From cleavage-showing shirts to baggy pants, here’s what not to wear to the office.
When it comes to advising women on how to create a professional look, the first thing I focus on is teaching them how to dress for their body shapes. By doing so, they automatically look and feel better and carry themselves with greater confidence.
As women, we either tend to show a little too much or too little in the workplace. Trying to dress too similarly to men robs us of our femininity and can look plain and dull. On the other end of the scale, flashing cleavage or wearing short, revealing outfits is equally unflattering and inappropriate in a professional environment.
Finding that happy medium may feel like mission impossible, but I have included a few examples and tips on dressing for your body shape to get you on track to create your ideal professional look.
General principles
Do
- Disguise the parts you dislike by detracting attention away from them.
- Select fitted clothing that gives you shape.
- Wear the size you really are. Avoid buying a size too big or too small for the sake of the size label. Wear what fits you well and if you don’t like the label – cut it out!
Don’t
- Try to cover up the parts you dislike, as you are likely to make them look bigger.
- Select tight clothing that draws attention to the bulges or baggy clothing that gives you no shape.
- Squeeze into a smaller size that doesn’t fit you. Clothes that are too small for you will make you look bigger.
Styles to suit your body shape
If you have a generous bust:
Do
- Wear scoop or V-necklines as they prevent your bust from looking like one big boob.
- Get properly fitted for a bra. It can literally take off centimeters.
Don’t
- Wear very low necklines that reveal your cleavage.
- Wear a bra that is doesn’t fit properly. A badly fitted bra can make your bust look larger than it is, or make your tops and blouses fit badly.
If you have wide upper arms:
Do
- Wear ¾ length or long bell sleeves to detract from less toned arms and allow for comfort and style.
Don’t
- Wear strappy or sleeveless tops and dresses.
- Wear short sleeves that are tightly around your upper arm.
If you have wide thighs:
Do
- Wear full length skirts or skirts that end just below the knee with a healed shoe to give extra height.
Don’t
- Wear skirts above the knee.
In closing, whenever you are making clothing choices for work, think about what impression you want to create and avoid wearing anything that will undermine your professional capabilities as the competent woman you are!
Tracy Gold