Corporate Dressing Do’s & Don’ts

The Do’s & Don’ts Of Corporate Dressing

Q. What’s one easy way to impress your boss?

A. Look the part. What you wear really does reflect who you are.

It’s more important than ever to look the part at work. It’s so easy to get it right, but also so easy to get it wrong. What should you wear to work? How do you need to dress to look the part for the job you want to be doing?

Don’t let lack of action hold you back. Below are some easy-to-action grooming guidlelines by one of our top London-based stylists (who really knows what she’s talking about), that could really make a difference to how you’re seen at work.

Dress for the job you want and not the job you have, and make the way you look play a part in determining how far you will go.

Here are the simple ways of getting it right…

If you can’t afford to buy expensive suits, splash out on accessories – it will trick people into thinking your suit is more expensive than it actually is. This doesn’t work the other way round though (ie. don’t wear cheap accessories with an expensive suit). Always invest in good shoes and belts and spend more on your shirts and ties.
Have your suit altered to fit you properly. Find a local tailor who can perfectly fit your off-the-peg suit to your bodyshape and measurements.
Learn to tie your tie properly – a big fat knot or a badly tied tie just doesn’t look professional. Make sure the knot works with the shirt collar – a slightly wider Windsor knot for a cutaway collar, and a thinner four-in-hand knot for a slimmer style collar.
Subtlety is key – don’t try to express your personality too much at work (unless you’re in a more creative industry). An overload of hair gel and novelty socks are not the way forward in the business world.
In menswear, it’s the tiny details that count – a good haircut, and an interesting but subtle co-ordinating shirt, tie and suit.

Finish off the details – a smart but sleek belt, quality cufflinks, toning socks, the flash of a coloured lining. You want to look as if you’ve thought about your outfit, but not as if it s the most important thing in your day.
Grooming – this is so important but often seems to be forgotten. Get your suits and overcoats dry cleaned regularly and polish your shoes. Invest in some shoe trees to help shoes keep their shape.
There’s now a one-stop grooming shop (with very helpful staff) in Bond Street called Whole Man.

They will advise you on skincare and hair care products, plus there is a salon upstairs where you can have any number of glorious treatments done. And you thought pampering was just for girls!
Use the Sales wisely to buy labels you normally wouldn’t be able to afford. Go and have a look around before the sales start and try on different things so you know what you like, and then you’ll be ready to snap them up in the sales. It’s a great way of buying better labels at a fraction of the price.
Also get yourself on the mailing list of Designer Menswear Sales at www.designerwarehousesales.com, Designer Sales UK at www.designersales.co.uk or visit the Paul Smith Sale Shop in Avery Row, W1.

Once you know what suits you, set up a search on e-bay for the designers you like, and bag yourself some great bargains that you know will work for you.
Learn which cuts and styles are best for your bodyshape. This is the key thing which will make the biggest difference to how you look.
If you do nothing else, do this. Book a session with a Personal Stylist who will advise you on the best shapes to suit your body shape, and the best colours for you. This is a true investment and will save you stacks of time and money (no more wasted buys) on clothes shopping.

Here’s a great tip if you have a bit of a tummy: wear trousers without belt loops so you don’t have to draw a horizontal line across your widest point with a belt.

And have the turn-ups taken off your trousers if you have short legs.
Choose your patterns carefully. If you have more angular features, you will suit geometric patterns eg. stripes, checks and diamond shapes.
If you have softer and more rounded facial features, you will look better in more circular patterns, such as paisleys and spots.

Make sure if you’re wearing two patterns together that there is some link between the colours and that they blend well together rather than both shout for attention.
Dress down days seem to stump many men. You feel happy in your suit and tie and can do jeans and t-shirts at the weekends, but in-between remains a mystery. Don’t go too casual on your dress down days.
A pair of cotton flat-front trousers in a neutral colour are a good start – look in Nigel Hall and Reiss. Team with a plain fitted t-shirt and a fine knit v-neck sweater and/or a shirt which is slightly less formal than the ones you wear with your suits.

Look in Joseph and Nicole Farhi for classy, quality pieces. Or if you can wear jeans, choose a darker denim and wear them with brogues or some soft-soled lace-up shoes – Paul Smith nearly always stocks this sort of style.
Choose your colours carefully. You may think this doesn’t apply to you as business suits tend to come in neutral colours , but wearing the right colours make a huge difference, and helps you to look more groomed and put together.
This is the rule of thumb: the more contrast you have in your colouring eg. dark brown hair, pale skin, bright blue eyes, the more contrast you can take in your clothes eg. black suit, white shirt, and clear purple-toned tie.

If you have less contrast eg. light brown hair, medium-toned skin and light blue eyes, mirror this in the clothing you wear, eg. grey suit, pale blue suit and soft mid-toned purple tie.

Easy isn’t it? If you still feel you don’t want to shop on your own because you’re not sure what suits you, call 0845 045 0858 and book yourself a complementary telephone consultation, you never know where it may lead you.