What Not to Wear?

Ok – I know that we have touched on this before, but I am again stuck on what to wear (or maybe what not to wear?). As most of you know, I work in the corporate office setting (think Office Space cube world) and would have no idea what to wear to court. My attire is dictated by a company-wide dress code (no flip flops, no torn denim, no vulgar sayings on shirts) aka business casual. But what does business casual actually mean?

At first glance, it means you can easily rule out wearing suits to work (with the exception of important meetings, clients, auditors, or interviews!). Thank goodness, because I haven’t worn truly worn a suit since I graduated from law school. (This, of course, means I need to give these suits away to the Career Closet at the Young Women’s Resource Center…but I hate to part with my fabulous gray Victoria’s Secret suit with the great pencil skirt…and it would match my new shoes…but I digress). And yes, it means no jeans (unless it is a special day/charity drive). So now that I have defined the ends of the spectrum, this leaves a large area for error.

What about khakis? Or black dress pants? Should I pair the khakis with the button down dress shirt? And what shoes? Are those dressy sandals really that dressy? Can I get away with a skirt and no pantyhose?

As a working mom, I also have additional issues of can you really notice this stain or do I need to change my shirt before I go to work (if I catch it)? Will I be able to wear these heels on the soccer field? Will I be the only mom at dance practice in work clothes (this is a yes and I really missed the Package at this!)? Will I be changing in the van before I head to a PTA meeting?

I do realize I am lucky in the fact that I work with 2 men who could really care less what I wear to work (no chance of them noticing my new cute flats or kitten heels!). But I still want to look stylish and professional.

So thoughts? And how do you look cute at work without looking like you are headed out on a hot date, especially with skinny jeans and cute heels?

Have a GREAT day!

Jean Anne