How to Dress Professionally: Business Dress Code Basics 职场穿搭：商务着装要领

琳达

Dressing for a job， an interview， an internship， a networking event， etc. is a source of anxiety for everyone at some point in their career. Each company and event are different， so it can be nerve-racking not knowing what the proper dress code is， what you can and cant wear， etc. You want to make the best impression， of course， and your clothes say a lot about you and who you are！

Theres also the question of what season it is， what city youre working in， whether you walk to work or not， and whether youll be sitting or standing most of the time， among other concerns！ Thats a lot to think about， so its no wonder so many people feel frustrated with this kind of thing！

As a graduate of business school with years of experience， I know a lot about dressing professionally and have tons of tips to get your wardrobe right in a professional setting—without sacrificing style， of course.

Types of business attire

There are 3 main types of “business dress”. These are probably terms youve heard before， but after reading this， you should have a good understanding of what clothes work for what dress code. The three types of dress codes are： Professional Dress， Business Casual， and Campus Casual.

Professional Dress

Business professional attire is the most conservative type of business wear. Its what youll be expected to wear in the office if you work in accounting， finance， or other conservative industries （or if you just have a really conservative boss！）. This style is also known as “business formal.”

For women， business professional means a business suit or pants suit， or an appropriate dress and jacket. For men， professional dress means a business suit or a blazer， dress pants and a tie.

It is important to follow this business attire rule if youre working in an office that adheres to it as you do not want to be seen as inappropriate or give off the impression that you dont take your appearance seriously. Working for a conservative industry means that they have strict standards for what you can and cannot wear， so its important that you follow protocol correctly.

Business Casual

Business casual attire is a more relaxed version of “Professional Dress，” but it doesnt mean youre actually going to be “casual！” This is likely going to be your office dress code if you work in a semi-conservative workplace， but some interviews and events may also call for business casual.

Business casual is a shirt with a collar and/or a sweater， khakis or dress pants， and nice shoes for women. Women can also sometimes wear a moderate-length dress or skirt （read： knee-length or longer！）. For men， business casual is a polo shirt or shirt with a collar and/or sweater， khakis or dress pants and dress shoes. No tie is required.

Although it is business “casual，” it is important that you look more business-appropriate than casual. Many people confuse business casual as just casual dressing but it still means dressing like you are going to an office. Business casual is not as buttoned-up or formal as professional dress but not as casual as campus casual.

Campus Casual

Campus casual is what you probably wont be wearing to work. This is the technical term for what youre probably wearing every day—jeans， tee shirts， sandals， sneakers. You may be asked to wear campus casual to some very informal on-campus interviews and career days， and some casual networking events.

In general， you probably want to stay away from this in the workplace and gear towards more conservative stuff. However， that doesnt mean campus casual is wrong.

For instance， if your boss tells you to dress campus casual for an event that involves students， that most likely means your boss wants you to be able to relate to these students and let them know that they can just casually talk to you. Sometimes， students will get intimidated seeing someone in business attire at a campus event where there are a ton of students. So if your boss is telling you to dress campus casual， it means your boss wants you to be able to speak to these students without looking intimidating.

Dressing campus casual is a great way to connect with students in a more casual settings. Theyll feel more comfortable to speak to you and the conversations will flow much better.

Hopefully， these tips teach you about the business dress code basics.

上班、面試、实习、商业会晤等不同场合该如何着装，在职业生涯的某个时刻，人人都可能为此发愁。公司性质、商务场合不尽相同，要是对着装规范、着装禁忌等一无所知，可就伤脑筋了。大家肯定都想展现自己最好的一面，而穿着会透露你的不少信息，以及你是怎样一个人。

还有要考虑的呢，比如当前是什么季节、在哪座城市工作、是否步行上班、工作需久坐还是久站等，考虑的因素可不算少，难怪有这么多人为职场着装这种事犯难！

本人是商学院毕业的，也工作了好几年，对职业穿搭颇有心得，小秘诀一箩筐，可以教给你职场的各种着装要领，还绝对不失个人范儿。

商务装类型

商务装主要有三种类型。它们的名称你没准儿都听过，但看了这篇指南，保你对什么服装有着怎样的着装规范了然于胸。这三种类型是：职业装、商务休闲装和校园休闲装。

职业装

商务职业装是顶保守的商务着装类型，是大家认为会计、金融等保守行业从业人员该穿（或者有位十分保守的老板！）的办公着装，也称“商务正装”。

女士职业装指商务套裙或裤装，或得体的连衣裙加西装外套。男士则是商务西装或夹克、西裤，搭配领带。

要是所在公司对商务着装有规定，自己也想穿着得体不给人留下不修边幅的印象，那么遵守这样的着装规范非常重要。在保守行业工作，就意味着要遵从能穿什么、不能穿什么的严格标准，穿得恰如其分很重要。

商务休闲装

商务休闲装是休闲版“职业装”，可这不等于说真的可以“随便”穿！工作环境没那么保守的话，办公室里就可以这么穿，而有些面试和活动也会要求穿商务休闲装。

女性商务休闲装上装可为有领衬衫、针织衫或衬衫套针织衫，下装为卡其裤或西裤，再搭配一双精致的鞋子。女性有时也可穿中长裙或短裙（注意：长度须及膝或在膝盖以下！）。男性商务休闲装可为马球衫、有领衬衫、针织衫或衬衫套针织衫，配卡其裤或正装裤和正装皮鞋，无须打领带。

虽然是商务“休闲”装，但重要的是看上去更适合商务办公而非休闲。许多人将商务休闲装和普通休闲装混为一谈。但只要穿上商务休闲装，就还是去办公的样子。商务休闲装既不像职业装那么保守、正式，也不像校园休闲装那么随意。

校园休闲装

校园休闲装你可能不会穿着去上班。这里专指牛仔裤、T恤衫、凉鞋和运动鞋等日常着装。你或许会被要求穿校园休闲装参加一些非正式的校园面试和职业体验日活动，以及一些非正式社交活动。

一般来说，在办公场所你可能不想穿这身装束，而倾向于更保守的着装。不过，这并不是说校园休闲装不能穿。

举个例子，老板让你穿校园休闲装去参加学生活动，八成儿是想要你和学生打成一片，让他们可以放心和你畅聊。有时候，在学生成堆的校园活动中，学生看到穿商务装的人会心生胆怯。所以，老板如果要你穿校园休闲装，那就是希望你能跟学生聊到一块儿，而非让他们望而生畏。

穿校园休闲装便于在更轻松的氛围中和学生沟通。他们与你说话时会更自在，交谈也会更顺畅。

但愿这些小秘诀能教会你商务着装的基本规范。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者;单位：中国海洋大学）