The Power of Business Casual (Especially for Men)

Long ago, as I prepared to graduate from college and enter the business world, I purchased John T. Molloy’s Dress for Success and sought to apply what Molloy had advocated. I particularly appreciated the fact that Molloy’s conclusions were based upon research, rather than opinion. When I relocated to Silicon Valley from New York ten years later, I knew that my business attire needed to change. But for a long time I had little more than my gut instinct and the opinion of others to guide me. While my instincts proved reasonably reliable, I was curious to understand the power of Steve Jobs’ signature jeans and black mock turtleneck or more recently Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie. So when it came time to purchase some new business attire recently, I sought out more recent research.

The most informative work on the subject I found was by Cardon & Orko in the Summer 2009 edition of Business Communication Quarterly. The key conclusion of their research is summed up as follows. “Formal business attire projects authoritativeness and competence, somewhat formal business attire is associated with productivity and trustworthiness, and less formal business attire is associated with creativity and friendliness”

Cardon & Orko’s research goes a long way to explain the shift away from formal attire consistently being the most appropriate business attire popularized by IBM in the 1950s to the image of Steve Jobs in jeans and a mock turtleneck one generation later. IBM dressed its sales executives to exude authority because at the time it was what IBM’s target customers needed most. They needed to know that if a problem ever arose with the mainframe, they could call on the man who had the authority to ensure swift service and an effective resolution. Just one generation later the market cared more about a technology executive being trustworthy and creative, and the relative value of authority has plummeted.

As a field sales executive meeting potential clients, I moved one notch down from the conventional suit and tie. My most formal meetings are now conducted with dress pants, a matching suit jacket, a well pressed dress shirt, polished dress shoes and socks, but no tie. But back in the office with technology professionals, my attire varies from the Steve Jobs uniform all the way up to what I would wear for formal sales meeting minus the suit jacket. Outside the organization, salespeople need to exude trustworthiness first and authority second. Back at the office, they need to be seen as friendly, trustworthy and competent.

I do not consider myself knowledgeable enough to advise women on their attire, but for men, here is what I recommend you include in your wardrobe.

Conventional Wool Suits

I personally recommend dark solid colors first such as navy blue and charcoal grey. And I normally purchase suited separates with two pairs of pants, since pants tend to experience significantly more wear than jackets. Additionally, your suit pants double as dress pants without the jacket. Get the pants tailored to ideal fit. One of your two pair can have cuffs at the bottom for variety. Medium grey and even light-colored suits such as light grey and beige also work but for the most important meetings, I would stick with the dark suits. For a little variety in color, take a look at the various shades of olive green available.

Long Sleeve Dress Shirts with Button-Down Collars

Along with solid blue, I prefer white striped shirts. For most men, a solid white shirt should only be worn along with a tie. Fit is very important. Many off-the-rack shirts err on assuming a particularly wide girth and they balloon out on a normal person. This was a particular challenge for me when I was first joining the work force. I weighed one hundred sixty pounds but had a seventeen inch neck. I strongly recommend making the extra effort to ensure you have dress shirts that fit. Tapered fit shirts are an option. But made-to-measure shirts are normally worth the premium both in superior fit and the fact that they will last longer because they will experience less wear from the movement of your arms. Dress shirts can be worn with a suit or dress pants only. Dress shirts can also be worn with jeans, provided you also wear a blazer or sports jacket. This was my son’s choice of interview attire when he interviewed for engineering internships.

A Conventional Blue Blazer

The blue blazer with gold metallic colored buttons is one notch less formal than a suit jacket. It pairs well with almost all non-blue dress pants. In my opinion it is the only non-matching jacket you need in your wardrobe. If you choose to wear a sports jacket, take care that you do not look like you are wearing your grandfather’s semi-formal business jacket.

Dress Shoes

If you are wearing dress pants, you need to be wearing dress shoes. Hard (not patent) leather shoes that can be polished to a perfect shine are the best choices. Black will match most dress pants. But if you have dress pants that do not match black dress shoes, find a pair of light brown dress shoes that will match your lighter, non-grey dress pants. Some people swear by the conventional wingtip, but other polished leather shoes will work just as well for most people.

Dress Socks

Dress shoes require dress socks. If you find you need to pull up your dress socks, get a pair of garters. They are completely hidden under your pant legs, so their ridiculous appearance should not be a deterrent. Do not be the executive who needs to pull up his socks.

Mock Turtlenecks

The mock turtleneck is less formal than the dress shirt. And it can be worn with either jeans or dress pants. Black and cream are the primary colors. Only cream will go with a suit jacket or blazer. Black goes with light or medium dress pants. Cream goes with dark or medium dress pants. If you become particularly fond of mock turtlenecks, you can add white as an alternative to cream and other dark colors as an alternative to black.

Golf Shirts

Golf shirts go with dress pants only and should be worn under a blazer or suit jacket. Under a jacket they are more formal than a mock. But they have the disadvantage that you will need to keep your jacket on when meeting with clients.

Tailored Jeans

If you are going to wear jeans as a professional non-engineer, they need to fit very well. Baggy jeans are out of the question. But that does not mean you should wear skinny jeans. Instead, take the best fitting off-the-rack jeans to a tailor who will make sure you have a clean fit in the waist, followed by a smooth taper. Bell-bottoms should only be worn with boots, and I do not recommend ever wearing boots. Tailored jeans go with everything else listed here, including dress shoes.

Clean High-End Sneakers

Wear sneakers with jeans only. Do not wear sneakers with dress pants, except back at the office at the end of the business day. Not all sneakers will work. White generally does not work because it is either stark in comparison to the rest of your attire or simply dirty.

Sweaters, Pull-overs and even Hoodies

These are exclusively back-at-the-office attire. They should look good over the above attire. The goal is to help you blend in with rest of the team and be more approachable.

Attire makes an impression, most especially at the beginning of a relationship. It is something that should neither be ignored nor obsessed over. Wearing the right attire boosts one’s confidence. And it can be fun to develop a signature look. While I have provided my best advice above, your best judgment is probably superior to my best advice. Enjoy. And I wish you every success.