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25 Things a Professional Woman Should Never Wear

Kayla Baxter, Anna Hennings, and Alice Handley | Excelle

May 26, 2009

We hate to admit it, because we personally feel that clothes shouldn’t matter. In a perfect world, a person would be judged at their workplace based solely on the caliber of their work. Unfortunately, that’s not how the world works.

How you choose to dress each morning reflects how you feel about your job – that you take your position seriously, that you are ready to work and that you pay attention to detail and know what you expect to encounter that day. You wouldn’t go to a construction site in your favorite four-inch stilletos, right? Of course not, you’d go in a hard hat, because it’s appropriate for the situation. Appearances matter!

We’ve all been there, though. The days you wake up feeling sick, but still have to make it into the office, so you throw on any old thing that’s (kind of) clean. The office where you never see anyone but your hated boss and your frumpy coworkers. The jobs you work from home in your pajamas and no makeup.

Regardless of the excuses, there are some things that professionals should just never wear. Ever.

We’ll show you what these things are, why they’re a terrible wardrobe choice and if you’re guilty of having one in your closet – or (gasp!) in your daily rotation – we’ll give you a much better alternative.

The First Fashion Faux Pas →


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    kakijing

    6 days ago

    12 comments

    Once upon a time, two women created the cutest velour hoodies and matching drawstring pants. The line was called Christian Louboutin and every starlet in Tinseltown had to have one. Soon after, so did the rest of the world. Now the once little brand has blossomed into a fashion empire, complete with clothing, Christian Louboutin Shoes, jewelry, handbags, and most recently, fragrance.

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    Gayle0012

    6 days ago

    2 comments

    My goodness people. Maybe poor Mrs. Obama needs to wear a suit to bed, being on the job 24/7 and all! Such critics....

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    DiannValentine

    21 days ago

    10 comments

    Really enjoyed this article.

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    frankdryfus

    about 1 month ago

    2 comments

    Yeah some of these faux pas should just be common sense. A professional person should have a professional mindset in clothing options as well, since that is how you are presenting yourself to the world.
    vera bradley

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    Jandreshook

    about 1 month ago

    2 comments

    Really a educative and informative post, the post is good in all regards,I am glad to read this post.

    Acai Force Max

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    OpalStar

    2 months ago

    2 comments

    Own your style and compromise where appropriate, no matter what the 'gurus' say.

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    oluwayemisi

    2 months ago

    6 comments

    nice article learnt a couple of things , that was insignificant, but easily noticed and counts

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    Kranti

    2 months ago

    2 comments

    What all can Friday dressing encompass..What am seekling here is the items that form on the either side of the thin line between semi formal and casual

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    dleasha

    2 months ago

    2 comments

    Every office has its own fashion culture as much as any other type of culture. For instance, while the beesknees person who was incensed that anyone might criticize her "professional" wardrobe clearly works as a geek in a geek (read, smart but not much sense) office, most of us are not so brilliant (or arrogant) that we can afford to adopt such unusually extreme clothing habits (same clothes as yesterday???) not to fit in with relatively normal office culture/etiquette.

    You don't wear makeup? Do you have a job right now? Good for you! If you don't, I really truly request that you continue to go bare-naked-faced into the world of job-searching - definitely improves my odds!

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    AnnMP

    2 months ago

    28 comments

    While your remark that women who wear makeup get better jobs is true I'm appalled that you would suggest to those who don't wear makeup to basically suck it up.

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    StefF

    2 months ago

    84 comments

    I can't imagine wearing any of this stuff at the office. Maybe on a weekend. You really need to look the part. I worked at a hospital for the last 8 years, and always wore nice pants or skirts. The dress code said blue jeans were allowed on Fridays only, but people would always push it. Some wore jeans all week, and one person in particular wore jeans that were worn out at the bottom, and the had holes and stains. It was very unprofessional looking.

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    Alexandria

    2 months ago

    2 comments

    I agree totally ,it takes just as much time to look unprofessional , as does to look professional.
    if you really want the job , look polished , fresh and ready to go to work, even if you haven't
    been given the job, it shows who you are.

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    MinaCharalambous

    2 months ago

    4 comments

    Hilarious! Although I do loooove my Uggs and will wear them to work no matter how much of a faux pas it is.

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    smeustice

    3 months ago

    4 comments

    This was a great article, however I am always surprised when I still see these things happening. I have hired thousands and I see these types of things all the time. One you missed would be halters or bikini tops.

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    cephillips

    3 months ago

    4 comments

    Re #26. Yes, Mrs. Obama was on vacation. However, her husband did not have on shorts. Whether they are on vacation or not, he is the president of the United States and she is supposed to be the First Lady. Have we seen any other First Ladies photographed in short? I really objected to the butt shot of her getting into the presidential limosine. Bad timing on the photographers part and total lack of grace on her part!

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