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The Sydneysider

by Clarissa Zhu

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3 Affordable Smart Casual Work Outfits for Women (Size 12-14)

May 23, 2021

Reading Time: 4 minutes

What do you wear to your 9-5? It can be tricky to decide what to wear whether you work in an intense high-pressure corporate office or if you work in a more creative industry. I would say my workwear attire is smart casual/business casual. I think it’s a happy medium between business professional and casual. My best advice is to read the room. I’m always looking at other work outfits and that gives me a bit of inspiration of what is acceptable to wear. You want to be at the same level of your peers with your work outfits – overdressing and underdressing is a bad look.

You will rarely ever see me in tailored suits and pants. Personally I don’t feel like it suits my body shape and I’m jealous of the women who pull it off so well. If you’re an average curvy girl like myelf, I hope this gives some inspiration of work outfits to wear in the corporate office whilst also being flattering to your body type.

Outfit #1


Top: Zara

Skirt: H&M

I wear a lot of black so I usually pair a black top with a coloured or patterned skirt/pants. This Zara top is one of my most worn in the office. It’s a ribbed long sleeve top with a modest neckline but it has ruched shoulders to give it a little bit of spice.

This H&M skirt is one of my favourite patterned skirts. It’s a nice satin material and is really comfortable on the waist.

Not pictured, but my shoes are just black Kmart flats. I would highly recommend Kmart shoes – they’re super cheap yet comfortable and I’ve worn these flats pretty much half the year and they’re still in great condition.

As I often wear black, I like pairing it was a neutral coloured scrunchie. I recently wrote a post about my scrunchie collection. I think they can be a really cute accessory to add and are also super functional too.

Related: SCRUNCHIE COLLECTION 2021 – WHERE TO GET SCRUNCHIES & MY FAVOURITE SCRUNCHIES

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Outfit #2


Top: Witchery

Skirt: Portmans

Coat: Zara ( not pictured )

Now this is full of Australian brands. I purchased this Witchery caramel turtleneck because I needed more neutral colours in my wardrobe. I’m really enjoying Witchery at the moment. It’s a slightly higher price point than your fast fashion such as H&M and Zara but the quality is there. This turtleneck fits so nicely and is so soft.

I think this would look so good with a leather midi skirt but as I said, after reading the room, wearing a leather skirt is a little overdressed in the office environment I am in.

I’ve paired it with a ribbed black midi pencil skirt from Portmans. I have this in 3 other colours in the exact same style. I really recommend doing this if you’re lazy like me. It’s a great way to mix and match your outfits while not having to think too much about your outfit.

I’ve paired it with a black Zara coat which is not pictured because my hair looked awful. I’ve linked it here. This isn’t sponsored or affiliated at all but I did buy this in all the colours because it’s just so nice. Colder weather is finally coming to Sydney and I’m ready for it.

Similar

Outfit #3


Top: Uniqlo

Skirt: The Iconic

Jacket: The North Face

I definitely would say this is my favourite outfit and the one I would wear the most. In my post, SCRUNCHIE COLLECTION 2021 – WHERE TO GET SCRUNCHIES & MY FAVOURITE SCRUNCHIES, I talk about wearing my satin olive green scrunchie because I love wearing it with a skirt and this is the skirt!

I bought this from The Iconic about a year ago and I love it. It’s a beautiful satin material and is really high quality. It allows me to add a pop of colour on an otherwise predominantly neutral colour palette.

I’m really into turtlenecks this season and at no surprise, I have this turtleneck from Uniqlo in multiple colours too. It’s only $20 and is so soft and comfortable.

Lastly, I am obsessed with this North Face puffer jacket. I find that a lot of men in corporate wear similar puffer down jackets to work but why can’t we? It’s a little more casual than a coat but it still makes you look put together and it also makes you really warm. Comfort and fashion.

I know that the price of this is a little steep but trust me an expensive good quality outerwear is really valuable. It’s better to wear a few staple pieces than buy many jackets and coats for cheap that you won’t wear.

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I really hoped you enjoyed this post and got a bit of inspiration about work outfits. I love fashion and I like putting my own flair into what I wear so the most important thing apart from fitting the dress code is to be comfortable. Be you!

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About clarissa

Clarissa is a 23 year old Sydneysider (sɪdnisʌɪdə) who graduated in finance, economics and marketing but is passionate about blogging and self expression.

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About Me

Hi! I'm Clarissa

I am a 24 year old Australian-based online content creator who is trying her best to adult (sort of). Some topics I write include beauty, travel, and life. For enquiries, please contact me at clarissazhu97@gmail.com - Happy reading!

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The Utopia of Rules: On Technology, Stupidity, and the Secret Joys of Bureaucracy
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How to Be a Person in the World: Ask Polly's Guide Through the Paradoxes of Modern Life
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