Have you ever wondered what you should wear when your professor says to come dressed in business casual attire? This is a dilemma that can stump the best of us.
You finally memorized the PowerPoint slides and feel ready for your presentation, but then the professor says, “No jeans.” It’s a horror story from the beginning of time. A lot of college students consider jeans pretty dressed up; at least they’re more dressed up than the leggings and gym shorts many of us love to wear to class.
Don’t break a sweat the next time that you’re required to wear business casual attire for a class presentation. Here are some tips on how to quickly spruce up your look.
Women
The go-to outfit formula here for women is simple: trousers, a blouse, flats or low heels, and you can add a blazer if you’re really feeling it. It’s a pretty easy outfit combination that can be rotated out for all of your presentations. All you have to do is change the blouse and the shoes, and it’s a whole new outfit three months later for another presentation.
Now, a lot of college students do not own trousers. Why would they when they have comfy clothes for class? Luckily, Target offers some pretty reasonably priced trousers. My suggestion is to always look for Target’s WhoWhatWear line, which offers higher quality business casual attire than other stores without the high prices. However, if trousers are completely out of the question for you, I have a secret formula that will make leggings acceptable to wear in business casual situations. If you pair leggings with a longer button-up top, a blazer, and flats, every professor will applaud your professional attire. If the blouse is the right length, no one will be able to tell if you have on skinny black trousers or leggings.
Men
For men’s business casual attire, khaki pants will always work with a nice button-up shirt and those loafers you all seem to love. On presentation day, your professor may not even mind if you wear your ratty sneakers from the tenth grade, but for future job interviews and maybe even dates, keep the sneakers at home and wear loafers instead. Dirty sneakers can quickly turn a business casual outfit into a casual one.
The next time that your professor utters the words “business casual” you’ll know exactly which items to reach for in the morning. Now it’s just up to you to ace that presentation.