Over the past few years, many businesses and organizations have moved to less formal business attire. Offices with Casual Friday policies became full-time office casual places without suits and ties, and some rejoiced. Many offices are returning to more formal business attire, but others have recognized that it isn't as important to their business culture. Even if you work at such a place, you still need to look put-together.Now, this is biz-ness, so what you wear to work should be different from what you wear on off-hours. This means no t-shirts or jerseys, no athletic shoes unless there's a softball game involved, and if you own clothes to wear to a club, they shouldn't see the light of day in your office. All of the suits, shirts, and shoes can still be used with pieces of the casual attire we've suggested for you. If you own less formal suits, they will look great with a polo shirt, a dress shirt without a tie, or with lightweight sweater.
Against the "advice" of his then-fiancée,
David purchased a sand-colored linen suit for his wedding in Barbados–an expensive luxury. Not exactly the sort of thing to wear to the board meeting, but ideal for a beach wedding. This suit is a killer and he's worn it on casual Fridays, at weekend affairs, and it always gets compliments. It will serve him well for a long time. She may even forgive him by the time it wears out. Again, all of these suggestions are dependent on where you work, so find out your company's definition of "office casual," but:
Collared shirts are more appropriate for office wear, so take the polo shirts and more moderate non-work shirts and wear them on their own with wool pants and chinos, or beneath a suit or sport coat.
If you're not wearing a tie, unbutton the top button on the shirt, but wear the cufflinks all the same. And remember to wear a v-neck undershirt and keep the chest hair trimmed, Mr. Guccione.
Resurrect some of the suits by wearing the pants separately from the jackets then pair them with a sweater and a dressier shirt. Rock the suit jackets with jeans and suede shoes.
Consider picking up one or two suits with less-structured tailoring and expanded palettes, to wear to the office, for those times when you need to wear a suit or want a change of pace. For fabrics, think poplin or linen for the summer, lightweight wools for the spring and fall months. Several designers have these suits as part of their secondary lines, such as DKNY (for Donna Karan), Emmanuel (for Emmanuel Ungaro), or CK (for Calvin Klein), which can be found at a number of department stores without breaking the bank.
A polo shirt and khaki pants are as much a uniform as a suit. Mix it up.
Cargo pants shouldn't be worn to an office, despite how comfortable they are.
You still have to wear socks with your shoes to the office, and you still have to polish them.
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