Grown, Sexy Not the New Business Casual

Kierra Leggett | Staff Writer

During at least one point in everyone’s collegiate career, there will come a time when they are required to dress in business casual attire. Given that for many students the only type of dress code they’ve ever had to comply with is “Grown and Sexy” for Thursday nights at the club, it can be a daunting task trying to determine what exactly  is considered business casual.  For certain however, “Grown and Sexy” is not it.

A staple in the world of business casual attire is a versatile pair of khakis. They are not as polished as a pair of dress pants (which are also a worthwhile investment) but they are still dressier than a pair of jeans. For men pairing a polo styled shirt with khakis is an appropriate business casual look for an outside event or warmer weather.  Women can pair a blouse that reveals no cleavage with their khakis along with a nice pair of wedges, heels, or cute ballet flats.

If you want to turn your business casual look up a notch, a nice pair of black slacks will do just the trick. However, there are a few things to keep in mind. For starters ladies, if you have VPL (Visible Panty Line) your pants are too tight. Dress pants are not supposed to fit in the same manner that your denim jeans do. There should be a little wiggle room in dress slacks; also they need to be the appropriate length. While you do not want to look as if you are preparing for a flood, your pants do not need to drag along the ground. If you are petite or tall there are many dry cleaners and alteration shops that can accommodate all of ones needs.

While pants being too tight are an issue for women, pants fight too loosely is a topic of concern for men. Fellas, of course you don’t want your pants to look like they came straight out of your girlfriend’s closet, you also do not want to look like an extra for the next Wacka Flacka Flame video. Pants should rest nicely at your waist with a nice belt helping to hold them up.

Just because you are dressing for a more corporate world, it does not mean that you still cannot add your own flair and personal flourishes to your wardrobe. Spice up your outfit with accessories that are not too flamboyant but still show of your uniqueness. There is nothing worse than a workplace full of employees all donning the same bland and standard uniform of black dress pants and a white button down shirt. While Business Casual doesn’t necessary equate Grown and Sexy, it also doesn’t stand for bland and boring.