Dressing properly for work doesn’t need to be hard. Focusing on a few style basics will make building up your wardrobe a much easier task. These five tips will help you turn heads while still following your dress code.
1. Make Sure You Understand What’s Appropriate
Having a good understanding of the dress code will make building your wardrobe an easier task. All companies have their own version of business casual and formal wear. Find out where the line is and build a wardrobe around what’s appropriate in your industry. Paying attention to how the leaders in your organization dress can give you some direction when building your wardrobe.
Even if you have a relaxed dress code, try and avoid neon and flashy colors. Bright neon outfits can be too flashy and attract the wrong type of attention. Stay away from hot pink dress shirts or colored pants. You can use bold colors sparingly, just mute them with solid colors in other parts of your outfit. For example, if you have a loud shirt, pair it with grey or black pants.
2. Prioritize The Fit Of Your Clothes Over Everything
The way a shirt fits can make or break how it looks on you. Shirts that are too tight leave you looking silly. Overly baggy shirts swallow up your body and make it easy for you to look sloppy. When picking out polo’s or t-shirts, the sleeve should end in the middle of your bicep. When buying shorts, don’t let them hang below your knees.
Your glasses are also an important part of your outfit. Make sure they fit and aren’t sliding down your face all the time. Adjusting your glasses is annoying for you and can be distracting for others that you work with, especially if you’re always in front of clients.
3. Save The Cologne Or Perfume For Other Events
The colognes and perfumes that smell good to you might not smell good to your colleagues. Your work might even have a policy on scents. If you can smell yourself, you put on too much cologne or perfume. The way you smell influences how people perceive you, especially if you smell like a flower shop. At work, your colleagues should only be able to smell you if they’re close enough to hug you.
4. Keep It Simple
A lot of business professionals get themselves in trouble by trying to put together complicated outfits. When you’re building your wardrobe from scratch, keep it simple. You don’t need fancy or expensive clothes to look good. If your clothes fit and are in line with your dress code, you’ll look fine.
Men’s wooden watches are an example of a visually appealing accessory that doesn’t go overboard. Wooden watches are reasonably priced and fit with a variety of different outfits. Don’t feel that you have to spend all your money on clothes and jewelry in order to look professional.
5. Invest In A Quality Bag
The condition of your bag will make or break your outfit. A high quality, professional bag is a great way to finish off your outfit. Walking around with a backpack lowers your professionalism and the overall appeal of your outfit. You also don’t want to walk around with an overflowing purse or a tattered briefcase.
Investing in a quality leather bag or messenger bag will give you a multi-purpose bag for many years to come. Keeping your bag clean on the inside will help with the longevity. Try not to buy fake leather otherwise it’ll start peeling just months after you start using it. If a genuine leather bag is out of your budget, consider pineapple leather or cork leather.
6. Keep Some Extra Clothes At Working
Having an extra pair of shoes and a sweater at work will help you adapt to unexpected changes. You might spill something on your shirt, it might be cold in the office, or you might get called into an unexpected meeting with the higher-ups. Having an extra sweater, dress shirt and a pair of shoes at work will help you adapt to unforeseen circumstances.
