How to Style Fashionable Business Casual Outfits

Internship interviews and career fairs are right around the corner! Once you have your resume perfected, the next step is finding something to wear to that super important interview!

Business casual seems a little daunting at first. When I found out I landed my current internship and was told the dress code is business casual, I couldn’t wait to go shopping. I drove straight to New York and Company with a vision in mind. When I arrived at the store, I piled my shopping bag with clothes and headed straight to the dressing room. Once I tried everything on, I realized none of these outfits looked the way I wanted them to. Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada wouldn’t have approved. Everything I tried on made me feel like a little girl playing dress up.

I started playing around with my current wardrobe, added a few stable pieces and now I feel like I should work for a fashion magazine every time I show up to my internship. I am going to give you my advice on how I stay business casual without sacrificing my style. First, you need some staple pieces in your wardrobe. I bought a nice black blazer and black pants from Target. Once I had those two items in my closet, it was a fashion game changer. The first outfit every girl should try is a blazer, a pair of black fitting work pants and a graphic tee.

This look is classic yet fresh and young. A graphic tee keeps the business suit from looking too overdressed. I love this tee from Target. It says “Make your mark” and is very fitting to wear to work. If you add a pop of red with red shoes and a red lip, it could be even cuter! The second outfit I have been loving is a jumpsuit with a blazer.

Like I said, once you have a black blazer, you can use most clothes in your closet! I love this red and white jumpsuit I got from Marshalls. You could wear it alone with black boots or with the blazer on top to keep it fun, playful and still professional. This jumpsuit, paired with the blazer and a high ponytail, makes me feel like a powerful boss babe every time I wear it to work. The third outfit idea is a dress with a blazer.

I have a lot of Free People dresses in my closet. When I am not at my internship, you can find me twirling in one of them. Some dresses at the stores are either too fancy or too casual. I have found that some of my dresses, paired with my blazer, a cardigan or sweater, can be business casual and still comfortable and easy to wear. The dress in the photo is a slip dress from Target. I love the look of this with a blazer, but for my internship, it is a little too fancy. But for some offices it might be ok, so I wanted to include it. This outfit is also the perfect day to night look which anyone could rock.

It is very easy to create outfits that are business casual while not having to compromise your unique sense of style and character. Whether it be a sweater tucked into a mid-length skirt giving off the cute Liberian vibe we always envisioned for ourselves, or a two-piece pant suit, don’t be afraid to take risks and be yourself. Don’t worry you’ll look great!

• business casual
• fashion
• internship style
• style
• work