Three Go-To Business Casual Outfit Formulas (2024)

I’m not gonna lie–I’m having so much fun putting together business casual outfits for you guys! Random fact: In my early 20s right out of college, I had tons of business casual clothes for absolutely no reason. I worked in an INCREDIBLY casual climate, like where the norm was jeans and sweatshirts(!!), with a closet full of business casual clothes staring at me waiting to be worn. For several years I often said, “I wished I worked in an office setting so that I could dress in business casual clothes everyday!” Haha! So, it’s no surprise I’m having fun with business casual style. 😀

Today we’ll talk through three business casual outfit formulas you can use to help you get dressed this week! These are basic skeletons of outfits, and you can use these over and over, swapping in different colors, prints, and accessories.

In case you missed it, check out the post What Is Business Casual Style to see how we’re defining business casual style and the spectrum of levels of professional to casual.

SIZING INFO: I’m 5’6″ and usually S/M or 6 in clothes, 8.5 to 9 in shoes.

1. Matching Blazer & Pants + Printed Blouse
With a matching blazer and pants, this combo is SO easy. Change it up by wearing any blouse you want!

Another way to mix it up is by changing the color of the blazer/pants. Black feels pretty common and is always a classic go-to. But lately I’ve been loving navy! It’s a softer neutral and feels fresh for spring.

I showed two ways to wear this, one with neutral accessories and the other with fun pops of yellow! Most people in the Instagram poll said they liked the yellow version better. I like both! I’d wear the neutral version for important meetings, a presentation, or in a work environment where the more professional end of the spectrum was required (based on the spectrum we talked about in theWhat Is Business Casual Stylepost). I’d wear the yellow version on a regular work day!

The blazer and pants did NOT come as a suit, btw. They were bought years apart from each other at totally different stores. If you work in a more professional environment, I’d recommend getting a suit. But for the more middle-ground or casual work environments, I have loved blazers from Target and Old Navy! They aren’t as dressy as blazers that come as suits, so they can be dressed up a little like in the outfit above (my blazer is 5 years old from Target) or dressed down a lot more easily with jeans.

Many people said they loved the blazer because of its striped lining and wished it was still available. Good news! I THINK I found a super similar option! The views of this blazer in other colors appears to have striped lining! It’s only $34.99 too! Find it in 4 colors HERE.

Shop The Outfit
Top: Loft (exact-size XS)
Blazer: Old Navy (similar)
Pants: Loft (exact– size 4)
Nude Pumps: Target (similar)
Yellow Shoes: Amazon (exact-size 9)
Grey Bag: c/o Sole Society (exact)
Brown Bag: Nordstrom (exact)
Earrings: Nickel & Suede (exact)

Skirt + Printed Blouse OR Printed Skirt + Solid Blouse
I usually think of this classic combo with a pencil skirt, like in THIS outfit. However, you can do this combo with skirts of various silhouettes, like pencil or a-line, and you can do an array of different neutrals or colors.

Here I’m doing a yellow a-line skirt, which I styled four ways last week HERE. A flowy, colorful, a-line skirt is a great way to change up this classic outfit formula!

This skirt is available in sizes XXS to 4X and comes in 7 colors. See them HERE.

Another version of this outfit formula is flipping it and wearing a printed skirt with a solid blouse. Wearing print on the bottom half instead of the top half is a nice way to change up your daily looks!

Below are some other skirts to add to your workwear collection.Swipe through the widget to shop them all!

Printed Dress + Blazer + Colored Flats or Heels
Another simple, classic combo. Printed dresses are so easy to throw on when you don’t want to think at all about what to wear. You can of course wear a cardigan instead of a blazer, but a blazer is key for dressing up some of those softer more casual dresses like this one.

This dress is that comfy, stretchy rayon that I love to call “pajama dresses.” So comfy they might as well be pajamas! This one provides a figure-flattering shape with its faux wrap silhouette and v-neck neckline. Also awesome? It’s totally breastfeeding/pumping friendly thanks to the cross-front neckline! It’s super stretchy and very easy to pull to the side to nurse or pump. SUCH a cute dress for work, and only $27.99! See it HERE.

If you need to up the level of professional style, wear a dress in a different material like THIS one. Would be perfect with a navy blazer!

Shop for the Look:
Dress: Target (exact–wearing size S)
Blazer: Old Navy (similar)
Bag: c/o Sole Society (exact)
Shoes: Amazon (exact–wearing size 9)
Earrings: c/o Nickel & Suede (exact)

Shop some business casual dresses below! Swipe through the widget to shop them all.

Friendly reminder that registration for the PMT Spring 2019 Challenge opens TOMORROW 3/13! This is the very last challenge that I will be doing. Read about why and enter the giveaway to win one of 5 free memberships HERE!