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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 stilettos, 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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    catysue

    7 days ago

    6 comments

    why wear boots just because they are fashionable? Be sensible when wearing footwear at work it might just save your life.

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    about 1 month ago

    96 comments

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  • Photo_user_blank_big

    ChesterLester

    2 months ago

    2 comments

    Unfortunately, I've seen women in my office wearing items off this list. Thankfully, I have none of them in my weekly rotation. There were two items or comments that were missing from this list.
    1) Leather boots that go past your knee. Thigh high leather boots ARE NOT a good look for the office.
    2) Sheer tops without a top underneath. I walked into our lunchroom one day only to be confronted by a woman in a white sheer shirt with an electric blue bra underneath. Funny, I thought we were working, not clubbing.

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    Been_There

    2 months ago

    2 comments

    This was all common sense. Anyone who needs to be told these things has no idea of what "professional" means.

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    yamara34

    3 months ago

    4 comments

    Often I'll wear the same pants every other day

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    yamara34

    3 months ago

    4 comments

    I don't wear make up

  • Caution_sign_max50

    MissionCritical

    6 months ago

    4 comments

    Hi, there. This is a fun article. Many people who have matured and who have been working outside the home for decades still don't "get it." I've got coworkers who couldn't get Business Casual right if you gave them a textbook on the subject.

    That having been said, with respect to wearing a hat on the job, you might want to cut the Mennonites, plain-dressing Friends (a.k.a. Quakers), Orthodox Jewesses, and Muslimas a little slack, here. Many women of conservative religious persuasion do work outside their homes. Some women would never leave their homes without something on their heads and many such women will not display their hair at all. I cover my head for religious reasons, and I gave up wearing the hair bun and missionary veil because I got sick of hearing about how I had to "be more professional." To address this superficial concern that was falsely stated as an issue with "lack of professionalism" by people who were afraid of getting sued for religious discrimination, I cut off all my hair and started wearing a cotton beret on the back of my head (doesn't even come close to covering my face or my eyes) and although I didn't do a darned thing differently on the job as far as the actual work is concerned, INSTANTLY my marks for "professionalism" went up. I think that says a lot more about the people writing my performance reviews than it does about me. I wear only traditional feminine business attire (no trousers or pants at all at the office --skirt suits and conservative dresses & skirt outfits only) and most people do not notice my headcovering at all --now.

    Oh, and I lost all my hair back in 2006 because of chemotherapy for cancer and you know what? Because nobody at the office had ever seen me without a headcovering, for about the first two weeks I was back on the job after my treatments started, many people did not even notice the difference. When the eyebrows and eyelashes finally disappeared was the first time they asked me what was going on. Funny.

    Ciao.

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    mebailey

    11 months ago

    2 comments

    One exception is if you have a migrain! There is just no way to face neon and florescent lights with a migrain!!!

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    11 months ago

    2 comments

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    12 months ago

    32 comments

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    ywilliams1140

    about 1 year ago

    8 comments

    I always dress apropriate when I go to a job interview I like the long short look I would try it one day.

  • Dscf0093_max50

    mbfavazza

    about 1 year ago

    2 comments

    does anyone wonder about this person's personal hygiene ?

  • Me99_max50

    tedraortega

    about 1 year ago

    4 comments

    I am SO glad that i haven't done any of these!

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    Phoenix66

    about 1 year ago

    4 comments

    I disagree with the idea of "no hats" - first, re: the chemo issue - anyone who's fighting cancer should have some support, and be free to wear a hat if she darn well feels like it, and second, I think the cute little hats of yesteryear (1940's) should make a comeback! I think hats should be brought back in style - the right hat can make a woman look very classy. Just my opinion.

  • Photo_user_blank_big

    Cheryllynnmarti

    about 1 year ago

    16 comments

    Another exception to the no hat rule is if a woman has lost her hair due to chemotherapy. I wore many hats at one time.

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