Business Casual for Women -- Without Being Overdressed

woman with red hair wears an oversized double-breasted blazer over a ringer tee; she is pulling the blazer closed and is wearing dark red lipstick

How do younger women do “business casual” in a male-dominated environment — without ending up looking like the mom (or younger sister) of the group? Reader S asks how to do business casual for women without being overdressed.

I have a question about work attire: is it possible to be “over-dressed” for work? Without getting in to too much detail, I work for a medium sized engineering firm as an engineer. I am the only female engineer in my group so it's really hard for me to gauge what would be deemed appropriate work attire for my office. Most of the men dress business casual (as in jeans, or khakis at best, and a polo shirt- even on client meeting days) during the weekdays, with casual Fridays being jeans and a t-shirt. I usually wear dress pants, and an appropriate top; Fridays I wear jeans and an appropriate top. Am I overdressed? The only other person who wears dress pants is the group manager. I should mention I'm only 3 years in to my career.

I can totally see this being a problem. The guys are wearing jeans and polos and look like regular workers — meanwhile, if you wear jeans and a t-shirt you end up looking like their scrappy younger sister, and if you wear trousers and a nice top you look like the mom of the group.

We've covered whether you can dress “too nice” for work, and also how to transition to business casual from a more conservative environment, but I don't think we've really talked about this exact question.

(We've also talked about ways to adapt conservative clothes to a business casual office, transitioning from a business casual to a conservative office, how to do business casual in cold weather, what to wear to a big meeting at a casual office, what to wear to a very casual office, and how to look like a stylish professional in a business casual office.)

How to Do Business Casual for Women Without Being Overdressed

For my two cents, here are a few tips on business casual for women — I'm really curious to hear what the readers have to say on this one, though.

First, assess your own style. Are you uncomfortable in jeans? Do you love wearing skirts and dresses? To be honest, it sounds like pretty much anything will go in your office, so as long as you're dressed in clothes that aren't ripped, see-through, low-cut, or otherwise inappropriate, I would suggest wearing what you want.

Things that may be unprofessional even in your laid-back office: flip-flops, shorts of any kind, strapless dresses, mini skirts, maxi skirts/dresses, sequins, athletic wear… I'm sure the readers can add to this list!

(We've talked about what not to wear in more conservative environments before — check here for the summer list of what not to wear and the winter list of what not to wear.)

If you're comfortable in what you're wearing right now, I say keep on wearing it. Remember that professionalism is more about how you act — ultimately, “dressing professionally” for your office means that your outfit does not distract from your actions and work product.

If you're saying, “I don't have a style,” here are some tips:

Consider 5-pocket styles in fabrics other than denim — for example, cords. There are even ponte knit pants that might be appropriate for work, yet more comfortable than traditional trousers. (I think some nice jeans in a dark rinse — perhaps in a trouser cut and a skinny cut — would be fine in your office.) (In fact, perhaps our last roundup on the best washable pants for work will be helpful for you.)

To go back to a golden oldie, you may want to take a look at some of my previous advice in “What to Wear When You're Laid Off and Looking“– there are a number of footwear options, as well as outerwear options, that are going to be comfortable and might nudge in the right direction of “laid back business casual.”

Stock up on basics like professional t-shirts and other classics like cashmere sweaters.

Keep a blazer in the office (and perhaps a pair of classic pumps) to throw on if the opportunity arises to meet an important client.

Finally, find a “muse.” Find a character on television who you think looks professional, or a personal style blogger, or even a particular catalog or store stylist, and follow them.

Readers, what are your tips? How can women look professional in a business casual, male-dominated environment, without looking overdressed?

Some of Our Favorite Business Casual Clothes for Women

Sweater Jackets

Some of our favorite sweater jackets for the office as of 2025 include M.M.LaFleur (the OG, the jardigan!), L'Agence, Summersalt, J.Crew, and Jenni Kayne. For budget options check J.Crew Factory and Quince.

woman wears olive green sweater jacket with shawl collar and patch pockets; she is wearing a black column of color beneath the jacket — Summersalt

A woman wearing a black blouse and white pants, holding a leather jacket — Summersalt

Pull-On Pants for the Office

There are a bunch of great pull-on pants for the office in 2025. Some of our longstanding favorites include those from Athleta*, Eileen Fisher*, Betabrand*, and Uniqlo. If you're looking for something a bit more polished but still ultra comfy, check out Nic & Zoe* or NYDJ*. (Brands with plus sizes are marked with asterisks.)

comfortable pajama pants from Eileen Fisher — Eileen Fisher

woman wears gray pants with black top and black shoes — Eileen Fisher

Great T-Shirts to Wear Instead of Blouses

Looking for the best work-appropriate T-shirts? As of 2025, some of our favorite dressy T-shirts for work are from Amazon Essentials, Theory, Everlane, J.Crew, Banana Republic, Nic + Zoe, and Vince — also check our posts on opaque white tees and the best plus-size tees for work!

work-appropriate t-shirt with square neck and elbow sleeves — Amazon Essentials

Relaxed Cardigans to Wear to Work

These are some of the reader favorites for relaxed, unstructured cardigans for a business casual look…

woman wears navy sweater, white tank, and black pants — Barefoot Dreams

Great Blazers to Wear As Separates

Blazers still have their place in a business casual office! Two tips, though…

First, make sure it doesn't look as though you got dressed in the dark by, say, wearing a black blazer you got from Amazon with black pants you got from Express. It's surprisingly hard to get blacks to match! Instead, wear clothes in different colors than your blazer, and think of the blazer as a third piece. Ideally, your outfit should be able to stand alone if you take the blazer off!

Second, keep in mind the structured/unstructured recipe — if you're wearing a blazer you may want to make your outfit more ostensibly casual, such as by wearing it with jeans or sneakers.

Some of the best blazers for women in 2025 — great for wearing as separates! — include options from Cinq à Sept, J.Crew (collarless and collared), Everlane, and Madewell. Hunting for a deal? Check out J.Crew Factory and Amazon (Cicy Bell, The Drop).

navy blazer for women — Cicy Bell / Amazon

professional woman wears collarless blazer — Cicy Bell / Amazon

Updated stock photos via Stencil.

123 Comments

I recently was promoted and I will be attending a Loss Prevention meeting, next week. The dress code is business casual, but I don’t want to dress to old for my age (19) Help please!

I know this post is almost 1 year old – but I just saw it so sorry for late reply. I started my career as an engineer and I felt as a woman I had to dress slightly more professionally than the guys to be taken seriously. Dress denim with a tweed blazer always worked and I wore nice dress tees under the blazer in case the blazer was too stuffy in certain situations. For client meetings, a nice pair of dress pants, simple button down, cardigan and nice flats worked well, but frankly I hardly ever wore heels unless a big executive was coming in b/c the building I worked in was huge and involved lots of walking from manufacturing floors to the labs and then the offices. I bought much of my wardrobe from Lands End, J Crew and finds at TJ Maxx in those days. It’s a tough balance but I think it’s always smarter to err on the dressier side. Worked for Marissa Mayer surrounded by hoodied developers.

I’m so excited about this thread, because I had this question when I was right out of college, and NOBODY could answer it for me. Also, it brought all you fellow engineers out of the woodwork, instead of the usual lawyer-folk. I knew you were out there…

I think this is the sort of thing that each person has to figure out for themselves, based on body type and the details of the office environment. It took me at least five years. I’m in civil engineering, which is oddly traditional, yet may require wearing steel toes and a hardhat at any given moment. Men can just wear khakis and a button-down with a tie, which instantly makes them appear brainy and professional. Unfortunatley, there’s no female equivalent to a tie.

I never wear jeans professionally, because the casual ones make me look like a child and the formal ones look like they should be saved for a night out. I’m not saying it can’t be done, but it doesn’t work for me at all. What does? Dockers (much as I hated their recent “be the man” marketing) or any khakis without “denim-style” stitching. Happily, they’re cheap, and they just fall into the background stylistically.

For tops, I am busty and look highly questionable in buttondowns. This is unfortunate, because they’re a nice solution for many. My go-to has been patterned/printed stretch-polyester blouses, especially ones with three-quarter sleeves. They can be a bit tricky to find, but I’ve managed to accumulate enough of them over time. I don’t look overly feminine if I avoid ruffles and sparkles. If done right, the top adds the note of formality that men get from their ties. Because the top is interesting, I don’t need as much jewelry, which is helpful as it’s often not appropriate for the surroundings. The best pieces I own for layering short-sleeved tops are two really traditional round-neck, short wool cardigans in black and gray. I think they’re Ralph Lauren.

For shoes, I wear Ecco or Hush Puppies or other brands of casual loafer. I have a pair in black and a pair in brown, and they go with everything. I got a pair of black leather Red Wings for the field, so I can also stealthily wear steel-toes without wrecking the aesthetics of my outfit.

I grew out my bob so hard-hats wouldn’t give me hat-hair. However, a longer-length professional hairstyle that’s easy to maintain is still on my list of unsolved problems. I wear extremely minimal makeup. I look better than I would without it, but otherwise nobody would guess it’s there.

I love my contacts, but look several IQ points smarter in glasses. I have a nice pair of horn-rimmed ones that scream “architect.” It’s not a bad message.

At the end of the day, I’ve succeeded when my outfit can handle both a client visit from someone in the banking sector AND two hours of unexpected tromping around in the mud.

Hi,

I have an interview coming up and I got a nice fitting pin-stripe 2-button skirt suit at Ann Taylor with a good looking white button down shirt. I will presenting to the team of 10 people in a conference room for about an hour.

In this regard, I am wondering whether I should take off my blazer before presenting. Also, same is the question as to what the protocol is for 1:1 interviews that follow right after the presentation.

The company culture is pretty casual but they expect you to look formal for the interview. Your advice will really help. I would also like to know your opinion on waering a half sleeve shirt instead of full-sleeve.

Comments are closed.

Business Casual — Without Being Overdressed