If there’s one thing that has always bugged me about the blogging space is when bloggers offer “office attire” advice but have never, you know, actually worked in an office. The industry is full of 20-somethings and many started their website or Instagram handle directly out of college. Meaning they’ve never had a “normal” job.
Let me state first off that there is nothing wrong with that at all. It’s 2022, no one has to follow that normal 9–5 path anymore. But when I see them doing blog posts on what to wear to the office I always scratch my head a bit. How can you know what to wear if you’ve never actually worked in a traditional office environment?
Being on the older side of the blogging space (I’m in my mid-30’s now) I have certainly held multiple post-college “normal” 9–5 gigs. No, I didn’t work in super stuffy offices that required suits and heels every day. But dressing up, not being allowed to wear denim, and having to present in corporate meetings was something I did on the regular.
Lucky for me though I did work in semi-creative spaces where you could experiment a bit more with fashion and not have a rigid uniform. Meaning that playing with prints was something I did to make my workwear feel new and fresh. And one of my favorites — animal prints! That’s why today I wanted to share a little inspiration on how to style a leopard print shirt dress for the office. Let’s go!
How To Style A Leopard Print Shirt Dress For The Office
When picking a leopard print shirt dress for the office, or really any animal print piece, keep the pattern small. The larger the print, the most distracting it may appear in the office setting. Plus, you want the leopard print to feel more neutral, not like a costume. So the smaller print, the better. The print on my shirtdress here is super small which makes it perfect for an office setting.
Then when it comes to accessories, keep them neutral and simple. Skip the red heels and statement earrings, the leopard print shirt dress is the only piece that really needs to do the talking. I paired my dress with my new favorite $20 long cardigan and classic nude pumps. But this also would have worked with neutral flats if heels aren’t your thing.
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