Dress Like a Man by Antonio Centeno, Geoffrey Cubbage, Anthony Tan, Ted Slampyak Read Free Book Online

color, pattern, and texture options open up quite a bit, as do some of the tailoring details.
    To qualify as a business suit rather than a social one, a suit sill needs to meet some basic standards:
traditional single- or double-breasted jacket (no unusual button arrangements)
light patterning (pinstripes, gray-on-gray check, etc.) or solid color
no exaggerated features (oversized lapels, etc.)
wool or cotton (no cheap synthetics, and save linen for summer social events)
    The main goal here is to avoid wearing anything that's so flamboyant or unique that it becomes its own conversation piece. You can express your individuality a bit, but at the end of the day you should still look like someone who works in an office and wears a suit to work.
    Just how much uniqueness you're allowed to express will depend on your workplace. Start out conservative until you've got a good feel for things, and then broaden your collection if you find yourself in need of more suits.
    Similar to the suit, your options for other clothes open up somewhat, but stay in the same basic family:
light-colored or lightly-patterned dress shirts
neckties (nothing novelty or in clashing colors)
pocket squares (colored is fine, but never matching the tie exactly)
dark leather shoes (any dressy style is fine, but monochrome only -- no two-tones)
socks can match the trouser or be a deliberate, colorful contrast
leathers and metals can vary, but should match throughout the outfit
    As you can see, there's a lot more room for expression here.
    The same dark suit can become two or three different outfits, just by changing up the style and color of your shoe/belt combination or your choice of necktie and pocket square.
    What you don't want to do is try to push the actual boundaries of "business dress" by wearing suits that are too casual or too fashion-forward. Things that are obviously old-fashioned "sporting" styles (think hairy, earth-tone tweeds) or contemporary catwalk fashions (bright colors, unstructured jackets, thin cotton or synthetic fabrics, etc.) aren't good business wear, unless you're in the business of hunting grouse or shooting magazine spreads.
    Relaxed Business Dress
    It's splitting hairs a bit, but there's an argument to be made that a matched business suit worn with non-traditional accompaniments becomes a relaxed form of business dress that deserves its own category.
    This can take a couple different forms. The most common is the basic business suit and dress shirt, worn without a necktie (and sometimes with the top placket button unfastened). You'll see politicians wearing this look a lot during their less-formal public appearances -- it keeps the authority of the suit, but looks more friendly and approachable.
    Other variations are based around national costumes. Many South and Central American business and political leaders wear the traditional guayabera shirt under their suits instead of dress shirts, for example, while some South Aisan and Middle Eastern men wear Western-style jackets and ties over skirt-like lower pieces (which go by many names, depending on language, including izaar, futah, sarong, lungi, and more).
    These variations are usually assumed to be less appropriate for high-formality occasions like presentations and ceremonies, but can often pass muster for basic day-to-day business wear.
     

C HAPTER 13: B USINESS C ASUAL
    If you read the last three chapters straight through in one sitting (we told you not to do that at the start of the book, you know), you might be feeling a little overwhelmed right now.
    Dress codes at the highest levels of formality are strict, specific, and no-nonsense. That makes competence with them very attractive, but also a little nerve-wracking for beginners.
    Fortunately, we're out of the woods at this point.
    The vast, broad dress code called "business casual" isn't really a fixed code at all. It's more a minimum and a maximum standard, between which people are free to do anything that isn't too