How to Dress Professionally: Business Dress Code Basics 職場穿搭：商務著裝要領

琳達

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、實習、商業會晤等不同場合該如何著裝，在職業生涯的某個時刻，人人都可能為此發愁。公司性質、商務場合不盡相同，要是對著裝規范、著裝禁忌等一無所知，可就傷腦筋了。大家肯定都想展現自己最好的一面，而穿著會透露你的不少信息，以及你是怎樣一個人。

還有要考慮的呢，比如當前是什么季節、在哪座城市工作、是否步行上班、工作需久坐還是久站等，考慮的因素可不算少，難怪有這么多人為職場著裝這種事犯難！

本人是商學院畢業的，也工作了好幾年，對職業穿搭頗有心得，小秘訣一籮筐，可以教給你職場的各種著裝要領，還絕對不失個人范兒。

商務裝類型

商務裝主要有三種類型。它們的名稱你沒準兒都聽過，但看了這篇指南，保你對什么服裝有著怎樣的著裝規范了然于胸。這三種類型是：職業裝、商務休閑裝和校園休閑裝。

職業裝

商務職業裝是頂保守的商務著裝類型，是大家認為會計、金融等保守行業從業人員該穿（或者有位十分保守的老板！）的辦公著裝，也稱“商務正裝”。

女士職業裝指商務套裙或褲裝，或得體的連衣裙加西裝外套。男士則是商務西裝或夾克、西褲，搭配領帶。

要是所在公司對商務著裝有規定，自己也想穿著得體不給人留下不修邊幅的印象，那么遵守這樣的著裝規范非常重要。在保守行業工作，就意味著要遵從能穿什么、不能穿什么的嚴格標準，穿得恰如其分很重要。

商務休閑裝

商務休閑裝是休閑版“職業裝”，可這不等于說真的可以“隨便”穿！工作環境沒那么保守的話，辦公室里就可以這么穿，而有些面試和活動也會要求穿商務休閑裝。

女性商務休閑裝上裝可為有領襯衫、針織衫或襯衫套針織衫，下裝為卡其褲或西褲，再搭配一雙精致的鞋子。女性有時也可穿中長裙或短裙（注意：長度須及膝或在膝蓋以下！）。男性商務休閑裝可為馬球衫、有領襯衫、針織衫或襯衫套針織衫，配卡其褲或正裝褲和正裝皮鞋，無須打領帶。

雖然是商務“休閑”裝，但重要的是看上去更適合商務辦公而非休閑。許多人將商務休閑裝和普通休閑裝混為一談。但只要穿上商務休閑裝，就還是去辦公的樣子。商務休閑裝既不像職業裝那么保守、正式，也不像校園休閑裝那么隨意。

校園休閑裝

校園休閑裝你可能不會穿著去上班。這里專指牛仔褲、T恤衫、涼鞋和運動鞋等日常著裝。你或許會被要求穿校園休閑裝參加一些非正式的校園面試和職業體驗日活動，以及一些非正式社交活動。

一般來說，在辦公場所你可能不想穿這身裝束，而傾向于更保守的著裝。不過，這并不是說校園休閑裝不能穿。

舉個例子，老板讓你穿校園休閑裝去參加學生活動，八成兒是想要你和學生打成一片，讓他們可以放心和你暢聊。有時候，在學生成堆的校園活動中，學生看到穿商務裝的人會心生膽怯。所以，老板如果要你穿校園休閑裝，那就是希望你能跟學生聊到一塊兒，而非讓他們望而生畏。

穿校園休閑裝便于在更輕松的氛圍中和學生溝通。他們與你說話時會更自在，交談也會更順暢。

但愿這些小秘訣能教會你商務著裝的基本規范。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎者;單位：中國海洋大學）