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Styles · An idea under Classic

Business casual for women

Unstructured blazers, wide pleated trousers, fine knit polos, and soft leather loafers.

Business casual brings tailoring into modern workplaces by trading rigid suiting for relaxed shapes and tactile cloth. Pleated wool trousers pair with soft cotton shirts in black, white and sand. Unstructured blazers give shape without stiff shoulder pads.

In the United States, business casual followed Casual Fridays, which began in California in the nineties, inspired by Aloha Friday, a Hawaiian custom of the sixties. Sunspel, which began making underwear in Nottingham, brings its Riviera polos. Helmut Lang is known for the utilitarian, minimal clothes its Austrian founder first showed in Paris in the eighties. Homme Plisse Issey Miyake makes pleated trousers that resist creases, dry quickly and feel light.

WDLT117 in Toronto brings Homme Plisse Issey Miyake pleated trousers, jackets and turtlenecks. Due West in Toronto brings Sunspel polos, COOR coats and silver necklaces, and Utopia brings pre owned Supreme and Gucci. Build the outfit on tailored trousers with an unstructured blazer, a buttoned shirt or knit polo, and leather shoes.

Business casual outfits for women, piece by piece

Looks put together from pieces at WDLT117 and Utopia, each piece priced on 2 November 2026.

More looks in this style: Office siren for after work drinks, A double breasted jacket for the office, A belted jacket for the work party, Glen check wool and grey trousers, Pink satin with grey suede boots, Rosy brown with piped boots, A beige jacket with a silk tie over a navy shirt and stone cords, A rhubarb pinstripe coat on a marble stair

Common questions

What defines business casual in a contemporary office?
Separates replace the matched suit, so the look stays neat without being formal. Unstructured blazers, pleated wool trousers, knit polos and leather loafers make up the wardrobe.
Which fabrics work best for this way of dressing?
Wool holds a pressed crease, cotton breathes, and silk and leather add a smooth finish. All four appear across the pieces on this page.
How can someone wear pleated trousers without feeling overdressed?
Pair wide pleated trousers with a fine knit polo or a collarless shirt. Leave off the tie, and the tailoring looks softer while the shape stays clean.