Dresses to Wear to Work

Traditionally, office dress code for women was always about smartly tailored but somewhat mannish pant suits or the skirt suit that has been done to death. This greatly restricts the amount of versatility in a working women's wardrobe and many women have no way to inject any fashion into her work clothes.

Dresses sadly never entered the domain of work clothes and they could only be worn to cocktail parties. But thankfully the rules of work wear have changed and most establishments and companies have no problem in letting women employees dress in formal and tailored dresses.

While choosing dresses to wear to work, make sure that you opt for dresses that are not revealing, too short or too tight. A cleavage revealing dress with a short hemline is definitely not appropriate for the office and is more suited for a night out with friends.

You also need to steer clear of any dresses that are billowy with excess volume and come in flowy fabrics. These type of dresses are more suited for ballroom dancing. Here we will discuss the types and designs of dresses that you can wear at work, that will boost your professional image and will also adhere to a formal dress code.

The shift dress became popular in the sixties and is a kind of sleeveless dress that does not have a definite waist and hangs down straight from the shoulders. The shift dress generally ends just below or above the knees.

The best shift dress that you can opt for work are the basic ones in a neutral color like black, white, gray and navy blue. You can then dress them up with a pair of heels and a leather handbag without any embellishments.

Another good thing about a solid colored shift dress is that you can wear it with a tailored jacket in board meetings and inject a bit of color with a printed scarf wrapped around your neck or go for the minimalistic look with a string of pearls.

If you are working in sectors like media and interior design, then you can choose printed shift dress in a subtle pattern for work.

Remember to keep accessories at minimum while wearing a printed shift dress for a neat look. Just add a pair of gold earring or a gold bracelet with a pair of Mary Jane shoes or pumps. Printed shift dress by Diane von Furstenberg or a solid shift dress by DKNY and Stella McCartney are your best bet.

Another good dress to wear to work is the shirt dress. A shirt dress is a style of dress that is actually a shirt with a longer hem. It is generally made of linen, cotton or silk and it falls mid thigh. A shirt dress also has a collar and front buttons just like a shirt and is one of the most popular and appropriate dress for work.

A shirt dress can be worn with stockings and kitten heels to soften the look and you can also add accessories like a layered necklace and a silver cuff to make you look like a true professional. A tan leather belt around your mid section will give your waist definition.

A good dress design to wear to work is the wrap dress. It enhances your bust, whittles your waist and slims big hips and at the same time makes you look thoroughly professional. This kind of style is great for plus sized women as it makes them look shapely and hides any flabby bits. 

Wraps dress in solid colors like sage green, navy and black are appropriate dresses to wear to work. Printed wrap dresses too can be worn to work, provided that the print is not too big or the colors too loud. A silk wrap dress can be worn with court shoes or satin pumps accessorized with a good leather shoulder bag.

Other good dresses to wear to work are sheath dress, the two-in-one dress, knit dress and A-line dress. You can add your own personnel touch to these dresses by pairing them with different accessories.

Avoid wearing accessories like chandelier earring, bracelets that jangles, slouchy bags and peep toed shoes to the office. Choose work dresses with care and you are sure to project a professional image at work.