How to Dress in Business Casual Attire for Men
Hook up your look with hip but mature threads that suggest a professional demeanor without shouting for attention.
Up next in Men's Fashion 101 (21 videos)
Why do you need the fashion advice in these Howcast videos? Because every woman likes a well-dressed man.
You Will Need
- Sport coats, blazers, and suits
- Dress shirts
- Ties
- Slacks, khakis, and chinos
- Leather shoes and belts
- Matching socks
- Groomed hair
- Conservative accessories
Steps
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Step 1
Choose suit, shirt, tie
Choose a sport coat, blazer, or suit in a subdued color and current style. Combine this with an open-colared shirt or a tie.
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Be sure you understand what the company rules are for casual dress. High-level casual is more dressy, for instance, though it still may not require a tie.
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Step 2
Choose shirt
Wear a clean, quality cotton, collared shirt. Alternate with fine gauge knits free of wrinkles and avoid shiny, silky fabrics and wild colors and designs.
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Step 3
Choose sweater, change suit
Wear a stylish but understated sweater, or change the look of a suit with varying patterns in the shirt or tie you wear.
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Step 4
Choose pants
Sport clean, pressed slacks, corduroys, khakis, and sometimes chinos in the right climate. Avoid shorts, jeans, or anything with ragged edges or hanging threads.
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None of this will matter if you forget that "casual" doesn't include letting hygiene or manners lapse.
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Step 5
Choose shoes and belt
Wear leather shoes, clean and polished, and a matching leather belt. Basic dress boots are better than hiking or athletic boots unless the office is full of gamers, geeks, and burn-outs. Leave the sandals and flip-flops at home.
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Step 6
Choose socks
Slip on comfortable, dark, mid-calf length socks that blend well with your pants, so that when you sit or cross a leg no skin shows. Patterns like argyle are fine if they don't clash with stripes, plaids, or other designs in your pants.
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Step 7
Trim hair
Trim your hair so that it looks groomed, even if you prefer the bed-head look, which can look almost intentional with a little product. Facial hair is all right if trimmed, neat, and acceptable in the industry or to your company.
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Step 8
Avoid accessories
Avoid accessories beyond a watch and a wedding ring.
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A recent study suggests that, for the first time in modern American society, more men are married to women whose education and income exceed their own.
