Advancing in a career is every man’s dream, and they are prepared to do whatever it takes to achieve their dream – not get enough sleep, spend days and nights at work, put up with the boss’s irrational behaviour, etc. However, one important component of being successful is often overlooked by busy men. We’re talking about style, and if you think your work style has zero influence over your performance, you’re wrong – an outfit can make it or break it in the professional world. Avoid these 6 missteps and you’ll be fine!
1. Visible undershirt
One of the requirements for a man’s professional wardrobe is to often wear an undershirt underneath your normal shirt. An undershirt is usually a lightweight cotton T-shirt that protects you from sweating all over your nice dress shirt when it’s hot outside and in the office. If you unbutton your shirt and the undershirt becomes visible, it’s considered to be one of the biggest office fashion sins. Instead you should get a V-neck undershirt in light grey colour – it will never reveal itself underneath your outer shirt.
2. Wrong socks
The rules for wearing socks in a professional environment are fairly simple: if you’re wearing a suit, your socks must match your suit in colour. A common mistake men make is matching their socks to their shoes – never do this when you’re dressing for work. For example, a dark navy suit calls for dark navy socks. However, things can be different when you’re wearing a light-coloured suit – in this case your socks should be darker than your suit, but still lighter than your shoes. For instance, you can go for a light grey suit, dark grey socks, and black shoes.
3. Backpack with a suit
Look, we understand – as a busy man like you needs to carry around a lot of stuff – your smartphone, tablet, laptop, charger, and so on. Nevertheless, wearing your backpack with your formal suit is one of the most serious fashion missteps, especially when you want to leave a positive impression on the people you meet. Swap your backpack for a classy briefcase and look more professional than ever.
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4. Unfitting clothes
You can have all the money in the world and buy the most expensive suits, but if that suit isn’t tailored to your body, you’re not going to look any better than a teen who has just gotten his first cheap suit. The key to looking sharp in any setting is to get your suit tailored. Take it to a professional tailor and ask him to make the suit fit you like a glove – once you do it, you’ll go back to impressing everyone with your appearance and advancing in your career thanks to your outstanding look.
5. Clashing colours and prints
Although celebrities can wear whatever they want and get away with it, dressing for a professional environment is rather different – here you should follow a simple rule, “Less is more”. It means that your outfit should not combine more than three colours at once – otherwise you risk looking less like a business pro and more like a peacock. As for prints, it’s best to avoid bright and speckled ones altogether, but different kinds of plaid and striped patterns are fine as long as you limit their use.
6. Messy look
There are situations where a messy, slightly unkempt look is fine, but work environment is not one of them. In an office everything is about being polished and professional. This includes not just your clothes, but also your appearance. Clean and combed hair, shaven face or a neat beard, ironed suits and shirts, and polished shoes will make you look as competent and stylish as you can possibly be, and don’t have any doubts – your boss will notice your refined appearance and will put you up for a promotion sooner than you expect.
