Shopbop.com is currently featuring technicolor accessories to showcase the bright side of summer.

Check out our favorites for Casual Friday.

Unique statement necklaces will take a basic tee from casual to Workchic in an instant.

These watches will stand out from the office right through the weekend in such bold colors.

Visit shopbop.com for more technicolor accessories including handbags, more jewelry, and sunglasses. Happy Shopping!

Are you currently in the rut of dressing really casual? You don’t need to run out and buy a whole new wardrobe tomorrow. Take it one day or week at a time. These three changes will make the biggest impact with the smallest effort.

Shoes- swap sneaker or flip flops for a more tailored shoe. We chose Fabsy ballet flat from Nine West. It also comes in black and dark green for under $50.

Denim – leave the torn styles at home. Pick up a pair of dark wash jeans for the office.  Gap Petite Womens Dark Perfect Boot Jeans (Dark Wash) also come in regular and tall sizes.

Accessorize – A basic t-shirt can be quickly woken up and an outfit pulled together with the right accessories.  This Bloom Flower Necklace from Stella & Dot has the perfect feminine touch with a hand-painted floral clasp.

Have a casual office? Tell us how you keep your look professional even in casual denim.

This week while discussing office dressing in a career forum, an interesting topic was brought up. Jess said,

“I think the hardest thing about dressing for work these days is not overdressing. If I want to wear a nice dress or skirt, I often get jokes about “where are YOU interviewing today?”

This is an unfortunate reality of corporate America becoming increasingly casual. In too many offices, people are not expected to dress up and we go from business casual to in the blink of an eye.

Our suggestion to overcome this casual rut would be; slowly start transitioning your wardrobe into a more professional feel. If you add pieces to your look little by little, in a week or two, no one will be caught off guard when you wear a dress. And if they do say something, we love a witty retort…

Here are a few dresses perfect for a casual office this summer.

You know we would have a cardigan or blazer on hand to finish these looks. How would you accessorize these dresses for a casual office?  We’d also love to know how you deal with coworkers comments about your style. Leave us a comment below.

Show your personal style on Casual Friday with a graphic statement like this Disc Drive Top from Modcloth.com.

 It’s the perfect update to a graphic tee and can easily be layered under a cardigan or bright colored blazer.  We’d wear it with skinny dark wash jeans and funky ballet flats. How would you style this top for Casual Friday?

 Leave us a comment below and remember to tell your friends how much you    it.

This Friday Fifty has been dedicated to Casual Friday.  We have 12 items, each under $50, that will dress up your casual outfits for the office.  Shop our selection for everything from chic blouses to trendy accessories.

1- Printed Blouses
Newport News Tie-Neck Blouse $24 – Feather Print Drawstring Waist Top With Crochet Trim $33.99 – Floral Print Tunic $48.99

2- Stylish Sandals
Pierre Dumas Blonde-2 $49

3- Skinny Scarf
Sabina Les Chain Twilly Blue Scarf $30

4- Short Sleeve Cardigan
Pleat Sleeve Cardigan $39.50 – Also available in white, black and deep purple.

5- Denim Blazer
Denim Boyfriend blazer $49

6- Jewelry
Layers of Circles Earrings $16.50 – Opaque Stones Ring $22.50 – Rhinestone And Hammered Metal Bangle Set $7.50

7-Handbag
Purple Chevron Computer Bag $34.99

8- Try a Dress instead of Denim!
Liberty of London for Target Casual Dress $29.99 – Morning Aloha Dress $49.99

We hope you find these items to be the perfect Friday pick-me-up for your work wardrobe. Stay tuned for more Workchic finds under $50. Happy Shopping!

Dark wash denim definitely makes our list of work wardrobe basics. While some may not think of jeans as a basic for the office, there are many denim friendly workplaces out there.  Casual Fridays are prevalent, and some offices tend to loosen dress codes during the summer months. Even if your office still won’t allow you to wear jeans, they are an important go-to piece to have in your closet. They will look more polished when attending casual weekend events, especially if coworkers will be there.

What makes denim office appropriate?

Each of these styles from Banana Republic is in a dark rinse, void of any holes, rips, or tears, and has a tailored fit. These are the top features we look for when selecting denim for the office. From there it’s about what fit looks best on your unique body.

We’d like to highlight the trouser style. This will come across the most professional of all the denim styles. You can identify this styling by reviewing the pockets, hem, and waistband. They will not have the traditional 5 pocket styling. Instead they will resemble a dress pant with a more refined waistband and pockets that may be slanted, on the side seam, or non-existent. Back pockets will usually be in a welt style. These pants usually do not have gold or tan contrast stitching, instead they use a tonal thread which means the hem has a cleaner finish.  Banana Republic Dark wash trouser jean is office ready because of its polish and structure. You’ll almost mistake this jean for a trouser pant.

Here are a few more styles from Calvin Klein, Habitual, and J Brand.  Find Petite, Plus, and Maternitystyles within our Workchic assortment.

Pair your denim with a printed blouse, bangles, and neutral pumps for a Workchic Casual Friday look.

You may enjoy dressing up everyday, or want to present yourself in a more professional light, but your office is very casual. You are afraid that you will stand out if you’re “overdressed” in this environment. For those who have never worked in a truly casual office, this may be hard to comprehend. Just as an office full of suits can be intimidating, you can feel uncomfortable dressed for success when you’re surrounded by blue jean clad, flip flop wearing coworkers. There are ways to fit into the corporate culture and still rise above wearing Uggs to the office.

Trouser style denim, wrap dresses, and printed full skirts lean toward casual but can also be very sophisticated. It’s all about the styling. The following two outfits highlight the casual side of business casual. They are also great suggestions for Casual Friday dressing. You don’t always have to wear 5-pocket denim.

In the first outfit, we found two solid alternatives to traditional denim. As mentioned above, trouser styling is one option. Additionally you can try a pleated denim skirt. Tuck a basic t-shirt into a belted bottom and then layer on a fleece cropped blazer. This look is a little dark so we added a bright coral statement necklace to pop the outfit around your face. For a more casual feel select flats as opposed to heels. Here are links to these products which were found at Dillard’s, New York & Company, Gap and Piperlime:
Calvin Klein Jeans
New York & Company Women’s Blue City Style Ribbon Trim Denim Skirt
Gap Button cuff roll-up T
Fossil Suede Belt
Marc by Marc Jacobs Roxie Knit Tux Blazer
New York & Company Women’s Pink Triple Strand Flower Necklace

This punchy pink shirtdress is yet another alternative. We piled on some bangles and more casual accessories like a loose tie dye scarf. We also went with a casual alternative to a tote bag, and selected a fringe cross-body or messenger style. The outfit is completed with a low heel, wrapped peep toe style wedge. We shopped this outfit from Dillard’s and The Limited. Follow the links below to recreate the Workchic look.
Side Tie Shirtdress
Tie Dye Scarf
Matte and Shine Bauble Bracelet
Joe’s Jeans “Giselle” Cross-Body Bag
Antonio Melani “Keira”
Delicate Drop Earrings
 
Either of these suggestions should have you feeling like a confident professional while still fitting into the casual atmosphere of your office. We’d love to hear how you merge the dress codes in your office to create your own sense of casual yet professional style.  Remember whenever you need that extra polished feel- grab a blazer to compliment your look. You can also turn to our outfit suggestions for the perfect solution to dressing Workchic in a casual office.

As you all know by now- We love dresses! They are universally chic and are one of the easiest ways we know to achieve sophisticated and professional style. We have done a video about styling vintage dresses, written countless blogs, tweets, and created unique polyvore sets. Through out all this, we haven’t discussed dresses for your age. While 20 something’s look chic in loose tunic styles, 50 something’s would prefer a more polished style. So which of these dresses is right for you?

We Love Dresses! by Workchic featuring Marc by Marc Jacobs dresses

We teamed up with Polyvore.com to answer that question. Check out our guest blogon their site to see how to create Workchic outfits with the right dress for your age. Below you can find some more dresses we love broken up by office type.

If you are in your 20′s have fun with your work wardrobe. Play with color, pattern, and silhouette. The key to keeping it professional is staying covered up. That means no cleavage and nothing to short. Wearing a cardigan also helps complete your look.  We picked out The Tess Dress for a Casual office, the Art Gallery Dress for a Business Casual office, and New York & Company Women’s City Style Sateen Belted Ruffle Shirtdress – Auxiliary Green for a Business Professional office.

In your 30′s you can still have fun with color, but we recommend toning down the silhouettes and go for something more fitted to counter bold colors. Select one item in your outfit to make a statement with. For a casual office we like this Darling by Day Dress in khaki and white, for a business casual office we think this Women: Silk printed wrap dress – Jade is a lot of fun,  Women: Graphic-print sheath dress – Black is ideal for a business office.

In your 40′s we minimized the bright colors, but did not loose them entirely. The first two dresses could be casual or business casual depending on your office environment; Robbie Bee Printed Matte Jersey Dress and Marc by Marc Jacobs Crepe Twill Dress.  For a business office try this Women: Lightweight wool sheath dress – Charcoal with a jacket.

In your 50′s keep the silhouette of your dresses sophisticated. Unique necklines draw the attention up toward your face. Wrap dresses are also key, they are the perfect place to play with pattern and even some color. Try one for your next casual day at the office, Women: Printed wrap dress – Sculpture grey. Try a Donna Morgan Belted Dress for business casual. For a more professional office wear a Women: Origami sheath dress – Black.

Remember dresses will make your life easy in the morning. The key to looking professional and age appropriate is color, pattern and silhouette. In your 20′s and 30′s play with color in your dresses, in your 40′s and 50′s move the pop color to your accessories. It’s always flattering to accentuate your waist and have skirts that float away from the body. You can purchase dresses that have a tied waist or add your own belt to personalize the look. Blazers and cardigans also go a long way toward completing your professional image. Put these pieces together and your image will say successful every time!

Be sure to pop on over to Polyvore and check out our full outfit suggestions.

Tops and blouses are a fast way to update your work wardrobe with immediate and recognizable impact.  Here we selected some styles by size and office type.  It’s amazing what a blouse can do!

Petite Office Tops by Workchic featuring Dorothy Perkins

If you have a petite frame and are looking for a unique piece to add to your work wardrobe, keep the details smaller.  For a casual office we chose a neutral shade, yes olive is a neutral, and let the embroidery be the focal point. In a business casual office we selected a bold cobalt blue with subtle ruffles along the placket. For business we chose a printed blouse then layered on a black jacket to tone down the effect.  Finish you business and business casual looks with a black A-line skirt and neutral heels. These heels, the bracelet, and earrings are selected to go with all three looks. Now you can see how versatile a blouse really can be.

Plus Size Work Blouses by Workchic featuring Old Navy

We chose bold prints to update your work wardrobe if you shop plus sizes.  Pops of color show style in a casual office, while a more geometric design is ideal in a business office. For business casual we played with animal print in a tie-waist cardigan. Here you have black ballet flats with a woven strap across the toe, a leather tote, and bronze pearls to complete these three office looks.

Workchic Blouses by Workchic featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

For standard sizes we played with ivory blouses and black details. For a casual office we went back to bohemian embroidery and styling but paired it with a denim skirt and sleek black wedges to keep the effect chic and modern. A lacy cardigan is perfect for business casual, while a tie neck blouse commands attention in ivory with black placket and tie. Wear it under a charcoal suit with the wedges and lace inspired earrings. Take this look right to your desk with a pretty black and white desk tray.

As you can see a blouse can makeover your entire look. We even kept the same accessories for each office environment. Keep this in mind when you are shopping.  Many office have different dress codes on different days of the week. If you plan your outfits you can multi-purpose your accessories for each style. Have fun shopping!