What to wear to a business casual office

Business casual means dressing as though a client might walk in, without wearing a full suit. In practice that means tailored trousers or a skirt with a shirt, blouse or fine knit on top. Add a blazer or cardigan when you want more polish. Gym clothes, large logos and anything you would wear to the beach usually stay at home. Every office draws the line a little differently. This guide starts with the common ground, then gives five outfits for women and five for men, built from pieces in our shop.

What usually counts as business casual

• Tailored trousers, chinos and pleated trousers in solid, quiet colors
• Knee length or midi skirts
• Shirts and blouses, with or without a collar
• Fine knit sweaters, cardigans, knit polos and long sleeve henleys
• Blazers and unstructured jackets, which do not need to match the trousers
• Work dresses with sleeves, or worn with a cardigan or blazer
• Loafers, oxfords, clean leather or faux leather shoes, flats and low heels

What usually does not

• Athletic wear, hoodies and joggers
• Graphic tees and large logos
• Ripped or very faded denim
• Very short hemlines, and sheer pieces without a layer
• Flip flops and running shoes, unless your office says otherwise

Five outfits for women

1. The blazer and blouse

A blazer over a blouse, with wide leg pants, works in almost any office. It is smart enough for a presentation and relaxed once the blazer comes off. The lapel collar roll tab sleeve blazer is worn open, with sleeves that roll up and fasten with a tab. Under it, the tie front satin blouse has a long tie at the neckline to knot or leave loose. The tied wide leg long pants, micro pleated the full length of the leg, finish it.

2. The work dress and cardigan

A midi dress is a whole outfit in one decision. The ribbed knit pleated midi dress has long sleeves and a pleated skirt that falls past the knee. It can be worn on its own. A short sleeve dress, such as the ruched short sleeve midi dress, wants a layer. The longline lantern sleeve cardigan falls to mid calf and stays open over a dress. There are more in women’s work dresses.

3. The sweater and wide leg trousers

A sweater tucked loosely into high waist trousers looks deliberate and takes no thought in the morning. The high waist wide leg trousers are cut in a slubbed weave and fall straight and full to the ankle. Their page suggests a tee or a fine knit with them. The turtleneck long sleeve sweater has good stretch and a tall folded collar. For the commute, add a long coat such as the lapel collar longline overcoat, which ends below the knee.

4. The shirt and midi skirt

A shirt with the sleeves turned back, tucked into a midi skirt, suits a relaxed office or a creative workplace. The satin midi skirt is bias cut; it lies close over the hips and widens to the hem at mid calf. Its elasticated waist pulls on. Tuck in the oversized button down shirt and add the pointed toe block heel loafers, which their page pairs with a midi skirt.

5. The cardigan worn as a top

A cardigan buttoned to the top and worn on its own looks neat at a desk. The cable knit cardigan does this well: its page notes that, buttoned to the top, it reads as a sweater. Wear it with wide leg trousers and loafers, and put a long coat over it in winter.

Five outfits for men

1. The shirt and tailored trousers

A button down or button up shirt with tailored trousers needs no tie. The cotton button down shirt, 70% cotton and 30% polyester, shows a contrast chambray when you turn the cuffs back (blue on most colors, gray on Light blue and Dusty blue). The cotton button up shirt is 95% cotton and 5% elastane, in a slubbed, linen look weave; it buttons up for work. Wear either with the slim tailored trousers, which have a pressed front and a little stretch. More pairs are in men’s trousers.

2. The knit polo and an unstructured blazer

A knit polo has the collar of a shirt and the ease of a sweater, and it sits neatly under an unstructured blazer. The ribbed knit long sleeve polo has good stretch, and its page suggests wearing it alone or under a blazer. The unstructured cotton blend blazer is 75% cotton and 25% polyester. It has no shoulder pads or heavy canvas, so it wears like a shirt jacket. Our guide on how to style a knit polo covers fit and buttons.

3. The knit over a shirt

In a cold office, wear a half zip or quarter zip sweater over a collared shirt, with the collar outside the neckline. The cable knit half zip sweater has narrow cable columns and a ribbed stand collar, and its page suggests wearing it over a collared shirt. There are more in men’s knitwear.

4. The long sleeve henley under a jacket

A long sleeve henley in a solid color under a blazer or overcoat is the relaxed end of business casual. It suits offices where most people dress down on Fridays. The long sleeve cotton henley is 100% cotton with a buttoned placket, and it layers under a jacket or stands alone.

5. The mock neck and overcoat

A fine knit mock neck with tailored trousers, and an overcoat for the walk in, is formal enough for a meeting in dark colors. The fine knit mock neck sweater is a fine gauge knit that sits flat under a blazer or an overcoat. It is cut in Asian sizing, and its page says most US shoppers go one size up. Over it, the single breasted overcoat is a slim fit with notch lapels; a little stretch helps it sit well over a jacket.

Shoes

For women, a loafer with a low heel is the easy answer: smart enough for a meeting and easy to wear all day. The square toe patent loafers are patent leather on a 1.2 in (3 cm) heel. For men, a closed lace oxford suits tailored trousers. The leather medallion toe oxfords are cowhide leather with a punched medallion toe. With chinos, the wingtip brogue shoes, a faux leather derby with open lacing, are the easier match. Keep running shoes for the commute and change at your desk. See all shoes.

A note on fabric for office wear

Polyester resists creasing, so a polyester blazer or pair of trousers still looks pressed after a long day at a desk. Viscose drapes and feels cool against the skin, but it creases more easily. Hang a viscose shirt or dress when you get home, and fold viscose knits. Cotton breathes, which helps in a heated office, but it creases too, so cotton shirts need an iron. Each product page gives the fabric as the supplier states it, and says so plainly when the supplier has not confirmed it. Our fabric guide explains how the main fibers behave.

Reading your own office

• In your first week, dress one step smarter than you think you need to, then adjust.
• Look at what senior colleagues wear on days with no meetings. That is the real dress code.
• Keep a blazer at work. It turns most outfits on this page into one fit for a client.

A small business casual wardrobe

Eight pieces cover most of a working month:

• one blazer
• two pairs of trousers in different colors
• three tops: a shirt or blouse, a fine knit and a knit polo or long sleeve henley
• one cardigan or second layer
• one pair of shoes you can wear all day

Keep to colors that all go together, such as black, navy, camel, gray and cream; then almost every combination works. Start with the women’s work edit or the men’s work edit.