What business professional attire for men is today isn’t exactly the same as it was during your grandfather’s days at the office. Here’s everything you need to know.
If there’s something I know a thing or two about, it’s men’s business professional attire. I somehow managed to land myself in an industry that still requires men to wear a full suit every day of the week. And I’ve been in it for a decade. I’ve also worked at a casual start-up and a “cooler” LA art publisher. Appropriately, the latter had a “cooler” idea of what their account executives should look like.
Basically, I’ve seen it all. And even in my relatively young age but long-enough career, I’ve seen it all change. And I’ve seen it change again and change back. It can be confusing between the perpetual casualization of the office and fast-moving sartorial conventions.
First, let me assuage your worries by saying it doesn’t have to be. There are easy, safe, but still self-expressive ways for white-collar guys to dress. However, I think it’s important to navigate the nuances as well, just in case.
Now, let’s tackle the question head-on. Exactly what is professional business attire for men?
What Is Business Professional Attire for Men?
Professional business attire for men is simply a solid suit, dress shirt, some type of tie, solid dress socks, and leather dress shoes. It’s as easy as that. Traditional offices, interviews, formal events, and certain networking and career fairs often employ or require professional dress codes.
These days, subtle suit patterns, the kind you can barely see with the naked eye, are acceptable. Certain patterns on your tie or socks are also usually acceptable. Conservative stripes on your tie or argyle on your socks are two examples.
It’s important to go for a traditional fit and cut. Get your suit tailored if you must. You can go for a looser pant and a higher waist, as white-collar men did in the ‘50s and ‘60s. Or, you can go for a slimmer fit and lower waist, as men did in the late ‘90s and well into the 2010s. These days, there’s a mix.
You’ll notice that while even “classic” fits range throughout time, suit jackets should always be perfectly fitted and structured at the shoulders. If they’re too dramatic, you’ll start to look like you’re in a zoot suit. The important thing is to ensure your silhouette flaunts clean lines throughout. The pants shouldn’t bunch like jeans by your feet. The jacket shouldn’t have major divots on the shoulders.
So, let’s say you receive an invitation to an event or have an interview with a professional attire dress code. There’s some range these days, but you can’t go wrong with a traditional suit. Now, let’s navigate the different types of office cultures.
Business Professional Attire Men: The Formal Office
The truly formal office is quite rare these days. At least offices requiring full formality daily aren’t as common. Even those in finance are often allowed to wear a tech vest over their dress shirts.
However, industries with a modicum of traditionalism will at least want their employees to dress professionally on specific occasions. These occasions include client meetings, board meetings, and off-site visits. These formal offices will usually require you to have access to your full suit and tie at work for parts of the day. So, while you may arrive in a dress shirt and tie, suit pants, and a cardigan, you’ll likely throw that jacket on several times until 6 pm hits.
At these kinds of offices, I recommend sticking to the prior-mentioned conventional approach to business professional dress codes. You want solid suits in black, charcoal, or navy. Sometimes olive or maroon are acceptable, but that entirely depends on the company. Solid ties, or at least traditional patterns or weaves, are ideal, as are solid socks.
Formal, But Not Strictly So
Some traditional offices are okay with other kinds of tailoring. For example, blazers and sport coats offer a similar silhouette to a traditional suit jacket. These, however, aren’t considered strict business professional pieces, though you may be able to trick people into thinking they are.
A blazer is like a suit jacket without matching suit pants. It usually has metal buttons and has a more clubby aesthetic. You’ll likely wear it with slacks or chinos. Meanwhile, a sport coat often features heavier patterns and weaves, such as thick tweed. If you’re a professor, these might suffice over a suit jacket. Again, it totally depends on your office.
I have a blue suit in which I replaced the buttons with gold metal ones. Does this make the jacket a blazer? In a way, yes. But I still have the matching suit pants. In my formal office, my bosses don’t mind this at all. Still, in general, button-downs, blazers, sport coats, and broken suits are often acceptable for casual Fridays.
Business Professional vs. Cocktail Attire
Now, what if your office requires a suit but doesn’t necessarily require solid colors or conservative colors? Technically, this is cocktail dress attire.
Cocktail dress, at its most formal, is a full suit and tie. However, it allows a more celebratory tone, opening the door for livelier ties, patterned shirts, or bright socks. Some industries, like fashion or other creative places, allow and encourage this. Remember when I mentioned that cool art publisher I worked for in LA? That’s a perfect example. Speaking of LA, I have a few friends who work in entertainment management, and they wear shirts and ties with loud patterns.
Cultural differences may even result in different ideas of what palettes are included in business professional dress codes. I mean this not only from an industry perspective (finance versus creatives) but regionally, too. For example, a finance firm in Chicago compared to one in New York and one in Miami. They may all require suits. But a pink tie? That might be considered professional in Miami, but that isn’t the case in New York. And, likely, it’s even less acceptable in the Midwest.
The Business Casual Office
I know that a tech start-up where t-shirts and jeans are allowed is technically still a professional environment. But even in today’s casualized world, no one would call that business clothing. In fact, if you’re interviewing at a company that you know is highly casual, I recommend still showing up to the interview in business attire. Even though the day-to-day and the culture is relaxed, this shows that you know when it’s time to be serious.
At the very least, go for a well-structured outfit—a sports coat, slacks, button-down, and loafers, for example. Consider dressing more smartly than casually.
Casual clothes in dark colors look more professional than casual clothes in light ones. Think about Steve Jobs, the classic tech guy. He was known for wearing black turtlenecks. Mark Zuckerberg often wears navy and charcoals.
So, how do you communicate your sartorial professionalism in a highly casual environment? With well-fitted, clean clothes, deeper hues, and some structure, such as a turtleneck or button-down.
What About Hot Weather?
I highly recommend getting yourself a summer suit if you live in a part of the world with a hot summer. Usually, a lighter-colored suit is allowed at the office during the summer. This isn’t always the case, though, so finding tailoring in lightweight linens or bamboo will be your saving grace.
Remember when I mentioned the cultural nuances of business attire? Well, warmer climates usually welcome light-colored suits. Have you ever done business in Jamaica (or watched James Bond do business there in his films)? Cream, light tan, and even stark white suits aren’t uncommon. It’s survival.
Even in places like Florida or the Deep South, lighter-colored suits are acceptable.
What About Grooming?
There was a time when professional grooming meant a clean-shaven face and short hair. Like a suit and tie, this is still the safest option. However, few people, if any, would find a clean, well-trimmed beard unprofessional. These days, you can wear your hair longer, as long as it’s clean and well-combed.
Depending on your industry or office culture, hair colors that don’t occur in nature aren’t acceptable. My main advice for grooming is to be clean, well-maintained, intentional, respectful, and use common sense.
FAQs
Do you still have questions about business wardrobes for guys? No problem. Here are common ones and their quick, concise answers.
Does Business Professional Mean Suit and Tie?
Yes, the traditional standard, and one that’s still mostly agreed upon, for business professional attire is a suit and tie. It often means a solid suit in a dark color, a dress shirt, solid dress socks, and leather dress shoes.
What Is the Difference Between Business Casual and Business Professional?
Business casual is less formal than business professional. It involves suit separates, perhaps a full suit with no tie or dress pants, a dress shirt, tie, but no jacket. It can also involve incorporating the suit silhouette. So perhaps instead of a suit jacket, it’s a blazer.
Is Business Professional the Same As Business Formal?
As its name implies, business formal is the most formal of all business attire. Some would say it’s included in the business professional category, while others say business professional is slightly more casual. Business formal includes only dark-colored suits and ties. These days, business professional sometimes extends to the dresier side of business casual.
Conclusion: Not Sure? Just Wear a Suit
The big takeaway here is that men’s business professional attire hasn’t changed at its core. However, many have expanded it to include the more formal parts of business casual. Still, to most, a full suit and tie, solid and dark, is safely business professional. And likely, it’ll be that way for a long time.
At the end of the day, that’s your fallback. If you want to be safe or if you don’t want to navigate nuances, just suit up. Stick to classic tailoring, and make sure you have clean-cut hair and facial hair.
What do you wear to work? Is your office more formal or casual? Let me know in the comments!
