Summer Work Wear

In academia, summer means little or no office hours, and if you’re lucky, no teaching. I am teaching an online class this summer, so I haven’t had to dress up as much as I normally would (which is why my “work wear” posts have been minimal!). Summer also means sun dresses, shorts, and tank tops. Considering that most of my closet is filled with sun dresses, you could say that summer is my favorite time to dress up. However, not all summer wear would be considered to be work appropriate. Be sure to check out my Working Girl and Spring/Summer Style boards on Pinterest for my outfit inspiration!

Although cute, shorts (even Lilly shorts), are too short for the office in my opinion. Sure, you could wear Bermuda shorts, but that’s just not my style. Also, if you live in the South like me where temperatures rise every day and It can be 100% humidity with no rain, dressing for work can be challenging (especially if your office is cold!). You want to be appropriate and classy, but you also don’t want to show up in work drenched in sweat.

So where is the happy medium? Again, sun dresses are my go-to, especially the Marlowe and Sophie styles by Lilly Pulitzer. They are the perfect length, very light, super classy and cute, bring that fun summer feel, and are absolutely work appropriate. So what about those thin-strapped dresses? Just throw on a cute cardigan, blazer, or jean jacket once you get to the office! Kiel James Patrick also has super cute and classy dresses, especially the ones from their new line by Sarah Patrick. They have some with short sleeves, sleeveless, and with straps, and they have the most darling prints on them! I suggest that as you begin to move more towards your chosen career, start looking for more dresses that can double as a weekend dress and one that can be worn in the office.

What about cute tops? Every office has their own dress code, but I tend to stay away from tops that are low cut or have straps. Instead, I go for light and flowy tops or sleeveless tops and pair them with some cropped pants or a pencil skirt. I love the Elsa top from Lilly Pulitzer, but my closet is FILLED with Portofino shirts from Express. They are so light, can be matched with nearly everything, and are usually buy one get one half off. Best of all, they come in a sleeveless style or a convertible sleeve style!

I will try to post more work outfits for the summer. What is your summer staple for the office? What would you recommend? I really want to hear your thoughts!!

Cheers!

Kelly