I’ve always viewed a collared shirt and khakis as the standard for business casual.

Business casual = collared button down shirt. Slacks or khakis. Leather loafers or lace up dress shoes. No tie

On Fridays if it's casual, swap out khakis for jeans

I fell asleep reading this

Why does it have to be button down? Any dress shirt will do.

Buy trousers, chinos, or nice jeans in neutral colors like beige, tan, creme, gray, navy. Shirts in white, light blue, pink, some with some without pattern.

Add a blazer (not a suit jacket) on important days, or a nice 1/4 zip, v neck, vest .. for colder days.

For ties, I recommend silk ties in muted colors, not screaming red or turquoise. For winter you can do wool ties.

Mustn’t wear a tie but if you do upgrade your shoes. Usually any leather shoe will do, for tie I would go with oxfords, derby’s or Maybe loafers if you feel like pushing it.

So, whatever you’re comfortable with, get 5-10 shirts, 2-3 pants, 1-2 good pairs of shoes in black and brown, 1-2 blazers in navy, gray,… and some nice pullovers.

I recommend watching YouTube, instagram or TikTok videos, researching online like Pinterest or websites like gentlemen’s gazette, there is many out there preaching men’s style.

Gravitate towards what you like as long as it’s formal enough.

Here are my opinions about biz casual, from someone who came from a 'business dress' era. 1) Clothes that fit. While this has always seemed obvious to me, seeing others in the workplace this does not equate to, "wear what you work in college when you were getting 'dressed up,'" outside of creative industries they're not the same thing. I don't believe that clothes should distract from the nature of the business at hand. If that tends to sound conservative that's the intent, hence the default reliance on polos, button downs, and chinos. But even then there's variety in that world. If you're coming relatively directly from a military background (first, thanks), but you're probably in better shape than average, so getting clothes that fit should be a low bar to clear. They should be fitted (not tight), clean, and pressed if necessary (less necessary nowadays with most things being non-iron). Shoes should be clean, polished if dress but clean if "dress sneakers."

It's one thing to fit in, it's another to be seen as someone both responsible and potentially promotable. Watch what bosses and leaders are wearing; that's probably the most telling indication of appropriate dress code. Steer clear from fashion extremes. Good luck.

Really depends on the industry. But I work in tech and have had to explain to NYC staff that they can’t wear a blue blazer and khakis to offices in California because they look like clowns.

I agree that you really cannot go wrong with dress pants and a button down. Bring a fleece vest as a comfort blanket to fit in

Most of the time I go to LA, the standard is dress tennis shoes, a blazer over a black v-neck, and dark denim. That’s biz casual. Worked for LA based agencies since 2012. Absolutely no ties…

What a wonderful opportunity to exert dominance with a tank top and assless chaps. 😎👌

In all seriousness, have you tried searching for events or external facing stuff they’ve done recently online and seen what their people wore? Could be anything; marketing events, press releases, exec interviews, collaborative partnership announcements, candid shots at a restaurant by a jilted paramour…

DC based and fly to LA often for work. My go to is jeans, shirt and a blazer. Industry of client? This wasnt during consulting but VP there wears a suit daily (aerospace)

Never been to a place where white dress shirt + dark trousers wasn’t acceptable for business casual.

LA is a bit more fashion forward but just wear what you would wear in NY tbh. A bit more extreme of an example but I worked for an Asian office of a MNC where all men wore black suit black tie to work every day, in the US I look like I’m showing up to a funeral but when I went on business I told everyone I was visiting from an APAC office and nobody thought twice about it.

I’m an employer and owner of a business with about 30 years international business experience. As others have said a suit without a tie is fine. Alternatively, chinos, tucked in dress shirt and a blazer would also be fine. You could get away with less dressy shoes as well, but definitely not trainers (in my opinion)

My standard is shirt, chinos, shoes/boots. That covers most of smart and smart casual (less casual but I'd rather people see me as smarter than not). If I know it's a bit more formal I'll take a jacket.

Why not loiter outside the building and see what they are wearing

Spiked bracelets, corpse paint etc etc just the basics.

I don't wear ties. I don't wear them to job interviews and I certainly don't wear them to work.

My go-to interview attire is white shirt, tan chinos, brown shoes. It's comfortable and smart enough to not make a bad impression.

Please, for the love of god, don't drown yourself in aftershave. Just be clean.

Where is the office?

No Khakis. It should start to get warm in Hong Kong, so navy/black pants and white/blue shirts semi starched, either with wing tips or cap toes for the first week. You're an intern, you are supposed to be invisible until called upon, so just dress smart, neat and tidy.

If in doubt, bring a matching blazer and take it off once you settle in your office.

This usually means suit without tie and modest coloured or white shirt.

The amount of people saying polo shirt is NOT FINE is wild. Almost every guy in my office wears a polo shirt with chinos and sneakers on business casual Fridays. And I'm in banking with an office in Central

G2000 is your friend

I think it depends on the industry, the culture of your company and your manager too.

So its impossible to know unless we know these information.

So best advise is, dress on the up side (navy/ black trousers, white shirt, no tie - but carry one in your suitcase / backpack just in case, with matching colour jacket, dark shoes), then adjust on your second day, based on what you see on your first day.

Thank you for your submission! Unfortunately, it has been removed for the following reason(s):

• Rule 1.i: This submission violates the sidebar guidelines, in being:

• Not primarily news or developments in technology.

• Not within the context of technology.

• If a self post, not a positive contribution fostering reasonable discussion.

If you have any questions, please message the moderators and include the link to the submission. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Don’t worry about what the dress code is at the company-you’re interviewing for a job. Am I the only person that still believes in wearing a suit to an interview?

No chinos. No loafers unless they are business wear loafers. Think a banker on a weekday when he's not meeting clients. Sport coat, gray wool trousers, blue or blue patterned dress shirt, dress shoes. Dark socks

Same as regular business casual but in platform shoes.

Why don't companies just use a real dress code instead of trying invent a new level of acceptable style?

Just wear a suit with no tie. Will get you by every single time.

If you want to wear something a little different try wool slacks and sweater/sports coat.

Dark, straight fit jeans will probably also work too.

Wear a pair of mid grey wool trousers. Will look a bit smarter than chinos.

I just wear a collared sweatshirt, polo shirt, slim tapered jeans, and loafers to work most of the time.

That's also how you'll usually find me if you see me on the streets on my day off. Just on a different color tone.

Try the springboard wardrobe

I’ve never worn an outfit to the office that I could not also wear outside.

https://youtu.be/XgL3HQSEB_U?si=mK8xpFevOU7yc9_7

Chinos and a polo… simple.

I like to have 3 levels for the office depending on formality:

Most casual (Tech or Startup): Premium T-Shirt, Chinos, Smart Sneakers

Business Casual: Oxford shirt, Pants or Chinos, Smart Sneakers or Derbies or Suede Loafers

Elevated Business: Poplin Shirt, Tailored Pants, Leather Loafers or Derbies or Brogues, Jacket

Most of the fits can be dressed slightly up or down. Tie feels very formal unless wearing a full suit imo.

I do agree that a shirt with a tie but no jacket is more classic vibe that some may find outdated or ill-fitting. You can make it work IF your ties are not too powerful of a color/pattern and roll up the shirt sleeves to match the casual vibe, but then that defeats the purpose of even wearing a tie to begin with.

For both business casual and formal, I personally believe a big step up is to not change in style per se but getting a fitted shirt/jacket/pants/suit. MTM is probably the best way to go without breaking the bank. Even for a shirt with the same color/pattern, getting one to drape over your body versus just a regular OTR shirt that might fit a bit awkward in some spots makes a big difference in appearance imo. I would recommend having someone (ideally a tailor) measure your body measurements and take that measurement to MTM brands. I've been happy with Proper Clothes, but it was definitely a trial-and-error journey.

Your average polo is a little boring: a collar but no structure, buttons but just 1-3, stretch sport fabric smoothed out to remove any character or visual interest, so on. It’s supposedly sporty but you’re trying to look like you’re at an office. It’s supposedly professional but constructed like it’s activewear. Lacks an identity besides “I work an uneventful job in consumer sales.”

These outfits don’t have many rules or cultural considerations, meaning they’re easy to throw on, meaning no one thinks you put in any effort wearing them, meaning wearing anything else feels like you’re dressing up by default.

If you want to look sharp but not wear a completely different outfit that stands out at work, you can still stick to polos and chinos. You can elevate your polo game by picking a more interesting collar or fabric, and for your slacks get something in a straight cut, higher waist, heavier fabric, anything really. Get a sport coat and throw it on over long sleeve polos. Don’t wear dress sneakers, get some classic loafers or derbies.

This is the answer. Stay away from quarter zips, dress sneakers, and technical fabrics. Study the resources at Put This On. Quality & history over comfort & expediency. Natural fibers like wool and cotton. Linen & seersucker. Leather. Chinos, some OCBDs, some split toe derbies or loafers, a couple of nice blazers, and you are set.

Great resource but I’ve noticed that all of the articles are from 2018. Has anything changed or shifted since then?

https://putthison.com/

Parent of an engineering student chiming in. Two pairs of washable (not dry clean only) wrinkle resistant khakis, one tan one navy, should suffice. I’d go with no more than 3 collared shirts until you have a better idea of office/site norms and HVAC situation (if the office is hot, get some short sleeved shirts or polos). Not sure how accessible this stuff is for Canadian brands, at student prices, so I’d aim for a Canadian retailer like Marks. You might luck out at The Bay’s liquidation sale.

If you are doing site or factory work, you’ll likely need work boots, a hard hat and safety vest. See if the employer will pay. I highly doubt you’ll need a tie or jacket on the daily but it’s good to have one of each for interviews.

Collared shirts and pants should be sufficient.

I’ve never seen anyone wear a blazer or a tie in an engineering office unless they were meeting with clients or interviewing. Think what the people who interviewed you were wearing. Every office and industry is different.

Try Simons also as they often have some very good sales. Congrats on the internship!,

Business casual means no tie.

RW & Co is Canadian