A colleague wanted my opinion about wearing open neck dress shirts and t-shirts in a business casual work environment. Rather than just sharing my thoughts privately, I decided to publish them publicly. To support my comments, I have photos of wardrobe items I selected only last week for a client that illustrate the subtle nuances of dressing successfully in today’s modern business environment.
Defining “business casual,” is downright challenging. Entrepreneur Magazine recently did a feature on it, and created even more confusion, based on reader comments and tweets.
As your certifiably crazy image consultant, I suggest we take a collective deep breath because I’m going to give you what I believe to be a solid definition of “business casual” right here.
It was interesting to me as an image consultant attending a business conference where the expected attire was listed as “business casual” so, according to the conference flyer, “everyone can be comfortable during the conference.” I found this to be very strange language for a conference dedicated to making high-level business connections. Excuse me, but shouldn’t everyone know how to buy clothing that is at once the right size so it is comfortable and the right style so it is appropriate for the occasion?
The term ‘business casual’ is officially on my shit list and I am out to ban this term from use because there is nothing ‘casual’ about doing business. Since when is business to be done by chance or without prior thought or planning? The way you dress for business is part of the way you do business.
I have to wonder how much more productive meetings would be if people showed up looking like they were ready to engage with the other party. If you were interested in buying a piece of real estate, would you be comfortable visiting a messy home? Virtually anyone reading this would honestly answer, “No.” So why not take care of the most valuable piece of real estate you own?
Often, you just get one opportunity to make an indelible impression at an important meeting or interview. The meeting may not turn out as you’d prefer, but the least you can do is show up looking like you care about yourself, about the person you’re meeting with, and like you care about doing business.
There is so much confusion as to what ‘business casual’ is and what it means. Every author has a different spin on what it is because they want to sell books. Wikipedia even has a citation-lacking entry about ‘business casual’, full of statistics backing up misinformation in support of someone’s wardrobe imperative. Even OpenTable.com regularly lists ‘business casual’ among the dress codes of restaurants it supports. If you’re going out for a social dinner with friends, how does ‘business casual’ even figure into your game plan?
The truth is: when you inquire about the accepted style of clothing, you’re asking for the rules, for the “code,” so you fit in at the interview, or at the job, or for the business or social occasion. When the answer you’re given is ‘business casual,’ it only causes more questions than it does answers.
Answers are available, but getting meaningful insight requires unlearning bad information and wiping the slate clean in order to get clarity. Here are some key tips to keep in mind about relaxing the look of your professional attire without looking like you’ve gone out of business:
If you dress up every day in a suit and are looking to relax the look, opt for a sport coat.
If you regularly wear a sport coat, continue to wear outfits that are “jacket ready.”
If you commonly wear pant and shirt, combinations, show your personality and finish them with suitable accessories because shoes and a belt will really stand out with just a shirt and pant.
Don’t confuse these social attire items with business attire:
Jeans
Knit polo tops
Short-sleeved shirts
And never wear clothing in which to conduct business that is torn, stained, collegiate or sports themed, or athletic wear.
There is an appropriate time and place to wear all kinds of clothing. Knowing when and where to wear your wardrobe items requires planning and intention to accomplish your goals.
Designing and managing your image is the secret science to your success.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.
We’ve all seen them – and many of us have had to wear them – at trade shows: the company logoed button down shirt. These ‘every man’ shirts, worn by nearly every man and sadly nearly every woman, too, who has ever worked for a corporation attending a tradeshow. While admittedly a step up from the completely out-of-place trade show Hawaiian shirt, the company logo button down shirt, no doubt, became a secret weapon companies would rely on to manage the image employees project at trade shows. They are typically poorly tailored and hideous, boring, ugly, and waste a lot of resources to make. When I see professional men at trade shows, or on television shows or podcasts who are wearing their company logo button down shirts I just want to hurl. I expect this from a tradesman on a job site, but not from a corporate or sales executive.
When have you seen a company logo button down shirt that you really covet? “Oh, thank you boss. I will treasure this embroidered piece of cloth forever.” Yucko. As soon as a trade show is over, these rags are discarded, left behind in many a hotel room all across America.
In today’s corporate cultural climate, long-term loyalty is not rewarded as it once was. But at trade shows, it’s become, pardon the pun, conventional wisdom, to wear these doggone logoed button downs [and even worse is the short sleeve knit polo], like you are wearing your company loyalty embroidered over your heart. Companies must love corporate-sponsored clothing because it forces employees to conform to a minimal dress standard. This would be especially true of technology companies in Silicon Valley, as they tend not to have even minimal dress codes.
The problem with wearing company logo button down shirts is that the wearer becomes a talking head for the company. There’s no “you” there. What about your personal brand? Shouldn’t someone be connecting with “you”? Forming a relationship with “you”? Coming to rely on “you”? These are the foundations of doing business with someone, and in this context, I strongly believe these company logo button downs are relationship, personal brand, and business barriers.
Instead of providing promotional apparel to employees who need to create more personal, more authentic, more honest connections with customers, corporate management should provide opportunities to help employees learn how to express their own style and reflect the company brand and culture.
It’s not terribly complicated to put together a presentable look – if you know what you’re doing. The answers to some key questions provide enough direction to create successful looks for sales calls, client meetings, trade shows, or media appearances:
What message about yourself do you want to telegraph to your audience? Do you want to appear approachable, businesslike, or distinguished, for example? The goal you select affects the clothes you will wear to help you effectively communicate that message.
Does that message also appropriately represent your company? There are many ways to balance personal style with the corporate culture’s messaging. One idea is to subtly repeat the company’s corporate logo colors in an outfit without wearing any company logo-wear. Know, show, and convey the integrity of your company’s brand promise nonverbally.
Is it the right look for the occasion? You’re always better off dressing up if you’re unclear of the context of your meeting. If you are wearing a jacket and a tie, they can always be removed if they’re simply too much. But the real objective is to get the outfit right from the start by knowing who you’re meeting with, the purpose, and the place of the meeting. You want to show respect and be respected.
As your image consultant, I can help you prepare for your presentations, whether you’re going to trade shows, sales appointments, preparing a look for your headshot photo, or television and video appearances – all without ever wearing one of those dreadful company logo button down shirts.
Designing your image is the secret science to your success.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.
Silicon Valley is far and away a different place than Wall Street. Just look at the men and the way they’re dressed. Those New York financiers wear suits and stripes, creating visual lines of power, while in Silicon Valley tech men largely eschew visual power for a look of easy leisure.
Flip through the newspapers in each respective place and see the variance in the advertising. In New York papers like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal retailers, brands and designers clamor to advertise their wares of glamor, while in San Jose, the Mercury News struggles to get fashion forward ads.
I’ve been living in San Jose for two years and find it hard to believe that so few men would be interested in looking good and up-to-date that not even advertisers would seek us out. The Silicon Valley is far and away a different place than Wall Street, but I know for a fact that style matters a whole lot more than many people let on.
Designing and managing your image is the secret science to your success.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps professional men, women, and corporate workgroups create effective visual brands. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.