I am jazzed to tackle THIS one, my friends. It took me ages to feel like my work and casual wardrobes had any continuity, and I spent years feeling like Spiffy Sal on weekdays and Schlubby Sal on weekends. It wasn’t until I learned to dress down my work wear and dress up my casual wear that I felt like I’d succeeded in creating a unified personal style. Here are some of my favorite tricks for dressing down work wear:
Add a Blazer
I believe that blazers are the ultimate bridging garment. They look amazing with dresses, slacks, skirts, button-downs, sweaters, belted, worn open, buttoned up, and with just about any combination and configuration of work garments you can cook up. But they look equally amazing with graphic tees, jeans, tank tops, piles of necklaces, with their sleeves scrunched or rolled up. Don’t relegate your blazers to work wearings only. A blazer can be thrown into almost any casual mix and look natural, stylish, and effortlessly cool.
Add Heels
Many women view heels as work-week-only footwear, and if you hate wearing ‘em then keep it that way. But heels run a close second to blazers as a fabulous bridging item, possessing the magical ability to take a casual outfit and make it instantly sharper and more refined.
Add a Hood
You can’t see it in this photo, but that little black bolero has a hood. It may not be a hoodie, but it is still hoodED. And to me, nearly anything with a hood reads as casual. Sure, there are some artfully constructed silken tunics with fancy hoods that could pass for work wear, but I believe that most hooded garments look more like weekend wear.
And that means that juxtaposing them with dresses and skirts creates looks that exude dressed-down chic. Use your judgment, of course: A ratty gym sweatshirt paired with a sleek sheath dress will look odd, but a fluid jersey dress and a clean-lined hoodie will look fun and sophisticated.
Add Jeans
So obvious that it hardly bears repeating? Perhaps. But I am a big fan of base-covering, so here we go: Wearing jeans with work-appropriate tops looks amazing. Nearly across the board. You can even push the dressy envelope a bit, as I’ve done here, and wear something that might even look a bit TOO formal for work on your top half, add jeans, and immediately look like a style star.
Add Non-jeans Denim
Every workplace is different, but mine sees all denim as casual and therefore Friday-only garb. That includes denim skirts, dresses, and jackets. But pairing non-jeans denim with work-appropriate separates or accessories – a silk blouse with a denim skirt, gorgeous heels with a denim dress, a sleek sheath with a denim jacket – is a fabulous way to dress down your work wear.
Add a Graphic Tee
There are a billion different types of graphic tees, from college logo shirts to arty abstracts, and some can sneak into work wear more easily than others. But utilizing a graphic tee in an otherwise polished and formal outfit is a fabulous way to give it a shot of casual cool. Here, I’m wearing one of my favorite work skirts and a pair of pretty tall heels, but the tee tones it all down beautifully.
Add Tough Touches
I love my rocker and cowgirl clothes, shoes, and accessories. And occasionally I’ll find ways to work them into office-friendly outfits … but more often, I save those pieces for the weekend. Both genres read a bit tough, and tough reads a bit casual. But that means that these pieces can complement and enrich classic ensembles. Pencil skirts, pearls, simple dresses, blazers, button-downs, and cardigans all play fabulously with motorcycle boots, chunky chain jewelry, black leather accents, cowgirl boots and jewelry, and other tough, edgy items.
As you can see, I dug pretty deep into the archives for these examples. Dressing down work wear is a bit of a hobby for me, and I’ve been honing my skills for a while now! But I’m sure there are other techniques I’ve overlooked? How do YOU dress down your work wear?
QUICK NOTE: This post originally appeared as a reader request, but as two astute commenters observed, I COMPLETELY missed the point of the reader question and went in a completely different direction! I’ll tackle that question another time. Properly.
{ 18 comments… read them below or add one }
This is a really nice and helpful post! But I read Kim’s question as being more like “I have a shiny silk evening skirt I’d like to wear more often. How can I wear it to work w/o being overdressed?”
Hey Sal! This is a great post, and I really like the “heels,” “hood” and “non-jeans denim” outfits. I’ve definitely been trying to take some of the beautiful skirts I have for work and get more use out of them on weekends.
But are you sure you interpreted Kim’s question right? I thought she was asking how to take a too-dressy-for-work piece (like your sequined top, maybe) and make it work-appropriate. Which would also be a great topic!
Crap! You and daiyami are right! I completely misinterpreted this question. Bah.
Well, I’ll have to write a do-over! I’ve removed the reader question entirely since I just went off on my own tangent.
BLUSHING!
Love these ideas, Sal. (and the reader question will make another great post : > ) I think adding a denim jacket to many work outfits makes a good weekend transition. I also like the graphic tee idea – just subbing it in for a collared blouse. Have a great day!
Hi Sal,
Love this. Very helpful and confirms that I’m doing the right thing. I attend multiple functions a few days a week and I usually have to bring an extra pair of shoes with me, a sweater or shawl to dress up or dress down my look to fit the next occassion.
This is a wonderful post. I love all the combinations and think I can get inspiration from each one.
But the hoodie illustration brings up something that has been bugging me for quite a while (not about you, Sal, but about style in general). Ever since hoodies became fashionable, I have wondered: What is the point of a hoodie that is rarely if ever worn for protection from the weather? It seems ridiculous to me to have a superfluous piece of fabric hanging down behind, especially when the weight of it drags up the front of the neckline as well. But, you ask: Is a hoodie in the same class as an asymmetric hemline? No, not at all. Such a hemline is both functional and decorative. But a hoodie presents a supposedly functional detail as a decoration, thus confusing purposes. Don’t get me wrong–I am not against decoration; I just wonder about this particular form of decoration. Illumination desired!
Good question, Anna! My guess is that the unused hoods on hoodies are maintained specifically to make those garments seem casual and sporty. Anyone else have a theory?
I have used the hood on every hooded item that I own. Maybe not all the time every time, but they have been used. I think the hoods do serve a function. Sometimes it holds my hair in place when it’s windy. It’s nice when it’s cold but I don’t want to muss my hair with a fitted hat. It’s also a younger look (in my opinion) and a casual/sporty look. I wore hooded garments more when I was younger.
Sals take on the hooded garment makes me feel I could bring it back again without feeling too young though : ) I think you pulled it off brilliantly!
Another theory is that the market is out there – many folks will buy them for form or function or both. Hoods and hoodies in non-sweatshirt fabrications are useful and versatile for lifestyles that require a casual dress code. I happen to love the aesthetic look of a hood cascading down, as well as the look it gives my neckline (“collar” effect as someone mentioned).
When buying I generally make sure that they drape nicely and are cut so they can come up over my head comfortably without pulling. I have made the mistake of not checking the functionality first, only to find later that I’ve acquired a non-functional hood. They are still really cute in my eyes, but I do prefer the extra bang for my buck. I use my hoods mainly for things like covering my damp head after getting out of a pool, at the beach, when it starts raining on walks with my dog, during outdoor fall/winter activities, under hats for an extra layer against wind, etc. I find them very useful for lending a little extra style in weather. Also, if it’s cut big enough, a hood can protect your hairstyle without crushing it like a hat would (similar effect as wrapping a scarf loosely around your head).
I really like the look for purely sartorial purposes, too. It can be edgy and dramatic or just sweet, a lovely look that frames the face.
I LOVE hoodies, even though I rarely wear the hoods (sometimes if I’m exercising outside and I don’t have a hat I will, but it’s not really a fashion statement). It’s party the casualness, but also, I like the way it creates a kind of a collar without being a collar. This is slightly less the case in the hoodie posted above, but usually, the hoods on the hoodies I wear create something of a modest shawl collar effect. I have a hard time finding button-down shirts/blouses that work on me, so I often feel collared-shirt deprived, and hoodies are a solution. Also, they create more of a v-neckline, which is more flattering on me than crewnecks. (I’m thinking of open-front hoodies rather than hooded crewnecks – I love my hooded crewneck sweatshirts for the cosiness factor, but they’re really for days when I’m not making any fashion effort!)
I have to confess I don’t see asymmetrical hemlines as in any way more functional than hoods.
(Replying to my own comment with stuff I forgot to say: I was just commenting on why I like hoodies, not necessarily what the fashion purpose is. However, superfluous fabric has been a part of fashion for hundreds of years – textiles are often very expensive, and a lot of fashions like slashed sleeves or huge hoop skirts or the like are popular precisely because they demonstrate a person’s wealth – you have the means to wear lots and lots of fancy fabric that serves no purpose!. Not saying that hoodies serve the same function, but they might have a kind of vestigial tie to the idea that superfluous fabric is fashionable.)
Thank you all for these generous and detailed responses. My apologies if I was not entirely clear the first time around. It wasn’t so much the abundance of fabric that bothered me, but the use of a functional detail as pure decoration (like jacket sleeve buttons that don’t actually button, thus confusing function with decoration) — but now I see that the hood on a hoodie is used as a hood by more people than I realized. And I like the adaptation of it as a collar. I am now more illuminated! Thanks again.
I just recently discovered the joys of heels as casual wear. They make me feel SEXY, but go great with jeans and a nice top. It’s a good way to spruce up my regular outfits.
nice casual work wear
http://www.fabulous-chic.com
ps. Sally, sorry to get off topic, but it’s fun to see your different hairstyles and looks in these pics. Have you ever thought of dedicating a show-and-tell post to your hairstyles over the years? Different cuts, stylist experiences, ever tried straight or pixie, what worked and what didn’t with different lengths, what you liked best/worst, what surprised you, etc. I have straight fine hair myself but I would enjoy that (hair is a FAVE accessory of mine) and I bet it would be especially interesting for the curly girls.
Good ideas for bridging the gap between work and weekend. My office is fairly casual, and I’d actually like even more distinction between my work and weekend outfits than I currently have, because I get bored if I feel like I have the same style or wear the same types of outfits all the time. I probably need to step it up a notch for work. Looking forward to the other post!
Even if you went in a different direction than the reader question, this is still a great post. Too often I get stuck on clothes’ functional fixedness (as a work dress, as a dressy blazer) that I don’t see how great they’d look for other situations in my life. I really like the idea of adding a graphic tee as a layering piece — that’s something I’ll have to try with some of my dresses!
Hi Sal –
Just wanted to say that I loved this post. A couple of years ago, when I got tired of dressing fancier than everybody else at work (and spending more on dry cleaning, I’m sure), I started to tone down my work wear and make it more casual. Within the last year, I’ve decided to step up the weekend wear because I didn’t want to look lazy, I still wanted that weekday polish. I do all of these tricks, and it’s made me appreciate my clothes so much more. Everything is so versatile when you start to put it into the frames of “How can I dress you up?” and “How can I dress you down?” I feel like my closet has grown by a hundredfold.
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