What Do You Do When You Like Dressing Up

But Your Work Environment Does Not?

A few weeks ago, a young male client started a new job for a major corporation.  Focused on his new career, and eager to make a good first impression, Sam dressed most days in suit and tie. He soon noticed his co-workers (and even the CEO) dressed more casually. Still preferring to wear a jacket, Sam asked me “How do I dress so I don’t look like I am trying too hard, or feel out of place and overdressed but still boost my confidence?”

Working in an office environment sporting a Business Casual dress code can be tricky. Corporate casualness is a sign of the changing times. In many companies, Business Casual Attire is becoming the norm instead of the Traditional Business Attire.  According to Women’s Wear Daily, the bible of the apparel industry, “Business casual is the single most fundamental change in how people dress for the office since the 1970’s when women began wearing slacks to work.” Business Casual offers more choices, but more choices create more confusion. And more confusion means a greater probability of making poor clothing choices.

How do you define Business Causal?

Imagine a continuum of clothing styles with the traditional business suit on the left;jeans and t-shirt on the right. The look of the tailored and constructed suit provides formality, projecting maximum credibility and professionalism. Loose jeans and un-constructed T-shirt provides ease, allowing maximum comfort and personal creativity. Business Casual is a merger of these 2 clothing styles. Business Casual combines the professionalism of the traditional style together with the comfort of the casual style. For a professional and yet comfortable look, always think business first, casual second. For example, choose a traditional style blazer made in a more casual fabric such leather, denim or corduroy, or a looser style jacket made in a more traditional fabric such as wool gabardine.

So what do you do when you like dressing up but your work environment does not?

It is a well-known fact that we tend to dress up on Mondays, and dress down as the week goes on to finish with Casual Fridays. If you are the type of man like Sam who enjoys wearing a suit, here’s a potential weekly scenario that might inspire and help you dress it down:

Monday: Wear your suit with a medium coloured shirt and tie. Take off your jacket at the office for a more relaxed look … you can always slip it on if needed.

Tuesday: Leave the tie at home and wear the suit with a slightly darker or brighter shirt, but keep the shirt collar buttoned up for a more professional look.

Wednesday: Get comfortable by wearing your suit with a mock neck or turtleneck sweater, in good quality cashmere, wool or wool and cotton blends. Try leather slip-on shoes instead of your usual brogues.

Thursday: Wear your suit with a geometric print shirt left unbuttoned at the neck.

Casual Friday: Wear a good quality golf shirt in a brighter colour, with a more casual pair of shoes.

Business casual doesn’t mean looking sloppy. Clean and press your clothes and be well groomed at all times. Stains, rips and missing buttons, looking dishevelled or unshaven will only erode your credibility.

Business Casual attire is not the same as the clothes you might wear lounging at home, the beach, exercising, or outdoor activities unless of course you happen to be a fitness instructor or a gardener by profession. Your career is important, so do your homework and gather information, just like Sam, before making that important purchase decision. Hire an image professional to help you… the return on your investment is worth its weight in gold!

As published in the AICI Canada/Toronto Chapter’s Newsletter “Inside Image” ~ Summer 2008 Men’s Issue & AICI International Image Update November 2008 Issue  “Best of the Chapters”