5 Workwear Outfit Ideas for Business Casual Looks

Key Takeaways

• Pairing the right kind of business bags with your workwear can make you look more polished and put-together.
• Urban Expressions offers a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, and styles of work bags, from roomy totes, tweed handbags, structured purses, belt bags, and shoulder bags with more personality.
• Style these business bags with chic workwear, such as trousers, tailored suits with shoulder pads, button-down tops, and loafers for more formal settings, or dresses with cardigans and cargo work pants with white sneakers for casual settings.

Business attire doesn't really change that much as time goes by. That said, it's still fashion, and it will always acknowledge what's stalking the catwalks and the latest aesthetics.

Learn all about what's working in business looks this year, and enhance these professional styles with well-constructed handbags in vegan materials.

Here are 5 chic workwear outfit ideas to elevate your favorite business fashion and stop you from constantly worrying about what to wear to the office.

FAQs

What are some pop culture-inspired workwear outfit ideas?

You can take inspiration from the preppy style and easygoing combos worn by iconic characters, like Rachel Green on Friends (1994), Lorelei Gilmore on Gilmore Girls (2000), and Cher in Clueless (1995).

What is Gen Z wearing to work?

Tailored trousers, oversized blazers, and trendy sneakers are popular choices for the younger generation. The Gen Z workforce is also famously bringing back the Y2K trend with workwear that blends functionality, fashion, and personality.

How can I take part in the office siren trend?

The idea behind office siren workwear outfits is to combine sultry elements with professional and polished pieces. It's a glamorous take on professional wear inspired by the 1990s and 2000s, where slim glasses, kitten heels, pencil skirts, and tight-lined eyes were all the rage.

1. The New Neutrals

What’s clear is that browns, beiges, and nudes are asserting themselves in professional lookbooks. But even charcoal gray is seen in a variety of undertones and depths.

What makes these neutrals stand out is the combinations being played with that are both timeless and innovative simultaneously. For example, mixing warm neutrals, like beige, with rich neutrals, like burgundy, and adding in some visually-appealing patterns makes these neutrals have more depth and personality.

For stylish workwear, focus on wide-legged and pleated silhouettes. Pair charcoal trousers with chunky, thick-soled penny loafers for a professional look that skirts the casual without going over the edge.

Tuck a lightweight cream blouse into your pleated charcoal trousers, finishing with a tortoise shell statement belt that matches your loafers. A great idea to smartly sew up this business casual outfit is with a sassy, structured shoulder bag in a fun, neutral pattern, too.

No matter what you wear to the office, color and structure work together to showcase the new neutrals by setting them apart.

2. Buttoned-Down Business Bags, Meet Breezy Fabrics

Traditional fabrics for structured suits and dresses take a back seat this year to breezier fabrics, especially for summer. Think silk, linen blends, and gauzy cotton looks in classic business attire. Effortlessly, these warm-weather fabrics bring ease to your office looks.

Another idea for your workwear outfits is to keep one of your separates closer to your body. For example, if you're adding a flowier blouse, wear well-fitted bottoms, or vice versa. The juxtaposition of a relaxed, summery fabric with the structure of tailored suiting brings your professional look a touch of freedom.

The prints you deploy with this strategy are key, with pinstripes leading the way. Add a vegan work bag that adds a touch of earthiness to keep the look breezy.

3. Big Business Bags & Big Shoulders

Nothing enhances a business casual outfit idea quite like a pair of shoulder pads. Giving presence to any suit jacket, shoulder pads are back in fashion, asserting themselves in bold strokes. And just when you thought oversized jackets were letting the suiting side down, shoulder pads are a bold reminder that structured design sends the right message.

Now you know exactly what to wear to the office.

If you're looking for ideas to style shoulder pads into your workwear, full wide-legged, pleated pants are effortlessly chic. This style references both the 1940s (from which the padded shoulder hails) and the 1970s and 80s looks that revived shoulder pads for this new age.

Now that 40s/70s/80s suiting references are seeing another renaissance, there are some key details to keep your eyes peeled for. The jacket is snatched at the waist, ends at mid-thigh, and is double-breasted for a touch of David Bowie.

The idea with this workwear outfit is to lend your look some much-needed proportion and fashion-forward style through a versatile business bag. That's why it's best to choose structured tote purses.

4. A Utilitarian Work Bag

The best example of utility clothing in workwear outfit ideas is cargo pants. With the mainstreaming of this style of pants over time, it was inevitable that utility clothing of other kinds would make a practical (yet decidedly stylish) comeback. And in recent years, these styles have been floated through chic business casual outfit ideas.

That's because looking professional and incredible isn't always about labels or fabrics. The idea of a workwear outfit is more flexible in informal work settings, where the answer to "what to wear to the office" has a broader scope.

For more casual work settings, utility fits the bill. Part wabi-sabi, part bushcraft, and 100% built for challenging times, the cargo/utility look is hotter than ever. And it demands a purse that's practical and can keep up.

The vegan belt bag is the perfect bag idea to complement your workwear outfit, worn close to the body as a stand-in waistcoat. Add thick-soled Doc Martin shoes and crew socks to complete your utilitarian look.

5. Casual Workwear & a Bomb of a Business Bag

In 1980, a film about working women hit the screens and revolutionized office footwear forever. 9 to 5's white sneakers and suits look was rooted in the real world of working people in New York City. But the idea of pairing sneakers with workwear outfits spread well beyond the Big Apple to the rest of the USA and the world. The look has revived intermittently since 1980, accompanied by business bags that do it justice.

But the eruption of 9 to 5 nostalgia is bigger than ever. Modern white shoes are sleeker than the film's and much better adapted to being chic accompaniments to today's ideas for business casual outfits.

This time, people are wearing white sneakers with everything from dresses and cardigans to tailored white T-shirts and form-fitting trousers. The looks are clean, 21st-century, and unfussy.

Choose the impact of a statement handbag to make this outfit extra interesting, or go more classic with our tweed bags!

Trendy Purses For Any Workwear

No matter what you wear to the office, "chic" is the look you want to channel. And this is where the details come into play, like a vegan designer bag that pulls all that style together. For bags that are built to elevate your office look, Urban Expressions brings you collections that appeal to all your finest style moments at work, at a party, or on an adventure. Shop our luxury purses now!