First up in my Outfits for Teachers series are business casual options. Of my requests for a business casual dress code, many of you asked for pieces that were still comfortable to wear. So I chose pants with stretch, some even as stretchy as leggings. There were also a lot of requests for layers you can wear in the A/C, so while these may look a little too warm for the beginning of the school year, they’re layered with sleeveless or short-sleeve options you can fall back on when going outdoors.
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Business Casual Outfits for Teachers
My Sizing: I’m 4’10”, and my bust, waist, and hip measurements are 32″, 24″, and 36″. My inseam is 25″ (the measurement from the inside of my leg to my ankle bone). The clothes shown are unaltered and show how they fit me right from the store. I list my sizing beside each item to help you compare when shopping online. When referencing my true size, that is often the smallest option available at a brand or petite xxs/00/24. I wear a size 5 shoe.
In sticking with a business casual theme, I didn’t include any sneakers in this post, but don’t worry – I’ll have some of those options in other posts in the series. Instead, I chose a pair of flats I know I could stand in all day long, but many of my teacher friends recommended Vionics flats, Sam Edelman Loafers, and these flats from Amazon that are less expensive than my Shutz pair.
Ponte Pants
The first outfit in the post is with a pair of leggings level comfort ponte pants from LOFT. These pants are very stretchy and comfortable and have an overall true-to-size fit. I mentioned in my review of the pants in this post that it’s a little tricky to tuck your top into them without seeing the top through the pants, so I chose a top in this outfit that is shorter in length (less to tuck in) and added the blazer on top. Although I have the sleeves pushed back in this outfit, The Schoolboy Blazer from J.Crew has great petite sleeve length.
Top Petite XXS | Pants Petite XXS | Tote | Shoes tts | Less Expensive Shoes | Blazer Petite 00
You can also wear these pants with a cozy cardigan – the top underneath is lightweight and short sleeved, so it’s still appropriate for the summer heat at the beginning of the school year.
Top Petite XXS | Pants Petite XXS | Cardigan XS | Tote | Shoes tts | Less Expensive Shoes
A half-tucked top also works well with these pants. In the post, I’m only wearing a camisole under the sweater, but for practicality, I would recommend a scoop neck t-shirt underneath so you can take the sweater off if you need to.
Pants Petite XXS | Cardigan XS | Tote | Shoes tts | Less Expensive Shoes
Ankle Flare Pants
I’m kicking myself for not grabbing this pair of pants in a different color so every outfit wasn’t navy – but hopefully, these outfits inspire you, and you can always opt for a different color to mix it up. The ankle flare pants look straight from the front and flare front to back at the ankle. They have a true-to-size fit and a good amount of stretch. They’re not leggings level stretch, but enough stretch to be comfortable and keep form bagging out with wear. This pair is a great pair to wear into the winter as they will pair nicely with boots tucked under the pants.
In the first outfit, I paired them with a sleeveless poplin top and one of my favorite layering pieces for work, the sweater blazer from Quince.
Pants Petite 00 | Sweater Blazer XS in Speckled Beige | Top XXS | Tote | Shoes tts | Less Expensive Shoes
An oversized button-down is one of my favorite things to wear. It’s comfortable but still polished. I typically like to balance the oversized fit with slim, straight, or skinny bottoms, but the ankle flare pants are slim enough up top that I think it still works! I added a sweater over the shoulders to take along if you need something extra in the classroom, but that’s a just-in-case piece; the outfit doesn’t need it.
Pants Petite 00 | Top Petite XXS | Cardigan XS | Tote | Shoes tts | Less Expensive Shoes
Up next, Casual Outfits for Teachers!
-Brooke
