Are There Any Rules Around Going Sleeveless at the Office in 2025?
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We've come a long way since women were discouraged from going sleeveless at the office — do you still think any rules still exist? What would you advise younger women at your company?
Questions we've asked around this in the past: Is it professional to go sleeveless at the office — even if you don't have perfect arms? If you're wearing something sleeveless as a layer beneath something (such as a blazer or sweater), when can you take your jacket off at work?
Hmmn. We haven't talked about going sleeveless at work or sleeveless professionals in a while — in general we've noted that you should know your office when it comes to bare arms, and when we talked generally about what not to wear to work, many of you mentioned in the comments that sleeveless tops and dresses are acceptable at your office.
Sleeveless at the Office: What's Appropriate?
For my $.02, I still think that your bra straps should be completely hidden by the top, meaning there should be thickish straps and a very high armhole.
For example, these are some of the tops we've recommended in the past that have been hits with the readers:
For comparison, these are some of the camisoles we've recommended as base layers beneath white blouses or sweaters — they are not intended to be a top by themselves.
(For my $.02, I would say that if you're wearing a sheer blouse then a camisole with thicker straps is safest for work, such as the Honeylove or JCF tanks, above…)
Details on sleeveless tops that might make something questionable — know your office before wearing:
- spaghetti straps (such as these) or very thin straps that don't hide your bra without a lot of fashion tape, such as these
- halter top straps, one-sleeved tops, or anything else requiring a very specific bra
- very low back to the sleeveless top (like below your bra strap, like this)
- any detail that looks as if you're wearing a bra or corset, such as underwires or piping to delineate each breast – even this sort of notch would be questionable, IMHO
- decorative straps that make it difficult to layer under things, such as tie-shoulder straps or ruffles
- anything cropped or with cutouts in unusual places
Over to you, readers — what are your thoughts on going sleeveless at the office? ARE there any rules around wearing sleeveless tops with work outfits — and if so, what are they?
Stock photo via Stencil.
Agree with most of the rules posted above, but I think the flutter sleeve top is fine. But, I work in an office where blazers are very rarely worn and when they are it’s for fashion not for formality. I’ve never even seen our C suite in blazers for formality.
It’s probably not woke of me to say, but I do think that if you wear a sleeveless (or cap sleeve/very short sleeve) top, you need to shave your armpits.
of the pictured tops, the only one I think is more questionable is the black Calvin Klein, since it has a slight racerback cut to the sleeves that makes it look more like a layering or athleisure piece. All the others, totally acceptable for the average day.
I am more likely to wear a sleeveless top when my arms will be bare; for layering under sweaters or blazers I prefer a short sleeve to prolong time between cleaning.
I don’t see any similarities with a racerback to that top
Just meant the way the sleeves cut in a bit as they go toward the neck. A slightly more casual cut than the others.
This may sound like hyperbole, but I literally shivered just thinking about going sleeveless at the office!
I would freeze without a sweater or topper.
I wear sleeveless tops under my blazers and I feel comfortable taking my jacket off at my desk (private office), but I wouldn’t walk around my office sleeveless.
I feel like it’s about balance. Since sleeveless tops are still slightly more controversial in a lot of offices, they should be worn with more formal/conservative bottoms. We do allow jeans in the office, and my coworker sometimes wears light wash jeans with sleeveless tops and it just looks so much more informal than when she pairs them with trousers or skirts.
It’s wild to me that an office that okay’s jeans thinks sleeveless is controversial
Jeans cover the same skin area that trousers do.
Sleeveless exposes the arms which sleeved tops do not.
I wear sleeveless dresses all the time and usually have a jacket or sweater to go with it. The dresses are usually sheath dresses. I’m in my 50s but lift weights so there’s minimal jiggle. If I’m hot, I will remove the jacket or sweater. I agree no spaghetti straps, nothing shear or low cut.
Not very woke of me to say this, but I don’t see any men wearing sleeveless at work. Why should women?
I don’t see many men wearing dresses at work. Why should women?
That being said, I understand your sentiment around wanting a professional standard that applies to employees universally regardless of gender. But I think because individual expression through fashion can be part of one’s identity and visually represent one’s character, women often want to find some way to differentiate ourselves from men — with longer hair, makeup, etc. I personally hate feeling manly lol. There will always be tension between expression & social expectations.
At my very large tech company office in NYC, we have women in crop tops, jeans, and uggs. We have men roll in rocking sweats, jeans and anime shirts, or just company-branded gear. Several of my colleagues have colorful hair. We also have our marketing/comms/etc teams decked out in more classic “work” gear: blazers, trousers, subtle and classy jewelry. Our in-house team is all over the place from jeans and polos to runway/designer fashion pieces.
I admit I was pretty self-conscious when I (in cybersecurity) first met up with outside counsel (unplanned), and they were in suits and I was wearing oversized comfy clothes… so it goes.