Seven Summer Outfits for the Office
Friends. It was 102 degrees today in Utah. We don’t have air conditioning (except a small window unit in our room, thank goodness.) It’s HOT. SUMMER IS HERE! And while I’m super stoked about all the summer things we’ve got planned this year, like a trip back East for Beach Week and a day at a water park here in Utah, I’m already over the heat. I’m a fall girl - give me all the cozy leggings and sweaters and jackets and scarves. BUT! I’m trying really hard to not rush through the present and enjoy time as it is right now, instead of complaining and waiting around for the summer heat to end. No sense in waiting for cooler temps to live a vibrant life, right?
As some of you know, I work a 9-5 job as a corporate recruiting coordinator at a third party logistics company. I decided to go back to work after blogging full-time for two years and I have NO regrets. Success looks different for everyone and going back to work is one of the best choices I made for myself at that time. I really enjoy my job, I really enjoy contributing to the office and my team, and I really enjoy what I do (help people get jobs!) I ALSO love that I have a reason to get up and get dressed in the morning and that I have to actually put effort into myself before heading to the office. I’m the first face a candidate sees when they come to my floor, so it’s really important that I look put-together and professional. But, more importantly, when I look good, I feel good and I do good (as an English major, I realize that’s incorrect grammar, but I loved the alliteration, so let’s just go with it, k?) ANWAY, I found that when I truly take the time to plan out my outfits and get dressed in the morning, I get more done in the day. I tend to have a more positive attitude as I go throughout the day. I’m more productive and I feel more confident in what I have to offer as a person because I’m not worried about looking like a hot mess.
While I could just slap on a skirt and call it day, going above and beyond to coordinate my shoes and accessories and put on a complete outfit really has helped me start my day on the right foot and keeps me in a more vibrant life mindset throughout the day. SO, if you find yourself needing some OOTD outfit inspiration for the office this summer, I’ve got six outfits below to get you up, dressed, and ready to take on your day below. (P.S. I work in a business casual office, so I’m allowed to wear nice jeans - just switch out with black work pants if you need to dress it up a little more!)
Summer Outfit for the Office #1
Top: Nordstrom Rack (Similar here and here)| Jeans: Old Navy (wearing a size 8 regular) | Shoes: Marc Fisher (similar here)
I used to be TERRIFIED of white jeans, but I am a huge fangirl when they are paired with darker tops. They are the perfect way to take those darker blouses from winter to summer - like this navy blue floral top I snagged from Norstrom Rack a couple months ago. I had to put on my pink Marc Fischer sandals to bring the fun summer color through the outfit and I love how it balances out the pink in the top, too.
TIP - If you have white jeans, keep a tide-to-go pen OR a Clorox bleach pen in your bag, because you WILL spill and you WILL stain them at some point during your day. Having a stain pen on hand will help you combat those stains right away and will keep your pants looking bright and white all summer long.
Summer Outfit for the Office #2
Tee: My Sister’s Closet (size down in this, I’m wearing a small) | Denim Vest: Downeast last year (Similar here at Target) | Skirt: Indigo and Sage (similar here) | Shoes: Burlington
As you will soon see, I’m a huge fangirl of knotting my longer tees with skirts. I LOVE the knot trend that’s happening this year and I think it’s a really fun way to make a v-neck more interesting. I wanted to figure out how to make that casual look more office appropriate and I’ve found that pairing it with a skirt really dresses it up and makes it look more professional. Adding an additional layer also adds an extra “completed” element, so that’s why I love my little denim vest - because it’s 100% a summer staple but doesn’t look sloppy or too casual with the skirt and sandals (which were a Burlington steal for $14.00.)
Top: My Sister’s Closet (wearing medium) | Skirt: Downeast (wearing Medium) | Necklace: Nordstrom
See what I mean about fangirling the knotted shirt trend? Can’t stop won’t stop. This shirt is SUPER cute but also SUPER long, which I’m generally a huge fan of since my torso is long. The little flutter sleeves are to die for, right? It also has a little bit of a waffle texture that you can’t really see in this photo, but it gives the shirt a two-toned color that I love. I knew it would look really cute with this fun printed skirt that I got from Downeast Basics when I was at their grand opening for their new City Creek Location last month. I’m trying REALLY HARD to add some prints into my closet that are not floral and I loved that I had nothing like this skirt or print in my closet. I had to knot the shirt because it was too long and I finished it off with a long black pendant necklace. I forgot to put my shoes on for this picture (oops) but I wore the same black sandals with this outfit as I did with the one above!
Summer Outfit for the Office #3
Tank: The Loft - similar here | Cardigan: My Sister’s Closet | Jeans: Rustic Pineapple Boutique | Shoes: Downeast | Bag: Burlington
Do you spy a little Teddy Nose in this photo? Be still, my soul! Even though it’s really hot outside, I almost always bring a cardigan or sweater with me into the office because my desk is RIGHT UNDER the AC vent and I’m always cold. If I don’t have a sweater, you can bet 5 dollars that I’m wrapped up in my heated blanket that I keep draped over my chair. Anyway, I really love this outfit because the floral print is super vibrant and a bit different from a lot of the floral prints out there right now. I snagged this from The Loft a couple months ago and it pairs really well with both cardigans and light jackets (think, leather or cargo!) These jeans are really great for my office because they are dark wash and they are high waisted, so I don’t ever have to worry about any skin showing when I bend over. These were sent to me from Rustic Pineapple Boutique and I LOVE how great they fit and that they are actually long enough on my leg! I accessorized with pink sandals and a pink bag and my C necklace (from Downeast!)
Summer Outfit for the Office #4
Shirt: My Sister’s Closet | Skirt: Downeast (wearing size Medium) | Necklace: Sugarfix by Baublebar | Shoes: Burlington
Okay, last knotted tee look for this post, I promise. Same v-neck, same shoes, new skirt, and maybe I’m biased, but I think it looks SO CUTE! Plus, I really like wearing my pencil skirts with tees like this because I find that it’s really flattering on my figure. The pencil skirt hugs my curves, and by knotting the tee, I’m creating a minor ruching effect that really makes my waist look small. I decided to dress this tee up with a layered necklace from the Sugarfix line by Baublebar at Target and some fun earrings that my sister gave to me for my birthday!
Summer Outfit for Office #5
Dress: My Sister’s Closet | Shirt: Stitch Fix | Sneakers: Puma (found at Burlington - similar here)
Tennis shoes for the office?! Yep, I went there. And YEP! I think they are totally work-appropriate if you style them the right way. I am HERE for the tennis shoes with dresses trend and I LOVE them with this new overall dress that ya’ll convinced me to buy a couple weeks ago on Instagram(thank you for that, you were TOTALLY right that it was adorable and that I needed it.) It has POCKETS and it is super slimming on me and I loved adding a little pop of blue and pink by wearing a floral shirt underneath it!
Summer Outfit for the Office #6
Dress: Downeast | Shoes: Old Navy (run TTS) - on sale for $18.50! | Necklace: Downeast | Headband: Amazon
Last, but not least, is this adorable summer dress that I got from Downeast a few weeks ago. This is another vibrant floral that feels different from all the other florals out there and I am fangirling HARD over the cut of this dress. I mean, yes, I have been working hard at getting healthier and toning my body up, but this dress makes me look so slim and I feel absolutely amazing in it. I love the little faux button detail in the front, and I love the flutter sleeves and I love how cute it looks with a pair of strappy heeled sandals. It’s SO girly (especially with the pink bow accessory) but I am a huge fan of how feminine it looked and helped me feel. 10/10 would recommend!
So tell me, which summer office outfit was your favorite?
Was this helpful to see a bunch of different outfit ideas in one post? Is this something you want to see more of?
If you have some time to pour through some more style posts, I’d recommend a few recent ones that have gone live over the last couple months, like 5 Ways to Complete your Casual Summer Outfit, Thedup Goody Box Try-on and Review, and Two Ways to wear Red Wedges.
P.S. - if this post was helpful to you, would you do me a favor and pin the image below to Pinterest? Thank you!
And don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the Nordstrom Sale below!
Just in time for this Summer’s Nordstrom Anniversary Sale,
I’ve teamed up with a group of bloggers to give you a chance to win a $750 Nordstrom Gift Card!
To enter: complete the steps in the rafflecopter below.
The more steps you complete, the more entries you receive, and the better your chance at winning!
This giveaway runs until end-of-day 7/12 at 12AM EST.
Winner will be announced here. Good Luck!
*this giveaway is in no way sponsored by Nordstrom.
