Dress code: business casual for men
April 10th, 2008“Business casual” for men can be interpreted in different ways and it’s therefore a little controversial. In my previous experience, business casual consisted of professional separates that were worn without tie or jacket. This is often not the case in America. What I’d refer to as unprofessional clothing is regarded as business casual appropriate because many companies accept khakis and knitted polo shirts as business casual attire.
The resulting business casual dress code has three acceptable looks with increasing levels of smartness:
- Level 1 - Khakis + polo-shirt + chunky leather shoes + belt
- Level 2 - Khakis + button-down shirt + chunky or refined shoes + belt
- Level 3 - Dress pants + button-down shirt + refined leather shoes + belt
The caveat here is that khakis come in all sorts. They can be ultra-casual, or smart. A casual pair of khakis worn with an un-tucked knitted polo shirt is not a professional look. It’s casual and there is nothing business-like about it. Pop a bloke into sleek dark denims, a sharp button-down shirt and fabulous shoes and that’s much more professional. Unfortunately, smart denim is not part of the business casual dress code. Denim still carries a stigma. And the wrong style of jeans can look very sloppy, which is what companies try to prevent.
So here is my opinion: Despite what the dress code allows, knitted polo shirts are strictly casual and khakis are debatable. Stick to dress pants, button-down shirts and refined leather shoes. This will ensure a polished, professional, business casual ensemble.
Business casual dress code Levels 1, 2 and 3. I’m not partial to the first, lukewarm about the second and advocate the third even though this particular Banana Republic ensemble is a bit conservative.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:53 am
Thanks for this post, Angie. I’m forwarding it to my husband. Level 2 has its place: at a backyard dinner on a cool summer evening. Not at work. And Level 1? I would be happy to never see a man wear THAT outfit again. As I’ve said many, many times, I could go the rest of my life without seeing the “Manform” and be happy as a lark.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:58 am
Hmmm I think it also depends on the industry and location. My husband has worked in the computer field for 15 years. The acceptance of uber-casual outfits (shorts and even sweats–eek!) makes denim and button downs look very business appropriate. But a lot has to be said for dressing for the job you want, not the job you have, even for men.
Interestingly, the women my husband works with are much more professional in their attire.
April 10th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Thank you, thank you for this article! I could not agree more with you!
My BF is starting his first real job out of the grad school in few months and dress code is business casual. He happens to extremely hate khakis ( I don’t know where this comes from, but I’m very grateful for it) and will be definitely going for Level 3. I have forwarded him your article and he loves it! I have a few questions :
1) He’ll probably need around 5 pairs of thin wool dress pants to start with ( one for every day of the week). Could you recommend most appropriate/versatile colors ( e.g. charcoal, charcoal pinstripe, dark brown, dark navy and maybe mid grey?) Am I right to assume that black is too harsh for every day? Would refined dark brown shoes/belt work with each of the above color?
2) For warmer weather only, would thin polished cotton pants in cream/tan/silver gray work or would they be too khaki-like?
3)Would the addition of thin merino/cashmere zip-up cardigan ( he finds button-down ones matronly) be OK for Level 3 or it would take it down a notch?
4) Is there a chance you could do a similar article for women? I know that it becomes much more complicated here.
You’ve certainly hit the nail on the head with this article for me. Perfect timing!
April 10th, 2008 at 8:11 am
My hubby works for a university, and he rides his bike to work so he’s very hard on his clothes. So outfit #3 would be completely inappropriate for his job - too formal.
Outfit #1 - He never EVER wears short sleeves, or polos and wouldn’t be caught dead in them.
Outfit #2 is close to how he dresses. His maniform is khakis, button-down shirt, and a crewneck sweater. But, he would not ever be caught dead in the sweater in outfit #2. Too casual and … grandfatherly!
For shoes however he sticks with boat shoes/dockers (he likes when they get ratty), and I’ve been trying to get him to upgrade this part!!! I would love some suggestions - his bday is coming up and I want to buy him some better quality shoes!
April 10th, 2008 at 9:06 am
This is a very interesting topic. Could you please list the categories of business casual for women? I find that there is a lot more of a range for women, and it’s riskier business (no pun intended) trying to navigate the business professional look.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:25 am
I hear you Nicole. My husband works in the computer field and I have loads of clients in the computer field too. There is no dress code. I know what is worn in this world all too well. Shorts and T’s to level 3 business casual are all perfectly acceptable. Going on business to other parts of the world is an entirely different kettle of fish though. That’s when things get tricky. Ideally, I’d like to see smart casual attire become the dress code in the computer field. But the privileges of wearing jeans would probably be abused.
Christie, this post was written especially for you! Hope that hubby makes sense of it.
Tanya, make black one of the colours. It’s not too formal and perfect with white. And don’t worry about duplicating a colour if that’s your BF’s preference. I’d definitely make black shoes and black belt the basic. Brown can be blah. But there is room for both. Polished cotton and linen pants will also work. There is nothing nicer than the best button down on a bloke. It’s trendy and uber chic. But they have to fit Finding fab shirts remains a tall order. Please encourage your BF to rethink this look. Think Ben Sherman and Hugo Boss. And I shall do a similar article for women.
Jen, I like a bloke is sassy shoes or retro fashion sneakers. I suppose I tend towards a Euro look. I personally do not prefer leather shoe styles with huge rubber soles, but they look fine and are certainly an upgrade to dockers.
April 10th, 2008 at 9:31 am
Thanks for this post, Angie. I am forwarding this to my husband and our friend, JH! Your articles on men’s fashion are always appreciated. More posts on this topic when you can, please.
Thanks!
April 10th, 2008 at 10:26 am
Yes, yes, please show a guide for women! I realize it’s much broader than for men, but I’d love to see some rough guidelines.
April 10th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
So cool to see a men’s category since often, us women are the ones dressing men in our lives whether it is friends, husbands, brothers, or dads LOL. It really does depend on the industry. Also, it depends on what you have going that day. If you have a presentation, it behoves you to dress a level up. Also, interview most likely requires a tie and sometimes, a suit and tie. I’m stating the obvious though
April 11th, 2008 at 5:44 am
I forwarded this to my husband, but it’s something he does well already. He only has a couple polos and will wear them to work sometimes, but I’m OK with that having grown up in the Midwest (even though I do consider polos more casual than business casual). Mostly he wears nice button-up shirts with either khakis or dress pants (grey or navy mostly) and a black belt and black dress shoes.