If you are interested in fashion you probably wish to look good at work too. If you are looking for clothing that suits the office environment, you may conclude good business clothing should come at a high price.
But we will tell you that is not the case. You don’t need to blow your paycheck to look elegant and ready for the office. It's not an impossible task to look stylish office look without without exceeding your budget.
Sometimes entering the professional sphere may leave us worrying if we should buy formal clothing from expensive brands. You can look ultra stylish and even expensive by wearing clothes at affordable prices.In fact you can look so good, that people will ask you where you get your clothes from and only you will know that everyone can afford them.
The key to getting a luxury look is in correct matching and keeping it simple. When we combine office clothing the right way, we can achieve the desirable elegant business look.
Those people who work in the sphere of banking, newsrooms, law ,etc. definitely need to wear a suit as different institutions require a formal style clothing. But what about the people at other jobs that require semi-formal style? If you are working for a small company, you do not need to spend a considerable sum on a good suit. Office workers can still look professional with a limited budget.
We can take any clothing item and visually “increase” its price in a very easy and inexpensive way. Remember that owning a few stylish clothing pieces of good quality that can be easily combined is way better than owning a dozen of colorful and rather tacky clothes that may look cheap. Owning three quality clothing items is better than owning ten tasteless ones. The best office clothing is easy for mix and match.
Tips how to look expensive and ultra elegant on a budget
Buy timeless and basic style clothing
There are clothing pieces that will never go out of style and they always look classy and elegant. Stick to neutral colors
When it comes to color patterns in the office wardrobe less is more. Black, white, gray, olive and mauve are good colors to work from. But don’t wear too much earth shades as you risk making your outfit look dull. You cannot go wrong with sticking to black and white combinations.
Keep most of your office clothing in black or gray and add just a few clothing items in bold colors like red or blue or pastel or rich jewel colors. Use patterns and prints as little as possible. The monochrome look is also suitable for the office. The best color options here are white, black, navy.
Get an elegant sturdy bag
A simple design feminine hand bag always adds elegance and sophisticated style to any look. Stick to bags with a classic design and keep the cross-body bag for the weekend instead. Pick up neutral colors. Structured top-handle bags are perfect for the office. Leather is a timeless fabric choice for a stylish bag.
Invest in quality shoes
If there is one thing worth our investment, shoes definitely deserve it. Shoes provide the basis of our outfit and they should comfortable and of good quality. Quality shoes provide comfort and they are more durable than the cheaper ones. It looks especially great when our shoes match the bag for example.
Make sure your clothes fit you right
It looks awful when the clothes don’t fit us right. No matter their price, if the clothes isn’t our right size, our whole outfit is spoiled. Throw away any ill-fitting clothes. Tailor-made clothes always look good and add value to our outfit. Tailoring services can make a cheap clothing look like it’s custom made and expensive. When you are shopping remember that the more simpler the clothing is, the more easy it is to be tailored afterwards.
Detailing is everything
Something small as the buttons on our clothes can uncover their real price. Since expensive clothing is carefully manufactured, every detail on it should be polished and look good. Change any bad-looking plastic buttons on your clothing to make it look better. Pick up materials that look expensive bone, metal, mother of pearl. You can get them from some old clothes. If you don’t find such you will find good clothing buttons in trimmings stores.
Pair the right way
If you have a backless top, it may not be a good idea to wear it at the office. But if you combine it with a plain design blazer or cardigan, it may make a good outfit. Picking the right t-shirt or blouse can either make or break our work outfit.
So check out the style of the different clothes you own. If they are of a fancy style and you cannot wear them during a sport class or a workout, then they are more suitable for the office. Polo shirts or polyester floral t-shirts are suitable choices for the office .
Accessorize wisely
Adding accessories and jewelry to our outfit is a great way to express our own style and personality through fashion. We can do this with the office clothing as well. Less is more when it comes to office accessories. Basic necklaces, earrings, shoes, scarves – these are all great options to spice up a professional outfit and make it look unique and elegant.
Take good care of office clothing
Maintaining our clothes and accessories in a good condition is important if we want to look on point and achieve an “expensive” look.
Clothing
Check the clothing regularly for any loose threads or buttons, ripped seams, etc. and repair it. If you can’t, just remove it from your office wardrobe.
Office clothing should be kept wrinkle-free at all times. Buying a steamer is a good way to clean your office clothing. It can be used more quickly and easily than an iron. The best way to keep wrinkles out of your work clothes is to hang them right after getting them out of the dryer. You should steam them the night before you are going to wear them at work.
Don’t wash your clothing very often. We often think that washing is good, but much washing wears down the materials and the colors fade faster. In the case of stains, the moment you find out a stain, bring the clothing to a dry cleaner. Spot clean with a toothbrush or a sponge.
Bags
If your bag is made of patent leather, use a hard-surface cleaner like Windex to keep it shiny. Use unscented body lotion for bags of other types of leather. One clever way to keep structured bags in top shape during storage is to re-stuff them.
Shoes
Spot treat your shoe pairs. For this purpose you can use warm water or a detergent. If your patent leather shoes are scuffed, you can use a little bit of petroleum jelly. Wearing shoes and a bag of matching colors always achieves an amazing outfit for the office.
Tuck in
This trick always make us one level more extravagant no matter how much money we are investing in our office wardrobe. Just tuck your shirt in your trousers or a skirt and you get an elegant professional look.
Avoid distressed clothing
Distressed fabrics look worn out and dated especially if it’s a cheap one which don’t serve the purposes of a business look. Some more expensive ripped jeans may look great but if you need a stylish office look you should better avoid them at all.