Traditional business attire includes outfits composed of a business suit, dress shirt, and to be safe a tie, leather shoes and matching dress socks. If you like, add a touch of personal style in the form of a pocket square, a pair of suspenders or a watch that may elicit a comment. A successful bankruptcy trustee, one of our customers, always wore his Mickey Mouse suspenders to tense meetings to break the hostile mood.
Business formal is appropriate when specified and is usually for an after 5 event. Business formal is one step down from a tuxedo and calls for a dark tailored suit. A black suit is preferable, but dark blue or dark grey should be adequate. Wear a solid white shirt or one that has a tone on tone effect. French cuffs with elegant cuff links are classy. Wear a tie in a solid color or with a conservative pattern unless you want to make a statement. A pocket square is a nice touch. Wear dark matching socks in the same color or darker than your suit. This level of dress is often requested for Award dinners, political events, and a variety of dressy evening business occasions that are not black-tie.
Business casual is somewhat of a grey area as it can be a sport coat and matching pant with a dress shirt in one organization or a pair of non jeans and a non T-shirt top in another. If you are heading to a meeting in uncharted waters, to be safe, wear a sport coat and dress pant, dress or moderately casual shirt with a pattern and no tie. You can always remove the sport coat and let your chair wear it. A somewhat casual leather shoe and belt are the way to go. Remember, absolutely no running shoes or heavy socks. When dressing business casual always consider the image you want to convey.
Professionals in the world of business need to be familiar with today’s business attire terminology. Following are some accepted guidelines.
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