As I was walking past the various booths outside of the Memorial Union, I was drawn to one booth in particular. Senior Jordan, and Carson, a junior, was working at the Disney internship booth. I was first drawn to Carson’s layered outfit, but then wanted to also focus on Jordan’s more professional outfit.
At some point or another in college we will experience having to dress for a professional work environment, and to also know the difference between non-professional dress environments.
I am first going to start with Carson’s outfit. On top, she is wearing a simple, plain, black dress paired with black tights. On top of her dress, she is wearing a floral cardigan with clusters of roses on the side; giving it that little extra detail.
For shoes, she chose to wear brown Steve Madden combat boots. I like how she is wearing the boots loose, and not completely tied all the way to the top. I also like how she tucked the tongue of the shoes in to give them more of a casual, relaxed look. Carson also wore a classic Marc Jacobs watch and the Ray Ban style of sunglasses.
I wouldn’t classify Caron’s look as professional or professional-casual dress. However, there are simple ways to make her outfit a little more professional. The black dress, cardigan, and tights would work for a casual professional look. By adding either flats, or closed toed high heels, a casual professional look could be achieved.
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Jordan is displaying more of the casual professional look. On top, she is wearing a blue buttoned-down collar shirt. And for bottoms, she is wearing a knee-length purple skirt. It is very important when dressing professional to make sure that if you are wearing a skirt or dress—that it is an appropriate length. Although, her shoes are not pictured, she was wearing pointed shoes, with a little heel.
As far as accessories go, Jordan was also wearing a simple watch—giving her an even more professional look—and aviator sunglasses, and to add to the Disney theme, she wore simple, silver Mickey Mouse earrings.
Both girls are dressed appropriately for what they are advertising at the booth. It is always important to know exactly what your employers are looking for when it comes to dress. Dressing professional does not always necessarily mean that you have to dress rigid and conservative. There are always ways of adding your fashionable side to your professional look, whether it’s jewelry, or stylish, yet professional shoes.
So remember, in professional dress situations, make sure you are dressed appropriately, but also don’t forget to add that bit of fashion sense as well.
