Trending Content - Fashion for Business Forum
| +26 | SA Best Dressing Practices | 11 | 1w |
| +20 | Is the google fitbit air dust?? | 9 | 2w |
| +11 | Advice for Clothing | 4 | 1w |
| +9 | Need expert advice to choose the best hair dryer | 3 | 5d |
| +6 | Girls/WOC in IB | 1 | 1w |
| +3 | best concealer for tattoos (guy)? | 1 | 1w |
| +3 | What dress shirts and pants are everyone wearing? | 1 | 2w |
| +1 | Yelllow Tie | 2 | 1w |
Career Resources
Get at least 2 suits, both navy
Think you don’t need the pink shirt for the office, would keep to white and blue
get one quality tie instead of teo cheap ones
Agree with at least 2 suits. Navy and dark gray.
Get double pairs of pants with both, ie. 4 pants and 2 jackets.
If you are white, ditch the pink shirt. You can't pull it off unless you get a proper tan... and you won't.
Get socks that match the suits.
For casual shoes (trainers), I'd go with leather sneakers.
You only need 1 tie. Get a no-brand, silk tie, if possible. Keep it conservative on the pattern.
Two suits: One Navy, One Dark Grey. Make sure to have multiple suit trousers per suit as most chances are, you won't be full-suiting to work every day.
Get a gilet, no need to spend more than £100 on one
Leather sneakers (reccomend Samuel Windsor)
Get one V-Neck too. IMO they go better with suits than a quarter zip does
They told me 'stick in, or you'll stick out' ... they also told me 'do not introduce unnecessary variety' .
So stick with simple classics and you won't go wrong. No visible brands on anything if you can help it. Focus on quality of fabric (no synthetics) and cut, that's what matters. There are lots of value providers and things are always on sale, no need to spend tons for brand-name stuff. No pockets on dress shirts, mind the collar shape suits you and fits properly. For shoes: no brown shoes with suits (black only, lace-up best), and make sure belt matches shoes (no black/brown combo).
Agree with whoever said fewer, nicer, items is better than more, crummier ones.
Good luck!
why no pockets on shirts?
In my day it would get you fired. Like socks to short to hide skin, brown shoes with suits, the list goes on. I’m sure things have changed but good taste is timeless:)
Spend less on the belt, spend more on the casual shoes (idek if you can get decent shoes for £100 nowadays).
Get two suits.
Would air on more expensive side for quarter zips. With wool items, you usually get what you pay for. Cheaper items will be thinner, pill easier etc.
Wool suits come ar £300 during sales as Reiss, get them tailored at a local quality dry cleaner for £70. Smart shoes around £100 during sales as well (Loake). Shirts from Charles Tyrwhitt for around £25 when bought in bulk.
bump, interested
Firstly congrats on the offer. Hope you’re taking the chance to rest, exercise, see family/friends etc over the festive period before you fully ramp up at the new gig.
Broadly agree with the above, but would make the caveat that it’s team-dependent; for context I’m an Associate in a UK coverage team at a BB, and the dress code in my team is more formal than that in TMT, for example.
To take each of your items in turn:
Suits: Suggest 3-4, so you don’t consistently wear any suit more than once a week (assuming casual Fridays) — weekly rotation helps prolong the life of the suit and ensures you looking a bit more fresh on a day-to-day basis even if you don’t feel it. A mix of navy/indigo/charcoal/mid grey should do the trick. 100% wool, half-canvassed suits is the way to go — you’ll be able to pick these up from Charles Tyrwhitt in Boxing Day sales for ~£300 each. I generally suggest staying away from fashion brands, like Reiss, Boss, Armani, etc. for things like this. Be prepared to spend up to ~25% on tailoring/alterations, unless you’re one of the few who are fortunate to have off-the-rack suits fit perfectly.
Shoes: You’ll need 2 pairs — you’re going to be in these things up to ~18 hours a day, and the worst thing you can do for the health of your feet and health of your shoes is to wear the same pair just a few hours later…make sure to get shoe trees and alternate usage. No need to go mad buying Church’s, but it’s worth investing in a couple of pairs of goodyear-welted shoes — you can pick these up for ~£150 each in the Boxing Day sales, or from the outlet sites/stores of Loake, Barker, Cheaney, etc.. Style wise, safe to have at least a pair of lace-up toe-cap Oxfords, and the other pair is up to you / dependent on your team. And for the avoidance of doubt, no brown shoes — it’s an antiquated view, but unfortunately it’s one that’s held by those that judge you and pay you.
Trainers: Personal view is to give this a miss. If it’s for casual Fridays, then by all means. Even then, ‘casual’ really is a spectrum, and you’ll figure out in the first few weeks what you can and can’t get away with.
Shirts: I suggest getting 8-10 shirts — if you’re completely jammed on a deal sprint you may not have time to go to the launderette on a weekly basis. Whites and blues are safe, but the reception to pinks is rather mixed…
Please do yourself a favour and get 100% cotton shirts — it’ll be the most breathable choice.
The choice is cuff is entirely yours; London is very double-cuff friendly, but you may find it more convenient to get single-cuff shirts so you don’t need to faff around with cuff links.
You’ll be able to pick good shirts up for ~£25 each in the sales.
Chinos: Again, personal view is to give this a miss. If anything, suggest spending the money on an extra set of trousers for your suits.
Belt: No need for one. If you get your suits altered properly, and ask the tailor to replace the belt loops with side adjusters, then you’ll have a clean look whereby you won’t need a belt but will still be able to adjust the waistband.
Sweatshirts: 2-4 100% merino wool sweaters (your choice of quarter zip vs v-neck vs cardigan) will prove useful in the winter months and also help prolong the life of your suit jackets given your office is more casual. Full price on these can be silly, but you should be able to get hold of each sweater for ~£35-40.
Ties: 2-4 100% silk ties, in standard width (not skinny), in a mixture of conservative colours (blue, green, etc.) and subtle patterns should work with any of your suit and shirt colour combos. No harm having more than less, especially if you are to leave 1-2 of them in the office in case required for a last minute invite to client meeting. You can pick these up in the sales for ~£15 each.
Socks: Also suggest 8-10 pairs, in case you don’t get a chance to do laundry every weekend. Blues/greys are fine — suggest getting your socks to match your suit…you’ll look taller and more put together. You can pick up multi-packs of 5 socks from places like M&S for ~£15.
Appreciate that the above is a lot to spend in one go at the beginning of your career, but being savvy with your online shopping during sale periods can help minimise the blow. You’ll take comfort in knowing that this will set you up wardrobe-wise for the next 3-4 years. In any case, it’s worth the investment — looking presentable and put-together goes a long way and is an easy win.
Good luck.
Distinctio aspernatur exercitationem numquam odio. Dignissimos rerum voluptatibus sint beatae. Ullam ea nulla incidunt tempora reprehenderit. Occaecati iste qui aut consequatur ullam consectetur.
Nostrum dolorem suscipit facilis quis et earum eum voluptates. Architecto aliquam sit officia dicta commodi voluptate et minima. Cupiditate quia dolores quod. Est impedit necessitatibus est voluptatem. Atque hic ex laboriosam eos accusantium esse voluptates quia. Facilis est hic facilis autem voluptatem quia et.
Enim voluptatem laboriosam dolorem iure. Consequatur hic pariatur dolores. Dolores perspiciatis fugiat asperiores illum impedit aut aut.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...