Clothes make women feel confident, powerful, and ultimately beautiful. An outfit says a lot about someone’s personality, sense of style and character. Believe it or not, the wrong combination might have a dreadful effect on your career, particularly in business. Stripes, awkward patterns, polka dots, short skirts and flashy dresses should be avoided at all costs. While men feel comfortable and classy in elegant suits at the office, women want to preserve their femininity but without appearing unprofessional. The dress they choose to wear will dictate their level of professionalism, sense of fashion and character. A lot of women don’t know how to choose the right dress for the office. The following guidelines should help you make the right choices.

Classic
The classic style is one of the most common ways of dressing for the office. It’s also the easiest; but then again you don’t want your colleagues to express their boredom whenever they look at you. Get some inspiration from the web. There are many fashion blogs with great ideas that can help you make a choice. Now assuming that you’ve selected a classic, A-line dress in black, beige or blue it might be a good idea to spice things up with a statement piece; ONE, not more. Whether it’s a bracelet, ring or necklace, it’s certainly a good idea to give your office dress that extra fashion appeal without looking unprofessional.

Business casual
As opposite to classic outfits, business casual attire for the office is a little bit more colorful and minimalistic. In this category we recommend the white dress. Make sure it’s not too short and under no circumstances choose a dress with a deep cleavage. In terms of shape, A-line dresses by the knee, or even suit-like dresses with front buttons might seem like a good idea. To give your outfit a casual appeal, wear a cardigan on top or a jacket. This will cool off the business effect and give your dress a more laid-back allure. Complement the outfit with proper shoes. High heels are ok, but make sure they’re not too high. Avoid peep-toe shoes or sandals; these are not appropriate at the office.
Careless chic
Careless chic dresses have unusual shapes. Nonetheless, they somehow go really well at the office. Rather than choose an A-line dress, you can switch it up and opt for a pencil dress. Make sure it’s not too tight to your body. A cool trend in business attire is the masculine-like dress. Basically, it’s more like long business jacket turned into a dress. It features a V-shape neckline, and side pouches. To highlight the business effect of the outfit, complement the dress with a masculine belt around the waistline.

Glamorous
Unless you’re a business owner, entrepreneur or manager at a fashion house, this type of dress should be avoided. The glamorous business dress comes in a range of styles. First of all, it features different colors and patterns. Red, yellow, even pink is permitted. It can also have interesting cuts on the upper part and lower part of the body; this gives it a stylish, contemporary appeal. But then again, even the glamorous business dress adheres to some very strict rules – it can’t be short or too colorful.
Not all women can pull off a glamorous yet professional look at the office. That’s why this type of dress is meant for powerful business women. Note that this attire will make you stand above the crowd, so make sure your accessories are not flashy or too ostentatious. A bulky, more masculine watch, heels and an oversized leather bag should complete your look perfectly.

A business woman’s greatest weapon is her attitude. She can wear the simples dress at the office, but if she’s confident and self-assured, that dress that exude a lot of things. The more confident you feel in your abilities the better chances you have to make an impression. In a business environment dominated by men, women must use all their weapons to rise above and exceed expectation. The way you dress you wear matters a lot. It has to make you feel powerful and at the same time beautiful. Own what you wear and you’ll be perceived like the smartest woman in the office.
By Edward Francis and LondonSpeakerBureau.com!