Throughout history what has been the ‘normal’ women’s clothing style has changed significantly. In the 1800’s it was scandalous to show your ankles. As society changed and evolved, so did fashion. The norm for womens fashion became more form fitting and shorter in length. Before long we had entered a time when women wore pants and shorts. While we have come a long way there are still certain unspoken social rules we follow, fashion and otherwise. Certain things are only appropriate in the right situations. It’s not like you’d wear your Sunday best just to go grocery shopping or your bathing suit out for a fancy dinner… At least I don’t do that. But, you get my point. Dressing for the occasion is very important. So how are you dressing for work; a place that you’re spending a lot of your time at?
The most common, and timeless, work outfit is the pantsuit. As you know, I’m obsessed with blazers and tailored pants. This has been my go-to business outfit for years. Another business outfit is the chic pencil skirt and blouse. Both these outfits can be paired with heels to add the finishing touch of ‘professional and put together.’
Now, I know I just said these outfits are my go-to, but fashion has evolved and so have some of my work outfits. My modern and updated work wardrobe has the same big ideas of my pantsuits, with just a few small differences. Changing something small, like sneakers instead of heels, can completely redefine an outfit. Keeping the tailored pants and blazer with sneakers is very important. Business outfits are very delicate in the sense that they are one wrong step away from being too casual. So if you’re in a sneakers mood make sure you’re still wearing a pantsuit.

Another twist I’ve added, especially this summer, is wearing fancier shorts with the traditional blazer and heels. Wearing the traditional pantsuit is a sure fire way to look cute, but isn’t always the most comfortable once the weather starts getting warmer. The only way these types of outfits work is if the shorts are the same material as your blazer. This is a good way to check that you haven’t gone too casual. Make sure to wear heels with this outfit, even if it’s only a small heel or wedge.
If you’re feeling more casual than usual you can swap out a fancy blouse with a graphic tee. Yes, you read that right! Graphic tees are ok to wear to work again! I know it sounds impossible to be business professional while wearing a graphic tee, but paired with the right shoes and accessories, you can pull it off. For example, you can pair your tee and heels with a skirt, pants, or even those fancy shorts! Whichever you choose it’s smart to add some sort of jacket on top to finish off the look.
As fall quickly approaches and the weather is getting cooler, you may be wanting to ignore your skirts all together. To help give your work wardrobe more variety you can use some of you jeans for the new business casual! One of the most important things to look out for when you bring jeans into the equation, is to make sure there’s no holes in them. These outfits, like the rest, need to be paired with some kind of heels. Adding a chic blazer makes sure that this outfit is still business casual.
After seeing my modern work wardrobe I hope you can see that being cute and casual is possible in many work places in this day and age. You can always take your current work wardrobe and make them a little more trendy with your own unique accessories. Bold is beautiful! One way to embrace the boldness is to incorporate plaid into your outfit. As you can see, I am crazy obsessed with this pattern. Because of how popular it is now, it is very easy to find plaid blazers, pants, and skirts nearly anywhere.
Another way to stand out at the office? Fire engine red, baby! Is it getting hot in here or what?

Wearing lots of red is said to improve confidence and make others pay attention to you, and hopefully that means you’ll get the raise you’ve been craving. I love this look I created with this bold suit paired up with my favorite classic Adidas sneakers.

Most of these new business casual outfits are things that are already in your closet! Take advantage of the modern business outfits and reinvent what you already have! Not only are these outfits going to make you feel more confident, but they’re the perfect balance of casual and business for people to see you as the intelligent business woman you are.
With all the changing dress code standards in the work place, is your job the kind where you can show up in a pair of leggings, flip flops, and t shirt and fit right in, or would you be caught dead without a tailored suit?
Photo credit: @colorandgrace // @v.stoimirov
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Grace
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33 Comments
Shelbee on the Edge
Grace, I absolutely adore every outfit in this post! The red power suit with your Adidas sneakers screams confidence and poise! Even though I work form home now, I still get dressed for work. It definitely helps to motivate me.
Shelbee
http://www.shelbeeontheedge.com
Grace Liang
Your comments are always so sweet, Shelbee! Thank you so much! That’s awesome you still get dressed for work even though you work from home! Great tip. 🙂
Carrie @ Curly Crafty Mom
Sometimes I miss working outside the house, especially after seeing all of these great outfits. I love how blazers are becoming bigger and not just with a pantsuit, but separately with denim, joggers, etc. Love all of these styles!
Carrie
curlycraftymom.com
Grace Liang
Thank you so much for your kind words, Carrie! I’ve been loving the blazer trend also! 🙂
mireille
I love all of these: they are modern and stylish and it is interesting how swapping just one item changes a look!
http://www.chezmireillefashiontravelmom.com
Maureen
What you have said is true Grace and I am so glad that we are able to wear clothes that really express our style. I do agree that red is a bold color but it sure is beautiful and I know it commands the room like no other!
Maureen | http://www.littlemisscasual.com
Grace Liang
You’re so sweet for saying this, Maureen! Thank you for your support! I really appreciate it. I’m so glad we are able to express our own individual style as well! 🙂
Grace Liang
Thank you so much for your kind words, Mireille! It’s always fun to change up different looks! 🙂
Darlene A Messinger
Grace, I love your style! I agree about dressing appropriately for the workplace. I can’t wear sneakers in my environment, but I love the way you’ve shown it here! The red pantsuit is gorgeous. I especially like your “Girls Support Girls” graphic tee. Love it!
Have a great weekend,
xx Darlene
Grace Liang
Thank you so much for your support, Darlene! That graphic tee is definitely one of my favorites also! 🙂
Mica
You look great in your suits! We have a “business casual” guideline at work but in practice it’s definitely more smart casual – you’ll see a lot of jeans through the week. I tend to dress up a little more with blazers as I can often have unexpected meetings, and it’s nice to have a cover up in the cold aircon anyway, ha!
Hope that you have a wonderful weekend ahead of you!
Grace Liang
Thank you so much, Mica! Blazers are the best aren’t they!? 🙂 I hope you had a great weekend!
Shauna
So office glam! I’m in love with the red power suit!
Shauna
http://www.lipglossandlace.net
Grace Liang
You’re so sweet, Shauna! Thank you! This red suit is definitely one of my favorites! 🙂
Nancy
I love the different outfit options for business casual! I love the combinations -, especially with the blazer. I love your bags!
Nancy ♥ exquisitely.me
Grace Liang
I’m so glad you liked these outfits, Nancy! I hope you had a great weekend!
Kathrine Eldridge
I love all your tips and workwear looks here Grace! I adore your red suit and thanks so much for the link up!
https://www.kathrineeldridge.com
Grace Liang
That is wonderful to hear! Thank you so much, Kathrine! I appreciate your support! 🙂
Aimee
i totally love every outfit, your so good at styling!
Capturing Life Memoirs | Aimee
Grace Liang
You’re so sweet. Thank you, Aimee! I hope you had a great weekend!
Toia Barry
All of these outfits are fab! We had a business casual dress code at my last office job but no sneakers allowed. I LOVE that you paired the suit with classic Adidas as I’m really a “skirt/dress + sneakers” kinda girl & have been wanting to do the suit look. I now work from home & the occasional coffee shop… but now I actually wanna get DRESSED-dressed! 😁
Grace Liang
I’m so glad you liked these outfits, Toia! i’ve always loved pairing sneakers with skirts/dresses as well! 🙂 I hope you had a great weekend!
Naya
Goes without saying – but! You nailed every single look here. I particularly love the all red ensemble. Thankfully most offices nowadays understand the importance of self-expression of their employees xx
Naya
http://www.nayatilly.com
Grace Liang
Thank you very much, Naya! I’m so grateful that most offices now are understanding of self-expression as well! 🙂
michelle
Yes to all of this. I wear sneakers, jeans, t shirts, etc to work. My office is super casual!
michellespaige.com
Grace Liang
I’m so glad you liked this post, Michelle! That’s awesome that your office is casual! 🙂
Kellyann Rohr
Grace, your style is amazing! I want to wear each and every one of these looks – not quite sure I can pull them off but I’d have fun trying!!! Thanks so much for linking up with us for our Style Six Link Up!!!
xo,
Kellyann
Grace Liang
Thank you so much, Kelly! They were such fun looks to wear. You could definitely pull them all off! 🙂
Gail
Utterly stunning pictures Grace, you look amazing in every outfit! I love the sneakers /white ankle boots for making a business outfit look more contemporary. And the graphic tees! Thanks for joining up at #WowOnWednesday.
Grace Liang
You’re so sweet Gail! Thank you for your kind words and support. I’m so glad you enjoyed these looks. 🙂
Mary
Just stopped to say hi from Tania’s blog, so glad I did. love your style and ideas! I will be following for sure.
Grace Liang
I’m so happy to see you here, Mary! Thank you for stopping by and for your kind words! 🙂 I appreciate your support!
Emma Peach
Absuolutely gorgeous outfits Grace! I love the red suit and white trainers! Thanks for linking up!
Emma xxx
http://www.style-splash.com