Appropriate Business Professional Attire for Men

Business professional attire for men consists of formal wear. When your work has this dress code, expect to look your best every day. Your clothing choices should be both conservative and neat. Oftentimes, businesses with this dress code require men to wear suits or at least long-sleeve button-up shirts with dress pants. The following industries tend to require business professional attire:

• Business
• Law
• Finance
• Government

You may also have to dress more formally for the following occasions:

• Job interviews
• Networking events
• Job fairs
• Client meetings

While business professional attire for men is quite formal, business casual attire is more laid back. You often see this kind of dress code in creative industries like marketing and advertising. Rather than wearing suits and ties, men can wear a nice polo shirt, sweater, or collared knit shirt for their top. For their bottoms, they can wear khakis or more casual-looking dress pants. Some companies even allow their employees to wear jeans as long as they are free from embellishments or tears.

Men can wear the following clothing items when following a business professional attire dress code:

• Suits: The ideal suit for this kind of dress code is solid-colored or has subtle pinstripe details. The unspoken rule of thumb is that you can wear dark gray, navy blue, or black any time of year. If you want to switch things up in the summertime, you can opt for a lighter gray or deep blue suit.
• Long-sleeve button-down shirts: Pick a shirt that’s either solid white, light-blue, or medium-blue depending on the color of your suit jacket. If you’re interested in trying a new color, first see how your more experienced coworkers dress. They will have a better understanding of what’s acceptable in the workplace. When choosing a dress shirt, choose one with a French or barrel cuff. When adding on cuff links, keep them simple.
• Ties and accessories: Solid ties are ideal since they are conservative and don’t draw much attention. You can add in patterns as long as they’re subtle. Small stripes and patterns that match your suit are best. Only wear a traditional tie vs. a bow tie or something more trendy. An acceptable accessory for men is a nice watch. Opt for one with a leather strap and analog clock face.
• Shoes: Oxfords, loafers, monkstraps, and classic cap-toed shoes are all suitable options for your footwear. When choosing socks, always wear dress socks that blend in with your outfit. The general rule is to match them with your pants, so you’d wear black dress socks with black pants and gray dress socks with gray pants.
• Hairstyles: The old expectation for formal men’s hairstyles was for them to be high and tight. As more workplaces are learning to be more accepting of various cultures and religions, this expectation is starting to change.

Follow these tips to dress for success in a workplace that requires a formal dress code:

• Find a tailor. Getting your clothes custom-tailored to your body will instantly make you look more put together. Each time you get a new item of clothing, have to tailor look at it to see if it needs to be refitted. Having well-fitting clothes can instantly make you feel more confident.
• Follow washing directions. In order to keep your dress wear nice, always follow the wash and dry instructions found in the tag. For example, many suits require dry cleaning. If you ignore these directions, you could risk ruining your work clothes. They may become misshapen, dingy, or shrink.
• Iron or steam wrinkly clothing. Never show up to work with a wrinkly outfit. This can make you appeal disheveled and sloppy. By pressing your clothing ahead of time, you can look put together and polished. If you don’t want to iron yourself, there are plenty of services that can do it for you.
• Err on the side of caution. If you’re unsure of what to wear, always dress on the conservative side. This is especially true when going to an interview or just starting a job. As you get more comfortable in your position and discover you can bend the dress code, then you can break out the fun tie or interesting dress shirt.
• Buy pants that are long enough. When trying on clothes, you may think your dress pants are long enough because you are standing. When shopping, try a few different movements to make sure your pants fit well. For example, when you are sitting down, make sure they don’t ride up. You can always buy pants that are too long and get them altered.
• Less is more. Rather than buying a bunch of cheaply made dress clothes, buy a few high-quality items. These items are likely to last longer anyway, which can save you money in the long run.
• Pick your outfit out in advance. This can help you avoid any last-minute mishaps. When you pick out your clothes the night before, you have time to iron or check it over for any stains.
• Use a lint roller. If you have a pet, avoid snuggling with them up close until the workday is over. If you must give your pets a physical goodbye, keep a lint roller in your car to remove any hair.