Every year I arrive at July and am completely out of office outfit inspiration, because it is over 100 degrees outside and no business casual outfit seems reasonable. And yet I must go to work anyway. Here are 3 outfits I’ve made recently, plus my ultimate trick for professional clothes when it’s hot.
Ok so my general rules for summer business casual dressing are: 1) wear things that don’t touch your armpits (this is a very elegant tip, I know) and 2) pay attention to fabric content. Let’s talk about armpits first….
This dress is perfect for summer because it has a big old sleeve that gives me space to perspire, woo! When shopping, I look for terms like oversized, drop sleeve, and dolman. I tend to like a short sleeve, versus sleeveless, for teaching days, because I have to raise my arms to write on the board.
Do you also hate pit stains? Aside from paying attention to sleeve styles I highly recommend these undershirts. I wear one basically every day for teaching because it absorbs sweat and keeps you dry. I’ll probably pick up another one before we’re back in session for fall!
Dress (similar)
Option two I’ll be reaching for in the coming months: I love a simple silhouette that requires no extra accessories to be chic. It’s too hot for tips like “add a scarf or light jacket!” I also love any item that makes me feel like I’m participating in fall even though it’s still 95 in September. Enter: the thrifted mockneck tank!
Tank (similar)
Skirt (similar)
Shoes (old…just realized this outfit is entirely from Poshmark!)
Ok I’m not sure that sneakers count as business casual but I’m hoping they do when we return to in-person work because I like mixing it up a little when I can’t use layers to feel stylish. Here, mixing two very classic office pieces with a slightly modern bag and very casual sneakers feels a bit more fun to me!
Also, let’s talk fabric content: not all fabrics are up to the task of summer dressing! I’ve been buying more raw silk and linen blends lately and have definitely felt noticeably more comfortable in the heat!
Skirt (similar)
Shoes (this year’s version)
Got any other combos you love wearing to work in the summer? Please share!
Want more? I made some summer outfits last year and also attempted a 30 piece summer capsule wardrobe!
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PhD in Clothes 
I love the bag. I see it in a lot of the posts but I have never found a link to it. Is that thrifted as well?
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It is the Everlane form bag! I got it on Poshmark and I see them pop up from time to time!
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