Teen style: Defining ‘business casual’

With your teen moving into having more responsibility, be it getting a job, giving a presentation at school etc., you want to see your teen bloom into the best ME they can be. How your kids present themselves at these moments fashion-wise can be a make or break.

In the words of the great Coco Chanel:

"Dress shabbily and they will remember the clothes,

dress impeccably and they will remember the person"

How you dress IS important! How you portray who you are outwardly matters, especially with teens. It can be an awkward time for them as they learn to be comfortable in their own skin and get to know who they are, who they want to be. Dressing nice and respectable doesn't have to cost hundreds of dollars. Five hundred dollars of clothing can mean nothing if you don't have good manners, cleanliness and confidence; all of which are free!

In a recent SFM blog, Simply Hannah offered up 'Tips for teens looking for summer jobs' . In Step 2: The Interview Process, one of the tips was:

• Dress for the environment you’d be working in. For example, if it’s an office setting, dress professionally. If it’s a stocking position, dress business casual.

This day and age it's hard to define what exactly "business casual" is, especially with teens. It's not just a clean t-shirt and jeans and not quite your Sunday best, but somewhere in the middle.   I had the pleasure of taking a couple teens shopping to model and pick out some outfits that they would wear for a job interview or important occasion. Below are some examples of teen business casual outfits. All clothing shown can be found at H&M in Rimrock Mall.