How To Dress Business Casual as a NeuroQueer Office Babe

The Great Return To Office is among us, friends.

Remote work is becoming more scarce and RTO mandates popping up left and right are becoming the norm. This is a pain for many reasons - open and noisy workspaces, commutes, overhead lighting, increased chances of burn-out, navigating reasonable accommodations and general sensory overload being just a few.

And don’t even get me started on the office dress code!

No more “Winnie The Pooh”ing. You know what I mean - fancy top, no bottom.

I know you’ve done it. Heck, I bet you’re doing it right now!

Sorry, let me get us back on track —

There is one corporate dress code term that has always stumped me - business casual. Anecdotally, business casual seems to be a prevalent office dress code. It also completely stumps me. Business is inherently formal and causal is inherently informal…so what do y’all even mean?! Don’t worry (or do - that’s cool too!) - we’ve got a few tips that might help you!

Do you identify as business or casual?

I’m gonna do the thing that your high school teacher told you not to do and reference scholarly journal Wikipedia right now so buckle up! This isn’t for science, it’s just for us to have a little springboard okay?! Okay!

“Business casual is an ambiguously defined Western dress code that is generally considered casual wear but with smart (in the sense of "well dressed") components of a proper lounge suit from traditional informal wear, adopted for white-collar workplaces” - Scholarly Journal Wikipedia

Side-note - don’t we love how Wikipedia also considers business casual “ambiguous” 🤣?!

We have Silicon Valley to thank for this nonsense, by the way. Now that we know what we’re dealing with (but do we though?), let’s press on!

Be So For Real…

Before you can even get your wardrobe together, you need to be really honest with yourself. So many of us NeuroQueers have sensory needs when it comes to clothing. I have been a victim of purchasing a trendy item or two, despite knowing full-well that it was going to be an issue. I just wanted to look cool in 70s-inspired high-waisted jeans!

And I did look pretty cool! But my seething discomfort and general grumpiness while wearing the jeans because the weirdly sewn seams on the waist were rubbing against my skin in a way that made me feel nauseous was not cool.

Or the time I bought a trendy long-sleeved shirt to wear on hot sunny days so that I wouldn't feel the sun on my skin but the arms were unbelievably tight. I didn’t know I hated tight arm-holes until I put that shirt on.

We’re living, we’re learning 🪄

The point is - if you know certain types of clothing will be a sensory nightmare, be real with yourself and avoid them!

Be Basic

No, you do not need to start wearing uggs and drinking PSLs. But, having basic staple items will help you survive the business casual code. Donna Karen’s “7 Easy Pieces” collection from the 80s wasn’t just popular because it looked good - it was popular because it made a lot of sense! Make yourself an album of inspo looks you’re into and you can build some ideas from there.

Adding sensory-friendly-to-you accessories can help you level up your looks! Your accessories can even serve as quiet fidget items that can help you focus on getting through a day of trying to drown out the sound of other people’s meetings!

You think they made spinner rings for fashion?! Not a chance!

Be A Version Of You

Something that really helped me figure out what my business casual look could be was the internet. I know…the internet being helpful and not a source of anxiety in 2025! What a concept!

By doing a pretty simple search like, “[ my personal style ] business casual” on a bunch of social media platforms, I was actually able to find some really solid examples of my own style that could translate to business casual!

And - hear me out here - this could also be an interesting opportunity to indulge in your hyper-fixations and special interests! Neurodivergent folks are more likely to express our individuality and our interests through what we wear. We all had that fictional character we were obsessed with as children…or as adults. So if you’ve always wanted to dress like Elle Woods circa First Days at Harvard - go for it! Or, if you’re itching to emulate Kurt Cobain with a business casual twist - a real inspo album that I made when I started hybrid work - the knitwear is waiting!

Be Perceptive

When you arrive for your first day at the office, take note of what other folks are wearing. My first day in the office, I saw someone in a pantsuit and stilettos, someone in baggy denim and a baseball cap, and someone in an oversized Hello Kitty sweater. This is when I realized that no one else knows what business casual means either 🤣! Taking cues from your manager will also help you get more clear on what is or isn’t office appropriate!

Black Jeans

So, What Have We Learned?

TLDR; Business casual is fake, accessories can double as fidget items, and black jeans are a solid fail-safe plan 🖤 👖

At the end of the day, your goal isn’t to look like a corporate mannequin — it’s to survive the fluorescent jungle in clothes that don’t make your skin crawl and still get you a nod of approval from HR.

RTO making you..uh…re-think a few things? Book a vibe check and get some input from NeuroQueer coaches who’ve been exactly where you are now!