Dressing for your first corporate job or internship isn’t always easy, especially when you work in the fashion industry. Balancing your love for style and trends with keeping your look professional can be a challenge, not to mention trying to define what  “business casual” is. From season professional to entry-level hires, we see lots of people making these style mistakes at work.

Over Accessorizing

Accessories like jewellery, belts and scarves are a great way to reuse basic pieces in multiple different outfits like a blazer or pencil skirt. But when you do decide to accessorize, make sure you keep it to a minimum to avoid looking bulky and wear pieces that don’t cause a distraction with bright colours or accents.

Inappropriate Shoes

Many studies show that one of the things many people base their first impressions off of is shoes, and this is no exception in the office. The best rule of advice is to follow your corporate dress code, as it will usually mention if sneakers or sandals are permitted. After that, our advice is to avoid flip-flops, high platform “nightclub” shoes and shoes that are old or dirty at all costs.

Exposing Under-Garments

It sometimes isn’t as easy to find work-appropriate shirts with all the latest trends of lace, sheer fabrics and crop everything these days. However, making sure your under-garments aren’t exposed at work is a huge part of professional attire. Avoid wearing anything that bares your midriff at work and try wearing camisoles and tank tops under low plunging or see-through shirts.

Headwear

Wearing your favourite wide-brimmed hat or head chain might be tempting especially in the summer with your flowing dresses. But remember, headwear and hats in particular at work are a huge no, as these trends are seen as bad etiquette in the business world. Some workplaces might allow baseball caps or toques on casual days but stay away from bulky hats and headbands that might be a little too over the top or distracting. Wearing your hats to work is fine, but hats off on the work floor!

Ripped Jeans

Surprisingly one of the most common office fashion-faux-pas is ripped jeans. Some offices allow jeans every day, where others only allow them on casual days. In either case, making sure your denim is clean, properly fitting and free of rips and holes is super important. Avoid wearing jeans that drag on the ground, are distressed or too tight.

Photo Credit:

1. Inspirational image courtesy of Pinterest

2. Image courtesy of Pinterest

3. Image courtesy of Pinterest

4. Image courtesy of Pinterest

By M.J. Elle, Toronto, @TheMJElle

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