The Perfect Business Attire for Men

What is “business attire,” and what does it have to do with you? For men, “business attire” generally refers to a dress code known as “business.” Business is a step above “casual” and “business casual,” but a step below formal or black-tie attire. Men’s business attire is what you should wear to important events like job interviews and high-level meetings.

But what is it, and how can you create your own business outfits? Here’s what you’ll need to know.

The Basics

If you start a new job and the dress code is listed as “business attire” here’s what they mean:

• A suit. Can you sometimes get away with just a dress shirt and a tie? Yes, but when it comes to some office work, there’s simply no substitute for a full business suit—especially if you want to make the best possible impression on a potential client. If you’re unsure what jacket to wear, check out this blog post.
• A tie. The presence of a tie is a clear line that separates business from business casual. With business casual, you can sometimes skip the tie. With business attire, you’ll almost always wear a tie.
• A button-up shirt. A “button-up” is a dress shirt with no buttons on the collar, giving it more formality than the button-down, which does have buttons on the collar.
• Formal trousers. You can wear a suit and a tie, but if you wear jeans, are you still wearing “business attire”? No. The jeans are too casual. You’ll be wearing something more akin to business casual. That’s not to say it’s always a bad look—it just may not be appropriate when a situation calls for “business.”

Building Your Business Wardrobe

For every man who needs to impress a client or attend a formal event, a business suit isn’t always optional. It’s a necessary part of the wardrobe. Short of going to a store and doling out large amounts of money for a full suit, how can you build one of your own? We recommend starting from the bottom up. If you can pair a suit jacket with a high-quality pair of trousers, you’ll be well on your way.

You’ll have two options here: casual or dressy.

The casual option includes a wide variety of pants that can fit with either business suits or business casual outfits. Simply choose a color option like “black” to make them match a formal business suit.

Shop All Casual Pants

 The dressy option will give you less versatility, but plenty of confidence when you have to don business attire. Our Super 100’s Gabardine Pleated pants are more formal and come in the common business suit colors: charcoal, black, navy, etc.

Shop All Dress Khakis

 What’s The Right Shirt?

If you already have a suit jacket but not the corresponding pants, make sure that you always try to match the two when creating an outfit for business attire. From there, we recommend a classic crisp white button-up shirt and a business tie of your choice. You can also get away with other shirt colors, but try to avoid patterns or anything too flashy.

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With a proper understanding of business attire, you can pair build a wardrobe that’s suitable for occasions even beyond business. You can be ready for weddings, formal events, and religious services. We recommend starting with a great pair of Berle tailored trousers.