Creating a Modest Professional Wardrobe: Tips for Timeless Style

If you work in an office or are frequently in professional settings, you may find it challenging to dress modestly while still looking business-appropriate.

For example, your floral maxi skirt may come across as unprofessional because it lacks the understated, tailored look of typical office wear.

Here at The Main Street Exchange, we believe there’s a modest outfit for every occasion, including professional settings!

Follow along as we walk you through the essential professional modest pieces and help you build and style an appropriate and beautiful wardrobe for your office job.

Choosing Professional Pieces

When you imagine a businesswoman, what comes to mind? What is she wearing?

A generic stock image will show a woman in a white blouse, gray or black blazer, and matching pants. You may wonder how to achieve this professional look while wearing modest skirts and injecting a bit of your personality into the mix!

It all starts with choosing professional pieces.

Skirts

When shopping for modest business wear, skirts are often a big frustration. A typical skirt suit comes with a short, tight pencil skirt with a slit in the back⁠ that’s ill-suited for your modesty preferences.

However, it is possible to find modest pencil skirts that are below-knee length! For maximum modesty and maneuverability, try to find a pencil skirt with a pleat in the back instead of a slit.

A-line midi skirts are another professional-looking option. A-line skirts offer crisp lines while being easier to walk and sit in.

The main things to avoid are bulky gathers, loud prints, and anything too attention-grabbing.

Note: If you’re worried about staying modest while sitting down, consider wearing biker shorts underneath your skirt. As a bonus, you’ll stay warmer in the frigid office AC!

Tops, blouses, and sweaters

It’s much easier to find modest professional tops than skirts, as there are plenty of elegant blouses on the market.

The key to staying modest and comfortable while wearing blouses is to make sure you have adequate undershirts and layering pieces. Here’s why:

• Undershirts add a layer of modesty to sheer and low-cut blouses.
• Undershirts keep body odor off your blouses.
• Undershirts feel comfortable against your skin.

If you’d like to wear something with more stretch, take a break from blouses and try a fitted sweater top with an elegant, understated look. You can also get by with a dressy T-shirt if you pair it with a blazer.

Blazers and jackets

Nothing says “professional” like a great blazer! Adding one or two well-fitting blazers to your wardrobe provides a simple way to instantly elevate your outfit to professional territory.

Dresses

Finally, a few modest professional dresses in your wardrobe are perfect for days when you lack the energy to choose a skirt, top, and other layering pieces. 

Business-appropriate dresses are typically fitted, solid color, elegant, and understated. Search for dresses that fall below the knee with high necklines and sleeves. 

Most of all, make sure the dress fits you well! An ill-fitting dress is the quickest way to look unprofessional. You may even want to consider getting it tailored. 

Professional Wardrobe Staples

The first step in building a professional wardrobe is to acquire a few classic staple pieces.

If you can afford it, invest in high-quality, well-fitting staples that will carry your wardrobe forward year after year. Then, take the time to care for your items properly.

Here are the basic staples you should have in your wardrobe:

• A modest black pencil skirt
• A simple, modest black dress
• A white button-down shirt (and a layering tank if the shirt is see-through)
• A plain black blouse
• A well-fitting neutral blazer

These items are so classic and professional that you can mix and match them with things you already have in your wardrobe, as well as cheaper, trendier, and more colorful items that might otherwise not scream “professional.” 

Also, staples are the key to building a capsule wardrobe if that is something that interests you.

By now you’re probably wondering, how can I style my wardrobe in a way that looks nice and shows my personality while still looking understated and professional?

Let’s talk about it!

How to Style Your Professional Wardrobe

With your professional wardrobe staples in hand, you can mix and match them with various pieces and accessories to create appropriate and chic business attire.

Of course, the idea of putting together outfits might feel overwhelming! Here are some simple guides for styling your clothing in a way that always looks nice.

Option A: Neutral-on-neutral

When in doubt, pair a neutral blouse with a neutral skirt or a neutral dress with a neutral jacket.

This understated look is perfect for when you’re in a hurry or in a position where you’re trying not to draw too much attention to yourself. 

You can also pair three neutrals together, such as a black skirt, white blouse, and gray jacket. However, check yourself in a mirror and swap out one of the items if it just doesn’t look right.

If you have a bright bag, unique shoe, or piece of statement jewelry that you’re unsure how to appropriately wear to the office, pairing it with an all-neutral outfit is a safe, worry-free choice.

Option B: One pop of interest

The great thing about having staple pieces is that you can mix and match them endlessly with more interesting pieces.

The best, most intuitive rule of thumb is to pair one or two solid neutral pieces with one colored or patterned piece. For example:

• A black pencil skirt with a lavender blouse and cream jacket
• A black blazer over a plum-colored dress
• A pinstripe skirt with a white button-down shirt

This rule will rarely steer you wrong.

Option C: Two complementary interests

With the right strategy, you can pair two unique pieces in a way that’s still cohesive, understated, and professional.

The trick is to choose one neutral piece with a pattern or interesting detail and pair it with a solid fun color.

For example, you might try:

• A black-and-white pinstripe dress paired with a green jacket

• A white blouse with black trim paired with a pale blue pencil skirt
• A black skirt with a white windowpane pattern paired with a dark orange sweater top

Styling your pieces this way allows you to play with your style and incorporate fun pieces while remaining understated and professional.

Accessorizing the outfit

Once you’ve selected clothing items that go well together, it’s time to accessorize! 

Office-appropriate accessories can be divided into two categories:

• Staple Accessories: You should have a couple of go-to belts, shoes, and handbags in neutral colors that match all your office wear, as well as some simple, understated jewelry.
• Fun Accessories: A colorful handbag or shoe, floral scarf, or statement necklace can be fun to work into your professional wardrobe as long as the pieces look sophisticated! Pair them with an understated, all-neutral outfit to avoid a garish and unprofessional appearance.

If you’d like more tips and tricks for accessorizing outfits, read our Simple Guide to Accessorizing Your Modest Wardrobe.

Creating an office uniform

If you work in an office, you don’t have time to carefully deliberate over your clothes every morning, trying on five different outfits until you find something that works.

Instead, the goal is to have a styling system that works for you so you can grab an outfit and get dressed without having to think about it.

For example, your “office uniform” might be a neutral skirt and a colored top. If you only buy blouses that pair well with the handful of neutral skirts in your wardrobe, you can grab any skirt and top from the office wear side of your closet and know it will work.

Alternatively, you might try an all-neutral office wardrobe that you pair with one unique accessory every day.

Or, your office uniform might be a solid-color dress with a black or gray blazer.

Whatever uniform you choose should simplify your life while making you feel polished and professional.

How The Main Street Exchange Can Help

By now, you may be wondering, where can I find these modest clothing staples?

At The Main Street Exchange, we specialize in providing women with modest and fashion-forward pieces for all occasions, including business settings!

In our collection, you can find the following:

• Modest skirts, including pencil skirts that extend below the knee
• Modest blouses and tops
• Modest dresses
• Layering tops to pair with sheer or low-cut blouses
• Shoes and other accessories

Look around our website and see if anything suits your taste. We’d be delighted to help you round out your modest professional wardrobe!