Corporate Style-IT pants

credits:harper's bazaar

Crisp whites are sure bets

New neutrals: earthy tones from putty to pewter.

The IT pant- loose and luxe

You can still retain your personal style when getting dressed for the office. Below are stylish professional looks that can boost your career.

Dont be a Fashion Victim

In general, distracting accessories or a piece of clothing is not appropriate for office wear.

Your goal is to project a professional, competent image, regardless of your employement level or career path.
Your target is not to look trendy or cute but to look professional,so the fit,length,styles, and colors of your fashion decisions will help reflect your ability to do your job. This will also motivate you and give you more confidence.

Guidelines to looking polished:
Color can influence your professional image. Traditional career colors include black (chic)

gray (conservative),red (aggressive) and navy (trustworthy).These colors work well in skirts and shoes,pantsuits and mix back with softer feminine hues that are suitable like lilac,ice blue, ivory and soft pink. A blend of loud colors like hot pink and wild prints are much daring in the office, but with creative good taste you can still pull them off.

Stud earrings or simple single bracelets is a better option than jewelry that jangles (chandelier earrings, stacks of bangles). You don't want to distract people during an important presentation.

Handbags can also affect your image.Bulky handbags look sloppy. Carry structured styles that project an organized image. A polished image constitutes minor details such as neat hair,manicured nails, run-free hose, scuff-free shoes.

Fit is encompassing when talk of tailored work clothes . Pants should be aptly fitted but free of visible panty lines. Skirts should be comfortable enough to adjust to your movements though out the day.Especially for straight styles like pencil skirts. Choose Jackets with buttons to be able to switch to a more formal look if needed. And blouses shouldn't be too tight to expose gaps between buttonholes.

If you opt for Designer clothings and accessories, choose simple logoed for a more professional look.Heavily logoed items look cluttered and superficial. A small designer item is fine.

Power Dress
If you dont know what career image to project yet, the best clue is to emulate the top executives of your company. Observe her wardrobe and try to follow her cue. You can also

adopt what the men are wearing. If they don suits and ties every day, your best bet is to use pantsuits and skirtsuits: the most formal of business looks.
The key is to dress better than your customers, especially for sales people and others that meet clients outside the office. For information technology professionals, this may mean corporate casual, for pharmeceutical sales it may mean a pantsuit, for a lawyer it may mean a matched skirt suit.

Outfit to avoid in the workplace:

Too provocative: miniskirts, sheer sundresses,see-through lace, spaghetti straps,sandals and strappy stiletto.
Too casual: jeans, shorts, T-shirts, hats, sneakers.
Too sloppy: unkempt,wrinkled clothing, too many layers, baggy-fit clothing.

Business Dress Codes

Formal Business Attire- For women this constitutes business suits (a matched skirt and jackets) and, in most workplaces, pantsuits (matched pants and blazer). Closed-toe shoes (no sandals), blouses, hose and conservative hair, jewelry and makeup are expected.
Corporate Casual Attire-Working women have interpreted this to mean everything from shorts to sundresses, but in its most literal sense it means "smart business." Dressy pants and a blouse, sleek jersey knits and skirts and tops are all examples of corporate casual. Denim, T-shirts and flip-flops are only acceptable in the most casual of work environments.
Casual Friday Attire- Depending on your work, this can mean anything from corporate casual to "Wear your company logo polo and jeans."