Corporate fashion tips are all over TikTok—What does HR make of them?

Office dress codes have always been at the center of workwear debates, with corporate workers pushing the boundaries of appropriate clothing for years—but now influencers are adding to the issue, despite having no real office experience of their own.

Outfit inspiration videos are the bread and butter of many influencers’ content, but the number of social media stars giving corporate dressing advice despite having never stepped foot in an office is now sparking debate over where the line should be drawn.

Erika Migliaccio, founder of Upstream HR Strategies, is one who knows this debate all too well as an HR expert with a passion for fashion. She spoke to Newsweek about how influencers are impacting workwear, and her top tips for not compromising style for a smart outfit and avoiding the “Office Siren” route being pushed by these influencers while still feeling sexy and sophisticated.

Migliaccio doesn’t approach office wear as something boring or overly formal, instead believing that your office dress code, and employee’s choice in clothing, should be reflective of the brand image you’re trying to convey. She said, “I view it [fashion] as an extension of your personality, and I also think that within the professional setting, it’s a really important part of the brand that you build.”

While she’s not opposed to expressing yourself with clothing, Migliaccio picked up on a clear disconnect between what people are wearing in corporate styling videos on TikTok, and what someone would actually wear to work. She said, “Honestly, after watching a bunch of the videos think I could tell who was doing that trend as someone who actually works in an office and who is using that trend as someone who does not, because there is a fine line between looking put together and feminine and looking trashy [in a professional environment].”

How to Dress For a New Job

First days are daunting enough without having to worry about your outfit, so at the start of a new role, Migliaccio recommends taking time to settle and see what people are wearing around you.

VIP: Visibility, Interaction, Performace

Migliaccio uses her ‘VIP’ acronym, standing for visibility, interaction and performance to help understand how to dress for work.

“The visibility of your work, which means who knows what you do and what did they see when they see you, is where the dress comes in. Too many people rely too much on the performance, and don’t realize the visibility is just as important,” said Migliaccio.

“When you are starting off in a new place, go back to the VIP and wait until you have the other elements really solid before you start bringing in a lot of your personality—but I would also never want someone to hide who they are, so I think shoes and accessories are a great place to play.

First Impressions: 3 Words

One of the key points the expert made is that your outfit is often people’s first impression of you, meaning it needs to reflect the personality you want to put across. To know how people perceive your outfit, she recommends picking out three descriptive words you want to convey and see if your clothes give the same energy.

“I encourage people to think about what is the job that they want, and then to picture three or four people you know that have that type of a job and think to yourself, ‘If I had to describe them in three words, which words would I use?’. That’s their brand.

“The three words that you’re striving for should be reflected in what you’re wearing. If I want to crawl across as collaborative and creative and smart, then my clothes should be, you know, kind of fun and smart at the same time. If I want to come across as you the office Vixen, then I guess my clothes would reflect that too.

“If it’s a button-down shirt, a knee-length pencil skirt and a kitten heel, it’s smart, professional and stylish, but when the neckline goes so low that your tatas are hanging out and when the hemline is so short that you can’t bend over in the office and pick anything up then, to me, it’s gone too far.”

Incorporating Your Style in a Corporate Office

While you want to fit in with your office wear, don’t fear adding elements of your style to show off your personality. Not only will it help you feel more comfortable, but people can get to know you through your outfits.

“I think it’s always important to have something that reflects your personality,” shared Migliaccio. “I suggest to people to find their signature thing; so, for me, my signature thing is I like fun, printed blazer. I always show up with fun blazer, especially if I’m at a client site.

“If fashion isn’t their thing, maybe then a signature shoe is your thing, or a statement accessory. It doesn’t matter what it is, but whatever your thing is, embrace it and bring that every day to show your personality.”

Outfits: The 3-Piece Rule

For women in more traditional offices, it can be harder to have fun with fashion, but Migliaccio has another way to feel stylish without straying too far from company guidelines.

She said, “In these traditional office environments, I always suggest to women what I call the ‘Three Piece Rule’, because there’s a difference between putting on clothes in the morning and putting on an outfit in the morning.”

She continued to speak about the importance of putting together a cohesive outfit, recommending having three elements to bring together a workwear look, as she shared, “I think a three-piece outfit will show that right you’ve put thought into what you’re wearing.

“Start with a bottom—pants, a skirt—then add a top and play with something else, whether it’s a vest or jacket or even an accessory like a belt. That’s the difference between showing up and work and people saying ‘Oh, she got dressed today’ versus ‘Oh, she put thought and effort’, because if you put thought and effort to the way that you’re showing up to work, people are going to assume that you put thought and effort into other things too.”

She finished with some words of advice on the impact of fashion in building your brand, as she said, “The most important point for me is for people to realize that everybody has a brand, whether you realize it or not, and your brand may not be what you want it to be. Your brand is the way that other people experience you, so if you don’t put any effort into shaping it, it’s still gonna happen, and it might not be what you want.

“You’ve got to be deliberate in shaping the brand that you want, and it’s important for people to understand that even if your performance is strong and even if your interaction is strong, your visibility and the way that you’re showing up physically doesn’t match your brand, it’s going to have an impact on you and your career.”