In many professional and white-collar environments, particularly in Western countries, business casual has become a popular dress code. The standards of formal business attire like dress pants, ties and suit jackets have recently been replaced in many workplaces by more casual styles.

The interpretation of how business casual is defined varies from one organization to another, but generally speaking, it can be broken down into these examples.

For Women: Business casual can be a knee-length skirt or pants with a dress shirt or an informal dress of suitable length.  A decorative sweater or cardigan works as an appropriate cover-up.

For Men: Business casual can be a collared shirt and cotton pants like khakis with a belt.

Unacceptable clothing usually includes t-shirts, shorts, denim, tennis shoes and sandals for men.  Any clothing that would be considered too revealing for the workplace is also inappropriate. Revealing clothing can include anything that reveals too much cleavage, stomach, legs or any other area of the body that an organization deems improper for the workplace.  Consult your company’s policy manual for a more detailed description of acceptable business attire.

To read more about business casual dress, click here.

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