one definition for appropriate work attire.  Again, it depends on your industry and the level you're at in your industry.

Sound confusing?  It's not, really.  But if you'd like to learn more about appropriate work attire for women, download a copy of Business Wear Magic to see how easy dressing for success can be.

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