This post may contain affiliate links and Corporette® may earn commissions for purchases made through links in this post. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
We’ve come a long way since women were discouraged from going sleeveless at the office — do you still think any rules still exist? What would you advise younger women at your company?
Questions we’ve asked around this in the past: Is it professional to go sleeveless at the office — even if you don’t have perfect arms? If you’re wearing something sleeveless as a layer beneath something (such as a blazer or sweater), when can you take your jacket off at work?
Hmmn. We haven’t talked about going sleeveless at work or sleeveless professionals in a while — in general we’ve noted that you should know your office when it comes to bare arms, and when we talked generally about what not to wear to work, many of you mentioned in the comments that sleeveless tops and dresses are acceptable at your office.
Sleeveless at the Office: What’s Appropriate?
For my $.02, I still think that your bra straps should be completely hidden by the top, meaning there should be thickish straps and a very high armhole.
For example, these are some of the tops we’ve recommended in the past that have been hits with the readers:
For comparison, these are some of the camisoles we’ve recommended as base layers beneath white blouses or sweaters — they are not intended to be a top by themselves.
(For my $.02, I would say that if you’re wearing a sheer blouse then a camisole with thicker straps is safest for work, such as the Honeylove or JCF tanks, above…)
Details on sleeveless tops that might make something questionable — know your office before wearing:
- spaghetti straps (such as these) or very thin straps that don’t hide your bra without a lot of fashion tape, such as these
- halter top straps, one-sleeved tops, or anything else requiring a very specific bra
- very low back to the sleeveless top (like below your bra strap, like this)
- any detail that looks as if you’re wearing a bra or corset, such as underwires or piping to delineate each breast – even this sort of notch would be questionable, IMHO
- decorative straps that make it difficult to layer under things, such as tie-shoulder straps or ruffles
- anything cropped or with cutouts in unusual places
Over to you, readers — what are your thoughts on going sleeveless at the office? ARE there any rules around wearing sleeveless tops with work outfits — and if so, what are they?
Stock photo via Stencil.
