Shadowing Practice: How to Look Chic at Work (Without Breaking the Dress Code) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

I hear it all the time.

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I hear it all the time.

I want to look stylish at work,

but the dress code is confusing.

Give me 15 minutes, or however long this video ends up being,

and I will completely transform your workplace style.

I truly believe that the clothes that you wear really has an effect on your confidence,

the way that you feel about yourself,

and the way that you just show up in the world.

And this also applies to the workplace.

I know that for me,

when I wear an outfit that I feel good in,

I start acting different.

Welcome back to It Girl Academy,

where we explore how to become the best version of ourselves through beauty,

style, mindset, and how we navigate the world.

I'm Asia Jackson, your student class It Girl president,

and today let's learn how to nail your style in the workplace.

To start, we need a clear understanding of the three dress codes that influence almost every workplace.

Once you know where your office falls,

choosing work outfits will become way easier and far more intuitive.

But first, let's answer a question that everyone is too afraid to ask.

What is a dress code and why do workplaces even have them?

Simply put,

a dress code is really just a set of expectations around how employees of a company present themselves in a professional setting.

It shapes the energy of the workplace,

it signals the level of formality of the workplace,

and it also sets the tone for how clients perceive the company when they see employees dress a certain way.

With that foundation in mind,

let's quickly move into three universal tips that I think elevate your work wardrobe across all dress codes.

Tip number one, create a weekly outfit rotation.

I feel like I talk about this on my channel a lot.

You may also have heard me refer to it as like a daily uniform.

But if you are someone that struggles with decision fatigue,

especially early in the morning,

this tip is for you.

A weekly rotation system, however you want to call it,

daily uniform, whatever, it will simplify your mornings and support your personal style

because it really helps you get clear on what you like to wear.

For work, you can choose like three outfit formulas that you always feel good in,

you know that you look good in them.

So this could be like one meeting outfit,

one relaxed work day outfit,

and one creative or social day outfit.

You don't need to turn your brain on just to decide what clothes to wear that day.

Save that brain power and energy for when you actually get to work.

Tip number two, build a work jewelry capsule.

Now we've all heard of like the capsule wardrobe,

but you can also build a capsule for accessories or jewelry.

A jewelry capsule will kind of help you create a sense of like continuity and structure throughout your work week.

And in this jewelry capsule,

you can put a set of pieces that always look polished.

So things like cute stud earrings,

maybe a couple of rings or a necklace that layers well with everything.

And these are the types of pieces that will elevate your look without overwhelming the outfit.

The pieces that I'm using are from Mint and Lily,

who is the sponsor of this portion of today's video.

I think that these Mint and Lily pieces fit perfectly in a workwear jewelry capsule.

They're premium, they're cute, they're designed for all day wear,

plus they offer personalization, which I think would make great gifts for the holidays, personally.

For my capsule, I chose a set of studs,

a gold eternity ring, a gold eternity ring, that spins.

As someone with ADHD, I am very excited about this.

And also a set of thin mixed metal stacking rings.

I also wanted something personal,

so I built a customized necklace with my birthstone and my first initial.

Obviously, my first initial being A,

and I was born in May,

so I got an emerald.

I love green, so I'm very happy that emerald is my birthstone.

The personalization process was super simple and intuitive.

And like I said, I think this would make a great holiday gift.

I don't know about y'all,

but I love like a personalized gift,

you know, personalized chopsticks, personalized hairbrush, personalized jewelry.

I eat it up.

I do.

I wanted to select pieces that I thought would be pairable with all work outfits,

regardless of the dress code.

Now, obviously for some dress codes,

like you wouldn't be wearing all of them at the same time,

but I think on their own,

these are really great pieces to keep in a workwear jewelry capsule.

If you would like to build your own work jewelry capsule,

or you just wanna browse the website and see what else they have,

you can check out the links in the description box down below.

Thank you again, Mitt and Lily,

for sponsoring this portion of the video and supporting the channel.

On to tip number three.

Embrace tailoring as a superpower.

People are so afraid of tailoring.

I think people think that it costs a lot of money or something,

but it is not that expensive to,

like, take in the waist or hem the pant legs of a pair of trousers.

In fact, some places like Uniqlo even offer,

like, free alterations when you buy pants in store.

It'll cost you like 10,

20, 30 bucks, depending on where you live to like make simple alterations like this to your work clothes.

And you wear these work clothes pretty often,

you know, assuming you have a nine to five Monday through Friday,

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you're wearing these clothes very often.

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So why not just tailor the clothes so that they fit you perfectly?

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Also with certain dress codes,

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you should be tailoring your clothes anyway,

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or else it'll look sloppy and unprofessional and your employer might have an issue with that.

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So I just gave you three quick universal tips that will elevate any work wardrobe regardless of dress code,

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but now let's break down every dress code one by one.

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Let's start with business professional.

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Now this is the most formal and structured of all of the workwear dress codes or categories.

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It's super common in finance,

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law, politics, corporate leadership, and any role where you're interacting with high-level clients or executives,

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business professional outfits create a very clear visual message in the workplace.

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Confidence, capability, and presence.

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So if you've ever seen shows like Suits,

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Scandal, or Succession, I literally just noticed that those are all S shows.

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All of those shows start with the letter S.

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That was not on purpose.

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If you watch any of those three shows,

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this is kind of like the realm of business professional or business formal.

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Now, what should you look for when you go out to shop for clothing for your business professional job?

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For business professional, you really want to look out for clean and tailored silhouettes that hold their shape.

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That's super important because you don't want anything that is too slouchy or too relax.

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So things like structured blazers,

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straight or tapered trousers, tailored midi skirts like a pencil skirt,

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crisp button-ups or button-downs, refined knits,

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and polished outerwear all work beautifully in the business professional dress code.

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I have very narrow hips and I also have quite long legs and a short torso.

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Because of my proportions, I don't love midi skirts.

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If I wear a skirt,

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it has to be a mini or a maxi.

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I can't wear anything in between.

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So I don't own any pencil skirts.

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I don't like pencil skirts.

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Don't feel like you have to wear a pencil skirt for a business professional outfit.

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You can literally just wear a pantsuit.

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That is totally acceptable.

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Honestly, if your workplace is business professional,

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I would just get a few matching sets, a few suits.

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Those are really going to cover you for most work days.

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When it comes to fabrics,

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Business professionals centers on clean and structured lines, like I mentioned earlier.

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So you want to look for fabrics like wool, crepe, even poplin.

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These are fabrics that tend to hold their shape really well and create strong, intentional, clean lines.

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And because of this, clothing that's made in these fabrics tend to look more elevated and more expensive.

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And in certain cases, they are more expensive.

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For shoes, close-toed shoes are ideal for this dress code.

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You do not want to have your dogs out.

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You don't want your toes out in a business professional setting.

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So pointed toe palms, almond toe flats,

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leather loafers, they all create like this very professional look.

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And when it comes to a color palette,

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definitely stick to a neutral palette.

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So this is like blacks, browns, gray, and navy.

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Some workplaces might be more lenient in terms of like the colors that you can wear.

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But if this is like your first week at a new job,

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just like, you know, play it safe,

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you know, go in, assess the situation and figure it out once you get there.

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Now let's talk about what to avoid.

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Business Professional is a very traditional and conservative dress code.

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So pieces that feel too relaxed,

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overly trendy, or overly revealing don't usually align with this dress code unless you are working at

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that law firm that is on Kim Kardashian's new show on Hulu.

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Wrinkled fabrics, plunging necklines, short hemlines,

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oversized cardigans, loud patterns, distressed textures,

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or casual bags can really disrupt the polished look that Business Professional relies on.

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For example, I probably would not wear this shirt in a Business Professional workplace just because it's pretty relaxed of a fit.

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It doesn't have too much structure.

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Now that we got to business professional knocked out,

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hopefully business casual will become a little bit easier to understand.

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Business casual holds that same sense of polish that business professional does,

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but it is a lot more flexible.

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You can wear pieces that are a little bit more relaxed.

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You can wear a wider variety of colors.

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You kind of have a little bit more flexibility to express your personal style in a business casual setting.

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Now, I will say that most modern offices in America kind of sit within this category.

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Business casual is probably the most common dress code in offices,

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at least in the United States.

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Now, I just started a job at a business casual office.

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I have to go out and buy some workwear.

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What do I look for?

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For business casual, you really want to look for elevated basics and relaxed tailoring.

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You don't want the tailoring to be too structured.

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You still want to be comfortable.

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Again, business casual is not as traditional as business professional is,

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so the tailoring does not have to be clean, straight, structured lines.

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So look for things like straight leg trousers,

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knit tops are great, lightweight sweaters,

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simple blouses, trench coats, structured cardigans and denim if your office allows jeans.

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Not all business casual offices allow jeans,

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so maybe ask some questions.

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And shoes like loafers, ballet flats if that's your thing,

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and boots fit perfectly in a business casual wardrobe.

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My mom worked in a business casual office before she retired,

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so I just want to show you guys some of her outfits.

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You know what I'm saying.

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Slay mamas.

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Okay.

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Now, what are some pieces that you want to avoid in a business casual wardrobe?

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Avoid pieces that feel too casual.

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So things like distressed denim,

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tops that are too cropped or too revealing, or overly bright colors.

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All of these can really pull your outfit away from that business casual feel.

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You still want to be professional,

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even if this dress code is a little bit more relaxed than business professional.

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Now let's talk about the more relaxed category.

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Casual or sometimes it'll be called like smart casual.

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Casual or smart casual is definitely the most relaxed of dress codes in a professional setting and they center comfort and ease.

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This dress code or category shows up pretty often in creative workplaces,

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tech offices, or in offices for companies that just have a more flexible work culture.

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Both my dad and my brother work in tech,

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and their offices are casual,

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so people show up to work in jeans, t-shirts, hoodies.

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Personally, I would put a little bit more effort into my outfits if I were to work in a casual office,

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but I'm not going to lie.

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There would definitely be days where I would like to show up in a hoodie.

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Yeah.

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I work from home, so that is all I do.

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In fact, I am not.

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You think I'm wearing trousers,

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you know, filming this video?

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I'm wearing sweatpants with a collared shirt.

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You know what I mean?

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So let's get real here.

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Now, what should you look for when building a casual or smart casual workwear wardrobe?

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This is one dress code that you can actually incorporate some of the pieces that you already own,

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like in your regular wardrobe.

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But for work, I would definitely incorporate the more polished parts of my wardrobe as opposed to like a graphic tee.

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You know what I'm saying?

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Like I'm not going to show up to work wearing graphic tee.

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Like I said before, I really believe that the clothes

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that you wear really affect the way that you show up in the world.

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I wear graphic tees at home.

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I don't want to feel like I'm at home when I'm at work.

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I still want to look polished.

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So instead of a graphic tee,

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you know, you can look for things like polos.

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Polos are a really great casual or smart casual piece.

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You can also look for like a polished white t-shirt, a simple button-up.

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Structured sweaters are a really great alternative to sweatshirts or hoodies and lightweight jackets,

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those sorts of things all work really well here.

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Again, it will vary from workplace to workplace.

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So for example, a creative workplace might value more fashion forward outfits,

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whereas tech offices might not care whatsoever.

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It really depends on your industry and the specific workplace culture.

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Now, what are some things to avoid in a smart or smart casual workwear wardrobe.

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Avoid pieces that feel too lounge-weary or are too distressed.

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These are not appropriate for a workplace setting.

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In the Philippines, we have this concept called pambahai,

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which could be loosely translated to like for the home or for the house.

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And it's used to refer to clothing that you only wear in your house.

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So when I work from home,

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a lot of the clothing that I wear is pambahai.

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You know what I'm saying?

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Like I wear these all the time when I work from home.

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But if I worked in a workplace setting,

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even if the dress code is casual,

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I would not be wearing these pants to work y'all.

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I would not be showing up in the office with these on.

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This is lounge wear.

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This is not what casual means, especially in the workplace.

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Your wardrobe has a real influence in how you carry yourself every day.

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Clothes shape your energy and how you carry yourself.

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And when you feel aligned with what you're wearing,

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confidence becomes much easier to access.

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I need all of my fellow it girl students to sound off in the comments down below.

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Comment your workplace dress code and I might help you,

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you know, build a little outfit formula that fits your job.

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This will be fun.

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If you like these style 101 videos,

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be sure to hit subscribe.

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Thank you guys so much for watching this video.

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Thank you, Mitt and Lily, for sponsoring this video.

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And I'll catch you guys next time.

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Peace!

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you

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Shadowing Practice: How to Look Chic at Work (Without Breaking the Dress Code) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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Shadowing Practice: How to Look Chic at Work (Without Breaking the Dress Code) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube

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What is the Shadowing Technique?