So, I'm a student physical therapist, and I'm going to be spending some time this month doing clinical experience stuff. I asked my workplace what to wear and they said the following: "Business casual is what we say...dark colored scrub pants and a top are fine." Problem: I'm really bad at figuring out what words mean. Do they mean I should wear dark scrubs, or dark scrub pants with a non-scrub top? If the top isn't a scrub top, should it have, like, a collar/long sleeves? If I wear non-scrub pants, what cut should they be? Like, I own somewhat narrow but not really tight-fitting gray slacks, and a nice navy-blue top that doesn't have sleeves, but fully covers my torso and chest, and is somewhat loose, and... I'm probably going to post outfit pictures for consults or something. I'm a woman, and I understand nothing about blouses and how to tell if they're professional, and I'll probably be fine, but I'm going to worry about this forever, because anxiety and having no idea how to appropriate clothing for anything.
My best guess at interpretation is that they mean dark scrub pants and a non-scrub top. It's not bad to err on the side of formality when you're new to a workplace (my cubicle-dwelling job, I started out with work pants and work tops every day, and now I hardly wear anything but jeans), but my best guess is that they're wanting you to look vaguely professional but feel comfortable? So if the gray slacks are comfy enough that you think you'll be fine in them for a day of work, I think it's totally fine to go with that. Those definitely fall under the heading of 'business casual', and you'll get a chance to look around and see what other people are wearing. Tops are trickier, because "professional" is such a vague, unhelpful term :P It's a pet peeve of mine. Sleeveless tops can vary depending on the cut, but as long as it isn't skintight, you're not showing much sideboob, and your cleavage is under control, you're probably fine. It'll be harder to get away with sleeveless as the weather gets colder, but I've seen lots of sleeveless work outfits throughout the summer.Generally speaking, anything that's nicer material than a tank top and doesn't show too much skin is probably a safe bet, but I get by pretty often with a tank top + cardigan combo (and mixing and matching those artificially increases the size of my work wardrobe, huzzah). In fact, bringing a cardigan along is probably a good idea if you're worried, and it's a good thing to have on hand in case your bra straps decide that you're not the boss of them. Throwing a cardigan over a shirt is like the ultimate cheat code for making an outfit that totally counts as work appropriate.
Oh god, I don't think I'll be able to stand wearing a cardigan, it'll probably be in the 80s and this is home health, so we're going driving around to patients' homes. I can bring one anyway, I guess. The advice on tops helps, I think I have some things I can wear.
