Business attire, business formal vs. business professional. What is all the fuss about it? Why can’t I just go to work and do my job? Isn’t that all that matters anyway, getting the job done? Let me answer that for you. Unfortunately, no. As discussed in What is Professionalism & How to Implement it Daily and 5 Must-Haves for Every Successful Woman, attire and appearance in the workplace are pretty important and something we can’t get away from. Whether it’s a given required uniform or a dress code that must be followed, it’s not going anywhere. Even when working from home it helps to have on a decent top or a blazer nearby.
Let me warn you, I might get a little carried away because this is one of my favorite categories to talk about. I enjoy dressing and created and presented on or was a part of the women’s category of the majority of the Professional Dress presentations during my years in pharmacy school. Plus, I’m full of tips on making it work, styling, and recycling for the workplace on a budget, but I’ll save that for another day.
There are four traditional categories of business attire: business formal, business professional, business casual, and casual. I don’t really consider the “casual” category. It’s described as close to business casual, which doesn’t make sense to me, but I don’t make the rules. Oh, and now there’s something called smart casual, which is just another variation of business professional or business casual, but gets into fit and quality, so I ignore it. If you stick to the four traditional categories, you can’t go wrong when it comes to describing attire for the workplace. We’ll be focused on some of the similarities and differences between business formal and business professional. Business formal vs. business professional, lets find out what’s the attire for your workplace.
Now, before we get into this topic, let me remind you that business formal attire is not one of those things that you can debate about. You can voice your opinion on what it should be and think what you want, but the bottom line is that with business formal attire, there is a strict dress code to be followed based on standards of how one should present themselves in the office. Any variations from it transition you into business professional or business casual attire. The lines between business professional and business casual can be blurred due to the variation of appropriate clothing articles, which cause for confusion and much debate. But business formal is what it is and for the most part is pretty clear-cut leaving nothing to be questioned. A few things are widely debated because there isn’t anything set in stone, but there aren’t many.
Business Formal:
It’s important that I shed some light on business formal attire because some have forgot about it or never even knew it existed. With the work world having phased into more business professional and even business casual environments (before the pandemic sent a lot of us to work from home), some don’t know it exists because they’ve never been exposed to it and there isn’t much talk about it. Much of what you see on tv also isn’t business formal. Just because a suit is involved does not mean it fits in that category. I grew up seeing my mother put on a different suit or work dress every day of the week when she worked in “Corporate America”. Those younger than me and the children of many of you may be seeing you go to work in more laxed work clothes because that’s the new norm.
Business formal is the strictest level of professional attire. It limits colors and accessories. Business professional is a step down from business casual. It allows for a wider color palette and variety of clothing articles and accessories. We’ll take a look at some of the similarities and differences via categories.
Business Formal vs. Business Professional
| Business Formal | Business Professional | ||
| Color | Base clothing (suits) colors limited to black, brown, grey, navy blue | Clothing not limited to dark colors | |
| Clothing Articles | Suits: Pant suit, skirt suit, dress suitSeparates usually the same color and put together as a suitTops: Tuxedo shirt (collar, buttons down length of the front) or blouseTops: sleeves (entire arm should not be exposed) | Appropriate length for dress and skirt suits is at or below the kneeNo low-cut topsNo t-shirts | Suits not requiredSuit separates can be worn as separates and when paired do not have to match in colorTops: variety of shirt styles acceptableTops: Exposed arms may be acceptable (Keep a suit jacket or cardigan handy for those team meetings) |
| Shoes | Limited to black, brown, grey, navy blueA nude shoe is acceptable | Heels (no requirement for heel height), flats, or loafersClosed toe shoes only. (Open toe shoes are not considered professional) | No color limitations |
| Under garments | Hosiery required (no matter the season)Skin tone hosiery | Under garments required (No body parts or body jewelry (except for the face area) should be noticeable through clothingVisible panty lines seen through or outside of clothing articles are not appropriate in the workplace | Hosiery not required |
| Accessories | Jewelry: Light, delicate pieces (avoid heavy, colorful, costume- like jewelry) Bags/Purses: Limited to the base dark colors | Jewelry: Heavier, colorful pieces appropriateBags/Purses: Color not limited | |
| Makeup | Natural makeup: avoid colorful eye makeup and bold lip colors. Stick to nude and neutral colors A red lip is appropriate | ||
| Hair | No non-natural hair colors (avoid bright colors) | *** “Appropriate hair” is debatable and a touchy subject across all the categories of business attire*** |
As I stated earlier, there has been a major shift in the business world from business formal to business professional or even business casual. However, some things remain the same. I did want to point out a few things people may not know when it comes to business formal and business professional attire. Skin tone hosiery is required in business formal attire. A lot of people are shocked when they find out that they’re doing it wrong with black hosiery. Black tights may be slimming and even give you an overall cleaner and sleeker look, but it’s not right. Ughhh, heart breaking right!? I know. I love a black-on-black look. So sleek. Now will your interviewer dock points, who knows. But if you do it the right way, you have nothing to worry about.
Another wrong that women love to make right in the workplace is open toe shoes. No matter how moderate it may be, open toe shoes are not appropriate in a business formal or professional environment. They’re not appropriate in the workplace period. Heel height is debatable. There’s no rule that clarifies the height your heel should be. Some say lower is more appropriate. Others say a single sole, sleeker heel is more appropriate. However, I’ve seen and owned a few platform/chunky heel styles that have been fine for the office in my opinion. By the way, heels are no more professional than flats.
“Appropriate” hair is debatable and a touchy subject across all the categories of business attire due to the interference with natural hair occurrences. I put appropriate in quotations because what is that. What does it look like, and who’s to say my hair isn’t? Even by the definition I’ve given of what professionalism is and keeping distractions out of the workplace in previous posts, who are you to tell me that my God-given hair is a distraction and therefore not appropriate. Now there are places that require no facial hair or no hanging hair for men, and it’s accepted. In those establishments, it’s clear in their dress code, and it’s obviously their dress code or you can go. On the lowest level, I’d say avoid the bright color hair (the hot pinks, yellows, etc.), although those may be okay in some establishments and not others. Those, however, wouldn’t be appropriate via a business professional standard.
At the end of the day, there is a time and place for everything. If you really want to knit pick about what you can and can’t wear put it to the test of the company’s actual dress code. Then think about if it’s really worth the fight and how important what you’re trying to fight for really is. I understand wanting to show your personality and individuality, but work isn’t the place. And if we reference What is Professionalism & How to Implement it Daily, we know that anything that disturbs the harmony in the workplace or can be a distraction from completing everyday tasks is deemed unprofessional. Business formal vs. business professional, sometimes there’s room for both in your workplace. Always opt for business formal attire, when interviewing. It is sometimes said that interview attire is dependent on the job you’re applying for, but I always say “You wouldn’t go for an interview for a garbage man position in the clothes you’d wear on the job.” Professionalism is professionalism. Get the job first. You may even want to opt for business formal attire in a business professional environment for big presentations or important meetings. Follow the dress code and you can’t go wrong. So business formal vs. business professional, what’s your dress code?
And remember…
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