What to wear to work

Advice About What to wear to work

One of the most appropriate uses for business casual clothing is a normal day at the office. As corporate culture has become less formal, business casual clothing has become increasingly acceptable and popular in the workplace. For many companies and industries, business casual is now the recommended attire and increasing more and more companies are adopting it. Unfortunately though, people have different perceptions about what is considered business casual and what is not. The following advice outlines what is considered business casual for different environments.

For industries that are more formal, such as consulting or banking, or for client meetings or important presentations, more formal business casual clothing is appropriate. For occasions like these, men should wear a long-sleeved buttoned down collared dress shirt with a nice pair of dark pants. Wool pants are recommended over other materials such as cotton. A matching jacket is optional and appropriate for more important occasions. Shoes should be black leather and a matching belt should be worn. Dark socks should also be worn that match the pant and shoe color.

In less formal environments, business casual can include lighter colored pants including khaki colored cotton pants. With lighter colored pants, men should assure that they are wearing a matching shirt and pair of shoes. Brown shoes and brown belts work better with khaki pants. Socks should also be matched appropriately.

Useful Tips

When in doubt about the setting, always dress on the more formal side
On the first day of work, dress on the more formal side. Then adjust when you see what others are wearing
Most important is that you match. Wearing a belt or shoes that doesn't match can be worse than being under or over dressed