Dressing for Business Success

Donning the right business attire will get you on track to success. In this lesson, learn the basics of accepted office attire.

What Does ‘Casual Friday’ Mean?

When selecting your apparel for causal Friday, remember this: there’s a difference between casual for exercising and casual for the office. Unacceptable casual includes tattered blue jeans, sandals, T-shirts with slogans, and sweat suits. Acceptable casual usually means shirts with collars, tunics, khaki pants, and blouses.

Why All the Fuss About Dress When Companies Are Going Business Casual?

I have an attorney friend who swears she can tell what type of person a woman is by her shoes and her handbag. But, c’mon, do people really pay that much attention to what you wear to the office anymore? I mean, after all, aren’t more and more companies going to a relaxed dress code?

True enough. The business world in many cases is turning more casual. But don’t kid yourself — people still judge you by your clothes. It’s part of that critical first impression. And first impressions are difficult to change.

There are two rules for dress in the ‘new’ business world:

1. Dress according to your corporate culture
2. Dress like the people you are doing business with

Dress According to Your Corporate Culture

How you dress at work depends largely upon your industry, the amount of client contact you have, and the overall culture of your company.

How do you know what your corporate culture dictates? Usually your employee handbook will cover the topic of appropriate office attire. If you are still unsure, you can always ask your supervisor about appropriate dress.

Dress According to the Position You Want in the Company

If your company doesn’t cover dress in its employee handbook, look around at the other people in your office. Here’s a hint if you want to get ahead: dress like the people one level higher than your position. If you’re a front-line employee and want to advance, dress like your supervisor. If you’re a middle manager and want to move up, dress like upper management.

You’ll Never Go Wrong With This Advice

Say you’re shopping for business attire and while in the store, you wonder if a particular outfit will be appropriate for the office. Here are two rules you can use as a quick test:

1. People will always forgive you for being too conservative in your dress, but they may not always forgive you if you’re not conservative enough. Err on the side of conservative and you’ll rarely go wrong.
2. If you have to wonder or ask if an outfit is acceptable or appropriate for the office, it probably isn’t. If there’s a doubt in your mind, chances are you’ve picked up on something at the office that your subconscious is now trying to tell you isn’t right for your office.

The One Piece of Jewelry That’s Essential

While too much jewelry is a distraction in business, the one piece of jewelry you should never be without is a nice watch. Wearing a watch shows you have a sense of the importance of time. However, avoid cartoon-character watches and overly large sports watches. They send a message of frivolity.

Dress for Women

While you’ll learn many of the dos and don’ts of business dress in your next assignment, I’d like to touch on a few of the key points here.

Here Are Six Key Tips to Remember:

1. Less Is More - Understatement is the hallmark of the well-dressed. Generally, five minutes after a business meeting, your associates should not be able to remember what you were wearing. They should be able to remember that you were well-dressed. If people remember your clothes, then your clothes are making the statement — not you.
2. Mirror Your Company’s Image - Even if it’s casual Friday, if you’re expecting a client at your office, or you’re going out of the office to meet clients — keep in mind that you are a reflection of your company. Always look your best when meeting with clients and customers.
3. Be Neat - You can wear a $600 skirt suit, but if your blouse is wrinkled or there’s a grease spot on your jacket, you’ve just blown your professional image.
4. Don’t Be Revealing - Whether intentional or not, blouses that are too low cut, slacks that are too tight, and dresses or blouses that are transparent send a strong non-verbal message: that you’re not authoritative, competent, or reliable.
5. Dress for Daytime - OK. So you have an after-work engagement. Bring a change of clothes to the office and go to the restroom and change after work. Wearing evening wear to work is always a bad idea.
6. Avoid Tackiness and Trends - Colors that are too loud, fabrics that are non-traditional, and trendy clothing send a message that you either don’t care about proper business dress or you don’t know what proper business attire is. Either way, you lose credibility.

Dress for Men

Believe it or not, there are more rules for office dress for men than there are for women. Your assignment for this chapter includes reading Chapter 12 from The Etiquette Advantage in Business; but I would like to address an often-overlooked aspect of men’s business attire: accessories.

The Tie

This traditionally has been considered the most important accessory for men. Some people maintain a tie should express your individuality; others advise being safe and conservative with your tie choices for business.

The ‘rule’ here is the same as for women’s business attire: people will always forgive you for being too conservative, but few people will forgive you for not being conservative enough in most business situations.

Keep your tie width in line with the width of your lapel; wear wide ties with a wider lapel, narrower ties with narrower lapels.

1. Hats - Hats carry more connotations than any other accessory. Choose a hat style that looks good on you. The only exception: never wear a baseball cap to the office.
2. Belts and Suspenders - Coordinate belts with shoe color. The widest acceptable width for the office is one-and-a-quarter inches.Suspenders are meant as an alternative to a belt — not an addition. Coordinate suspenders to the tie. How wild you get with patterns and colors is dictated by your corporate culture.
3. Jewelry - Less is more. A wedding ring, a watch and perhaps one other ring (such as signet or family crest) are acceptable. Bracelets and neck chains are rarely acceptable in any business setting.
4. Eyeglasses - Don’t let your frames date you. Choose updated styles that go well with your face shape.
5. Umbrellas, Wallets, and Pens - The black umbrella is still best for business; leave the bright-colored ones for casual weekends. Wallets should be thin, of high-quality leather, and dark in color. And, don’t opt for a $1 plastic ballpoint pen. Choose a writing instrument of high quality.
6. How Much Hair? - Facial hair has had a checkered past in corporate America. The clean-shaven look is still preferred in most workplaces. However, a well-trimmed beard is usually acceptable. The fad among younger workers is a Van Dyke (or goatee). The plain mustache is passé; and extreme mustache styles — such as Fu Manchus and handlebars — are out of place in most business environments.

Say NO to Strong Smells

You will do well if you pay attention to your smell. This goes beyond bad body odor. For women, it means going easy on the perfume; for men, it means leaving the cologne behind — the toilet waters that refresh skin after a shower are probably the best choice. Today so many people are allergic to different fragrances that it’s risky to wear a powerful scent.

The Difference Between Casual, Business Casual, and Formal Business Attire

Many people are confused — and rightly so — about what is appropriate for ‘business casual’ attire. Below are some general definitions and when to use each type of attire.

Casual Attire

Casual attire usually refers to clothing worn when relaxing on weekends or your days off. This includes worn blue jeans, inappropriate shorts, sandals, sweat suits, T-shirts with slogans, tank tops, and cut-offs.

Unless you’re at a company picnic, casual attire is not acceptable at the office or on so-called ‘casual Fridays.’

Business Casual

Business casual refers to clothing that portrays a professional, yet relaxed image. Clothing that falls into this category includes: dress slacks, shirts with a collar, mock turtlenecks, khakis, and loafers for men; low-heeled dress shoes, casual blouses, and casual fabrics for women. It does not include bare feet in shoes — even though this has become trendy on the East Coast. (Men and women should always wear socks or hosiery — even on casual Fridays.)

And a word about grooming on business casual days — just because the dress code is slightly relaxed doesn’t mean you can relax your hygiene or grooming.

Formal Business Attire

This refers to the traditional business suit for men and the skirt or pantsuit for women. Formal business attire is appropriate when meeting with customers or clients, or if you work in an industry (such as banking, finance, or law) that dictates formal business dress.

Congratulations on completing Lesson2!

Assignment: dressing for business success

• If you are a man, please read Chapter 12, “Business Clothes for Men,” in The Etiquette Advantage in Business.
• If you are a woman, please read Chapter 13, “Business Clothes for Women,” in The Etiquette Advantage in Business.