There are two cardinal rules to business casual dressing. One, casual does not equal sloppy. Two, business casual does not equal boring. These two rules should be observed with particular care during the warm weather months, when heat and humidity constantly tempt us into becoming lazy and careless about everything, including the way we look.
MEN
Gentlemen, news item: khakis are not the only pants that can be worn comfortably in the summer. There are alternatives to this worn-to-death office staple. Peruse stores lik Tommy Bahamas and catalogs like Magellan's and Travel Smith for crisp wrinkle-resistant washable trousers in light breathable fabrics and a range of subdued colors from the pale linens to the classy grays.
The same retailers sell light short-sleeve silk shirts that are much more cool and comfortable than polo shirts. And please - PLEASE - do not attempt wearing undershirts as pretend t-shirts - it just doesn't work. If you do wear a t-shirt, pick a good quality one in a nice non-stuffy knit and a flattering color. Speaking of colors - pale blue and white are not the only two colors in existence. Men can and should wear colors as long as the color choice flatters the natural complexion, eye and hair. Nobody is asking you to show up decked out in fuchsia pink or lime green. However, there is an entire range of blues, blue-greens, greens and reds that is yours for the taking. Stand in front of the mirror in good natural light, hold different color garments up to your face, pick the ones that look best and WEAR them.
If you have an interview or an important meeting in the middle of the day - something that might require a more formal look - peruse Magellan's and Travel Smith's travel blazers and jackets. Find one with a textured look - chances are it would go well with almost anything - and keep it in your office or cubicle for a quick update from casual to more formal.
Finish your look with comfortable shoes. Many loafers come with mesh panels, allowing your feet to breathe in the sweltering heat. If you work in a truly casual workplace, go for nice sandals - nice being the key word here, meaning they shouldn't look like hiking or orthopaedic sandals. Make sure your shoes go with your belt - these little details are always important.
WOMEN
Ladies, why are you still stuck in the eternal black pants and shoes you have been wearing for ages? Aside from the fact that black does not - contrary to popular opinion - go with everything and kills the beautiful summer colors on the spot, black also absorbs heat. Why would you want an entire lower portion of your body to become a heat sink in this weather? As far as pants are concerned, women have many more options than men do: from crisp business trousers in lighter fabrics, such as those sold by Newport News and Metro Style, to flowing palazzo pants from the likes of Travel Smith.
Or - there is a radical idea - be a girl and wear a dress! Beautiful summer dresses in every imaginable cut, color and pattern are available everywhere and in every price range. If you can splurge - go to Macy's, if you can't - go to Ross or TJ Max, where you can snag a fabulous Calvin Klein for a fraction of the price. The point is - you are a woman, so be one! The concept that femininity does not belong in a workplace is a fallacy. Putting on a lovely summer frock with cute sandals is not going to subtract any points from your IQ - I promise you. Incidentally, a well-cut dress in a good natural breathable fabric is a lot more comfortable than those stuffy black pants and perpetual white shirts you have imprisoned yourself within. When picking out a summer dress or top, avoid super-clingy fabrics - they will make you feel like a sausage tightly encased in plastic and make you sweat just about as much. Rather, choose fabrics with a bit more heft to them, but - if at all possible - with the minimum of synthetic fibers and combined with a fitted cut of the garment. That way, you will always look neat and trim.
Women have somewhat more freedom in wearing short-sleeve and three-quarter-length-sleeve t-shirts to work, so take advantage of it. That is not to say that your "I love rednecks!" t-shirt in neon orange suddenly becomes acceptable in an office environment. Rather, pick a range that you can leverage later in the fall and winter under suits, which means solid colors or subdued patterns, quality fabrics that won't fray easily, and - yet again - proper fit and neckline that flatters you. If you are not certain, which top would do the most for you, read "What Not to Wear" by Trinny Woodal and Susannah Constantine of the BBC fame. They provide an excellent guide for picking the best combinations of neckline and sleeve length and style for your body type.
Shoes... Shoes are important. Clumpy black pumps in the summer will kill your feet (not to mention your outfit). Do your homework and find comfortable sandals, slingbacks and / or wedges to compliment the rest of your look. Try them on and walk around in them before buying. Shop for shoes in the evening, after you have been on your feet all day, to make sure the shoes can accommodate your feet even when they are tired and swollen.
Pull it all together with the right accessories. Just because you work in a casual environment, does not mean you cannot dress things up a bit with fabulous earrings or bracelets. Give yourself an excuse to wear your jewelry without having to wait for a special occasion. A pair of gorgeous chandelier earrings, worn with your hair up, and paired with a ballerina-neck three-quarter-sleeve t-shirt, nicely cut jeans and wedges makes for a fantastic look. Don't overdo the bling - you don't want to look like a walking Christmas tree, but do pick one thing that would make you pop, and go with it.
BUSINESS BAGS
Why do so many professionals go around ruining their outfits - not to mention their postures - by trucking those huge ugly nylon computer backpacks or by dragging around the huge ugly computer roller bags. Stop! Go through the content of your bag and determine whether you really need to be carrying around everything that's in it. Chances are, those files you keep dragging around to and fro between your home and your office, can just stay at the office for good - or stored on your computer in electronic form. Do you really look at them all that often after hours? And besides, leaving that stuff at work will reduce your temptation to work from home, thus, leaving you more time for you and for your spouses and children.
If you carry some cosmetic and hygiene supplies, minimize everything. You don't need an entire bag of this or a whole box of that. Almost any pharmacy sells just about every product imaginable in travel-size now (due to the airline restrictions) - so if you think you'll need a touch up in the middle of the day, find what you need in miniaturized form and use it.
Once you have emptied your bag of all the junk, you will realize, you don't need this huge steamer trunk anymore. eBags.com, Ross and TJ Max have tons of very nice laptop bags and portfolios that are not black, not nylon, not ginormous and not ugly. Get one or two of those instead of your ugly black hulk. You'll be amazed, how much better you look and feel - what with a nicer bag to compliment your outfit and a better posture to go with it.
In general, remember that even casual dressing can be done wrong by wearing clothes that do not fit you properly and do not flatter you in any way - there are, in fact, many ways you can mess this up. So, if you are picking khakis, pick the ones with flat front instead of pleated, because the flat ones look neater and trimmer, whereas the pleated ones make everyone look pregnant - men and women. If you are picking jeans, pick the ones in a nice dark or in an attractive gray wash and TRY THEM ON. If you look slouchy, or shapeless, or like you are about to fall out of them - don't buy them, regardless of how trendy they might be. Do not obsess about labels and size tags - find the right fit and look, and if the number on the size tag is upsetting you - cut the stupid thing off and go out to enjoy summer!