Fashion designer Betsy Johnson is VERY successful and professional as well as the quintessential creative dresser

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Office dress code for creative professions and jobs has some artistic leeway

If you are a recent college graduate, or just someone who is desperately trying to find a job, you are probably well versed in what you should or should not wear to a job interview and what you should or should not wear to work.

Do not wear flip flops!

Do not wear outrageous make-up.

Look professional, clean, crisp and polished.

However, if you have been hired to work in a particularly creative business, in an artistic field, where individuals freely express their artistic tendencies not only in their work but in their clothing, showing up dressed like a banker is not going to win you points.

Boring, uncreative, uninspired, conventional dressers need not apply, may be the company motto. In all likelihood the business is trying to find a creative professional that will mesh with the rest of the staff and if the staff is a group of highly talented artists, they will spot an imposter or the wrong fit right away.

The office dress code in an innovative, imaginative environment will not be the same as what an elementary school teacher is expected or required to wear to work. Frankly, if you like freedom of choice and expression you are going to love working in this type of office.

Creative professionals have an artistic dress code and typically do not dress as conservatively as those working in more conventional jobs. There is more freedom in this type of work environment to experiment with your clothing. The type of work that is going on in a particular office greatly influences who is going to want to work there and what they will wear. Formal dress codes are not likely to be in place in a funky workplace but there may be some restrictions. 

When hired to work in a creative and artistic office, find out as much as you can about the company and the way the employees dress. Try to get a peek at the top employees and see how they dress. Copy what they are wearing.

Your clothing should reflect your flair and creativity when working in a job or in an environment that demands creativity. A basic black suit with no embellishments or jewelry is probably going to be out of place.

If you are not naturally creative, and your clothing is dull, ask a friend who is stylish and trendy to help you. If you are completely clueless and do not have a knack for fashion yet you try to dress yourself without input or assistance you may end up looking absurd, totally missing the creativity mark. It is easy to get carried away, inadvertently slipping into a mishmash and end up looking like a bag lady and nothing like the artiste that you aspired to dress as.

Take, for instance, the Olson twins of TV fame, who are ardent fashionistas. However, their creative dressing is often borderline bag lady-ish and probably not something that even the most fashion forward person wants to emulate. Certainly, you have at least one trendy in-the-know friend who can teach you the ropes. In time, you will be able to do it yourself.

A good way to ramp up your outfit without spending a lot of money is incorporating a few quirky accessories, such as earrings or a bracelet that have flair and show that you possess the same panache.

A creative person naturally tends to dress artistically. In fact, they probably could not dress conservatively if demanded that they do so.

If you are on a very thin budget, you must be resourceful and thrifty. Go to second hand stores or vintage shops and see if you can pick up some imaginative and ingenious clothing for a fraction of the cost that brand new clothing is going to cost you.  Buy a great looking scarf with a lot of color and design and this can change up the look of an outfit that you have to wear more than you would prefer. Get some great looking shoes or boots. Buy a good looking purse that is both functional and beautiful.

Resources:

Defining your personal style