Business Casual

So here’s the deal: since the beginning of my time here at DePaul, I have noticed this incredibly prevalent concept of “business casual” that won’t seem to leave me alone. I wish you all could have seen my face when I was told that I needed to dress business casual for the first time. I stood in front of my closet with a look that I can only describe as confusion and borderline defeat. Did business casual mean I couldn’t wear pants? Did I have to wear high heels? What about hemlines? I had too many questions and Google just was not helping me out. I wanted to dress like myself, not Hillary Clinton. 

 With our generation’s movement of self-expression, just how much could I express myself in the workplace (or a workplace-like setting)? On one hand, an individual should be hired for skill. On the other, you are a direct reflection of whatever organization you are representing. To have a feeling of self while simultaneously maintaining a positive image of a given company is a skill that is—in my opinion—wildly undervalued.

 Having that in mind and through a process of trial-and-error, I started making a few general rules for business casual:

1. Don’t wear anything you wouldn't wear while visiting your Grandma

a. Respectable neck and hemlines, layyydies.

2. If you would wear it to a formal dance, don’t wear it to a business casual event

a. I’m serious; I contemplated this for a second.

3. If you aren't comfortable, don’t wear it

a. Just because you have to fit a certain dress code does not mean that you have to completely sacrifice being comfortable in your own clothing

4. (in response to #3) BUT still be mindful of your audience at whatever event you are going to or whomever you are representing.

a. Find a compromise between heels and your dirty Converse. 

5. If you don't know what you should and should not cover, cover it anyway

a. We're talking no sandals, and no tank tops unless stated otherwise. 

6. Don’t focus too much on the “business” side of “business casual” 

a. I personally found the task of business casual to be frightening, but really all that is being asked is to step up your game a little bit. No sweatpants or jeans with holes, but also no pantsuits or ball gowns. 

That being said, there are a lot of stores that offer business casual attire for college students. I mean, technically they are offered to everyone, but I think we all know who the real audience is. Anyway, I’m serious when I say that you can find appropriate (and incredibly cute) business causal at H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and all the stores that you would regularly be found at. Then there are stores like Banana Republic and Gap, which were conceived with a strict focus on business casual. It ultimately depends on how much you want to invest—both monetarily and time-wise. Personally I like having to seek out a good dress on the sale rack at Zara, but that might just be me. 

Anyway, I compiled a few options of business casual below, so take a look: 

-Leah