Business Dress: How to Stay Cool & Professional in The Heat

Business dress presents a special set of problems when it's hot but you still need to look professional.

When you're not working, it's easy to stay cool by dressing down - slipping into a tank top and a pair of shorts and sandals, for instance - when it's hot out. But we all know that's not appropriate business dress, no matter how high the temperature gets. So what can we do?

Here's some business dress advice from the experts around About to solve the summer business dress problem:

• Dress for your situation - "Your attire should not upstage an event or the person you are meeting with. You want to be remembered for your business sense and not for a see-through lacy top or stilettos." - Lahle Wolfe, Small Business Attire for Women (About Women in Business).

• Keep it covered - "Clothing that reveals too much cleavage, your back, your chest, your feet, your stomach or your underwear is not appropriate for a place of business, even in a business casual setting." - Susan M. Heathfield, Dress for Work Success: A Business Casual Dress Code (About Human Resources).

• Play the color card - "Color plays a big part in professional image. Traditional career colors include red (aggressive), navy (trustworthy), gray (conservative) and black (chic). Most of these colors work well in pantsuits, skirts and shoes and mix back with softer feminine colors that are appropriate like ice blue, lilac, soft pink and ivory." - Cynthia Nellis, What to Wear to Work (About Women's Fashion).

• Keep a jacket handy - "Wearing a jacket serves notice to the world that you’re there to do business. When you wear a jacket, you're wearing the business person's uniform. Even if you take your jacket off in your own office, it’s a good idea to wear a jacket when you attend a meeting or see clients." - Paula Darnell, How to Dress for the Business/Formal Workplace in 10 Easy Steps (About Petite Fashion).

And oh yes, those sandals are a no go. The concensus is that shoes with open toes are not acceptable in the office.

So in sum, the trick to successful summer dressing for success is to depend on lighter fabrics and conservative styles. You want to look successful, not sweaty or down-at-the-heel.

Of course, looking successful is not just a matter of dressing well. It's just part of building your business image.

Image (c) Dimitri Vervitsiotis / Getty Images

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