Fashion as a business tactic - How to dress for business

Fashion has different holds over different people. Some value it as being extremely important and a major element in their day to day routine, while others don’t really care and will wear anything as long as it’s clean. When it comes to business attire however, there is no middle ground and those who want to be successful need to take a particular dress code into account. Here, we will give you some important tips about how you should dress, and what business outfit suggestions you should keep in mind, in order to prosper as a business oriented individual. As many people come to find out, the way you dress plays an important role in how a normal day at work goes.

How should men dress for business?

When it comes to the way men dress, it’s pretty straightforward. Even if the job implies working outdoors or more casual clothing, it’s important to go to the job interview dressed in a suit. For business positions that require indoor work, a suit will always be the prime choice. When it comes to the precise characteristics of the suit, you can’t go wrong with a standard black or grey suit because the whole idea is to be conservative and professional-looking.

- The jacket must match the pants in both color and material
- The tie must be professional-looking (not comic or silly)
- The shirt must be long sleeved, never short sleeved
- The shoes must be brown or black, in order to match the conservative appearance of the rest of the outfit

How should women dress for business?

Women have a little bit more freedom when it comes to the perfect business outfit, although they are also limited by some pretty straightforward guidelines. For starters, they can choose between wearing pants or a skirt, as well if they want to wear suit attire at all. Here are the most important characteristics of a feminine business outfit:

- Women should never wear jeans in a business environment
- Women that go for the skirt should make sure that it’s no higher than 2 inches above the knee level
- Women that go for the office pants should have them tailored and creased first, and make sure they aren’t wearing pants that are too tight or on the contrary, flowing
- Skirts that are excessively long are also a no, and should be heavily avoided
- As for the shoes, they should have closed toe sections, such a court shoes. Stilettos can add a real wow factor to a well-tailored skirt suit, but only if the wearer can walk in them!

That’s pretty much it. It’s not a lot to take it but it can be amazing how many people are unaware of these simple yet critical dress guidelines.

Your working environment will obviously heavily dictate the nature of the way you dress. If you work in a corporate office, the expectation would be that you arrive suited and booted. A more relaxed, shared office environment or creative space such as a studio allows for a much more relaxed dress code.

There are also exceptions from these guidelines such as Casual Dress days, or holidays, but it’s important to remember that these are mere alterations of the guideline, not replacements. In other words, Casual Friday allows you to be a bit more flexible in your dress choices, but you shouldn’t completely let yourself go.