Cargo pants are comfortable to wear, but are these 6+ pocketed cousin to the chino appropriate business attire? It really depends on what industry you are in, and if your company allows it. Unless you are Bear Grylls and require 14 pockets on your pants to store supplies, avoid them in the workplace.

Identifying cargo pants: Cargo pants are plain khaki pants with 2 or more pockets added, and sometimes come with their own canvas or drawstring belt. They are handy for outdoor work, or storing a mid-afternoon snack, are very comfortable and very casual looking. Cargo pockets are not subtle pockets like the hip pockets on most pants. Instead, they stick out in a distracting manner and are usually fastened by giant buttons or zippers. Basically, if there is a pocket below your hip pocket, it is a cargo pant.

What about skirts? “Cargo” can also come in skirt form and should be avoided in the same manner.

What you should wear instead: For guys and ladies, look for pants that have 2 side pockets and 2 back pockets. If it has more than 4 pockets, only buy it for after work or the weekends. Corduroys are also acceptable in a business setting.

Always check with your workplace: Always check with your company about dress code policy. Depending on what industry you are in, employers will have different opinions of cargo pants. Companies that are in an office setting or work with the public tend to shy away from cargo pants. But if your employer is a small company with a flexible dress code, by all means add them to your work wardrobe.

Where to buy business casual pants:
Believe it or not, Goodwill or your favorite second hand store, will have a great selection of work appropriate pants. With a price point of $5, they can easily help you build your business casual wardrobe. In addition to great second hand deals, there may be stores in your area that sell discounted designer clothing like Marshalls, T.J. Maxx and Kohls in the $10-$40 price range. Stores like Gap, Banana Republic and H&M also have a great selection of business casual clothing that range from $30-$80.

What does your company think of cargo pants in the work place? Are you wearing them right now? Let us know.

Does your wardrobe meet your employer’s expectations? Is your favorite basketball jersey appropriate business casual attire? Over the next several weeks we will explore what business casual means, great tips for looking presentable and where to find affordable work clothing.

Part one explores four general rules for business casual work attire:

All clothing must look and smell clean.
Every Sunday, look at your work wardrobe and plan when you have to do laundry again. Never wear the same socks, underwear, under shirts and shirts in the same workweek without washing them first. (We have all had those days, when wearing yesterday’s socks seemed like a good idea at 6:00 in the morning.) Use your own discretion on pants, if you only wore them for 3 hours earlier in the week they are safe.
  

What you wear to the night club/ballgame/family picnic/ is not work casual:
In a business casual environment, rule out any clothing that exposes too much skin. This includes tank tops, short shorts or skirts and shirts that do not cover the stomach or back. The jersey you wore to Thursday’s ballgame or last summer’s family picnic is also not appropriate. Hats and caps can be worn when entering or leaving work, but should be moved prior to starting your shift.

Avoid distressed, tattered and faded clothing.
Distressed clothing is a big NO for work. Even though you spent $100 dollars on those great new jeans, giant rips or tears are not okay for a workplace. Ripped jeans are very trendy, but keep in mind everyone has a different taste in style. In your mind, you may be a trendy hipster, but to others you may come off as the sloppy new coworker that cannot afford “whole” jeans.

An Iron should be your new Best Friend.
Never show up to your workplace with a wrinkled shirt or pair of pants. Showing up at work in an un-ironed shirt looks sloppy and very unprofessional. Hate ironing? No problem. There are many wrinkle release sprays you can purchase for about $3-$5, and can transform your wrinkled pants into tomorrow’s work pants. Do you not have enough time to use the spray? Many clothing manufacturers like Dockers make “Wrinkle Free” clothing. If you cannot purchase wrinkle free clothing, simply hang your clothing in the bathroom when you take a shower. The steam from the hot water will remove the wrinkles.