[closed] What type of dress is appropriate for women in office management?

Hi Aimee,

That's a really great question and you will find the answer varies slightly from one company to the next. I work at a large investment firm and I have heard to dress for the job you want. That's pretty vague, right? But simply put it means that if you start at an entry level position and you want to move up then dress for the job you want to move up to. That can really be said of any position, entry level, mid-level, higher management, and everything in-between.
When I interviewed with my firm I came dressed very professionally, in a pant suit, although a skirt and jacket would've been acceptable. The managers that interviewed me both wore suits as well. When I first started my job the dress code at the firm was business casual simply meaning slacks and dress shirts or polo style shirts for men and dresses, skirts, or slacks for women. In keeping up with a competitive job market my firm is now allowing employees to wear jeans to work. It is still business casual though, meaning no distressed jeans or anything along those lines.

When you are interviewing it is always a good idea to have a suit or a pant/skirt and jacket option. At the end of many interviews the interviewer will want to know what questions you have and you can always ask at that time if there is a specific dress code. For example if you manage a retail store they may want you to wear their clothing, some coffee shops want you to only wear khaki or black pants, and so on.

I found this great example on Wiki How detailing the difference between Business Professional and Business Casual.

http://www.wikihow.com/Dress-Business-Casual

You can also find some really great articles online about how to build a work wardrobe on a budget. I like this article from Money Under 30, it has some very reasonable tips for building a work wardrobe that is professional while keeping your bank account happy.
http://www.moneyunder30.com/work-wardrobe-on-a-budget-9668

I hope you find these helpful!

Hi Aimee! Kudos to you for being inquisitive with those around you about today's business dress code. Bethany is spot on that dress codes varies from company to company. I would encourage you to ask people at the company about their dress code but there are solid go-to's. You can't go wrong with a pant or skirt suit if you are visiting a company for the first time such as an job interview.

About Money offers good thoughts and examples on do's & don'ts. Check out their website at http://womeninbusiness.about.com/od/businessattireforwomen/a/attirestandards.htm

Here is a quick excerpt from the article:

Degrees of Formality in Business Attire
Traditional business attire consisted of:
Women: skirt suits or pant suits with formal business blouses or tops, stockings, closed toe and heel leather shoes, and appropriate business accessories including a brief case, leather folder for pads of paper, and a conservative pen. Women were encouraged to keep jewelry, makeup, and perfume subtle and elegant.

Smart casual business attire, just a step down from traditional, consists of:
Women: jacket or dressy sweater, dress pants or skirt, blouse, shirt, top or turtleneck, hose, dress shoes, and accessories as described in traditional business attire.

Business casual attire consists of:
Women: nice pants or skirts, blouses, tops, sweaters, vests, occasionally an informal jacket, and attractive leather shoes and accessories.

Casual business attire consists of:
Women: casual pants, skirts, and jeans, blouses, tops, sweaters, vests, sweat shirts, casual shoes including sandals and athletic wear.

Your attire should represent your brand and how you want others to know you.

Thanks for the question!!
Shanell