Learning where to draw the line between dressing fashionably and professionally can be a hard line to walk, and getting it wrong can get you in hot water with your HR department14:44, 10 Jun 2026Updated 15:37, 13 Jun 2026When it comes to dressing for the office, it can be difficult to know where to draw the line when it comes to certain clothes and accessories. For women especially, there are lots of things to think about when getting ready for a day in the office, especially as a dress you might wear for dinner with your friends might not be appropriate in a corporate setting.‌Of course, you can dress as fashionably as you like, but there are certain things you'd probably wear a pair of tights with or put a vest underneath so as to avoid showing too much skin. Not doing this could leave you in hot water with your HR department or, sadly, leave colleagues questioning your professionalism.‌One HR expert is warning people, especially women, who may be considering wearing one specific item when coming into the office, as she believes it is "never appropriate".‌Maddy Gillbanks, an Australian Human Resources professional, shared her thoughts on the clothing item, which has become more and more popular with women over the years.What clothing item should you never wear in the office?Maddy was assessing a number of photos that had been sent to her to consider if they would be HR approved or not. The first picture showed a woman wearing a long black midi skirt, with a white cotton t-shirt that had shoulder pads but was also short enough that a small section of her stomach skin was showing.She paired the skirt and top with a beige blazer and black kitten heels. Maddy said: "This one is cute, I don't mind it. It's got the mid-riff showing a little bit, and obviously it's a cotton t-shirt which usually I would be against - but it this is more of a business casual setting then I would be so fine with it.‌"I'm going to ultimately say no because the skirt is a little bit too low rise for that top. You want a bit of a safety gap where the hems overlap a little bit."The second outfit was a woman wearing a black structured a-symmetrical top with puffy sleeves along with a pair of cream satin and lace shorts underneath.Maddy said: "Oh my gosh, guys if you know me, you know that I hate shorts in the office. It's hardly ever appropriate, especially with the lance and these ones are so so short. Even if you have a very casual workplace, I still wouldn't really recommend it. Not HR approved."‌Content cannot be displayed without consentAnother picture also showed a woman wearing shorts, which Maddy described as "criminal".She said: "Criminal, we've got more shorts. I'm going to have to say no. But I like that she has got the button up with it, it's just not suitable for the office."‌People commented on the video to give their own opinion on the HR experts point of view, with many people commenting on her opinions being too harsh.One person said: "Thank god my office doesn’t care this sounds so miserable omg."A second person said: "Those lace shorts are wild, and our corporate office is very casual."Article continues belowA third person added: "Whereas we literally wear trackies, hoodies and trainers in my office."A fourth said: "I’m obsessed with how you talk about people. even if you think it’s not HR approved you’re so nice about it."