Need help building a business casual wardrobe

[pokey07]

I need to stock up on dress pants, shirts, and I'm not too happy with my shoes either so I wouldn't be upset with a new pair or two.

I'd like my pants and shirts to be slim fitting, so any recommendations would be really helpful.

I'm looking at the J.Crew Urban Slim pants, and for shirts I've been just been shopping around for the slimmest fit (plus I'll be taking them to the tailor).

Thanks

 

[voxsartoria]

It's about time someone asked this question.


- B

 

[pokey07]

Originally Posted by voxsartoria

It's about time someone asked this question.


- B

ha, I looked through past threads. Some are dated, some are people spending a lot more than I would like to... I'm looking more for just a couple pairs of pants in different colors, and 1 or 2 pairs of shoes.

 

[tommyrt]

These are things I would wear

Darker slim cut jeans
Wearing slim ties in a jacket other than the suit jacket
A patterned vest, e.g. argyle
Waist coat

 

[withstyle]

business casual wardrobe for a grunge band? not bad.

 

[tommyrt]

Wait a minute, now you mention it... ok , maybe i need help too whats business casual withstyle.. =.=

 

[withstyle]

Originally Posted by tommyrt

Wait a minute, now you mention it... ok , maybe i need help too whats business casual withstyle.. =.=
I have been wearing business casual for almost ten years now, in a few different workplaces in Manhattan, in the Chicago suburbs, and downtown Chicago. There is a pretty wide range as to what qualifies, but there are some guiding features. First, collars are always worn on shirts and suits are not worn (that would be "business formal"). Second, although some may beg to differ, I would also say that jeans do not qualify as business casual. Third, dress shoes are always worn. But that's really about it - many things can qualify. For a given individual, the style is guided by i) the overall level of formality of his/her workplace (some of which is dictated by profession - finance tends to be more formal than advertising, for instance) and ii) his/her own sense of style and sense of formality, some of which may or may not be dictated by age, level of workplace "seniority", experience etc.

A few (hopefully) illustrative examples... I once worked at a firm in the Chicago suburbs. The "senior folk" wore cotton or wool dress pants every day, sometimes with collared t-shirts and sweaters, sometimes with long-sleeve button downs with or without sport coats. Never with ties. I was in my mid-20s while working there. I went with the overall style and wore cotton slacks, collared t-shirts etc. Looking back though, I wish I would have dressed more formally. I think if you're younger, it's better to err on the side of formality rather than casual. You are trying to be taken seriously, have others who are more experienced listen to your opinions, etc. You don't want your clothes to be working against you, and I would argue a more formal look only helps your cause.

I have also worked at two firms (one in Manhattan, one in downtown Chicago) that are on the more formal side of business casual. In these more formal settings, people still wear collared t-shirts occasionally in the summer, and will frequently wear cotton slacks. But are much more "dressed up" on average. I'm currently at one of these firms, and I wear wool dress trousers only (never cotton) with long-sleeve button down shirts every day. No "crazy" patterns. I could wear a sport coat every day and dress up more but choose not to given my age (early 30s) and personal preference. I could also wear sweaters or cotton slacks occasionally but choose not to.

That help?

 

[Film Noir Buff]

Bidnez casual is so much more difficult than wearing a trusty suit and tie every day.

 

[withstyle]

Originally Posted by pokey07

I need to stock up on dress pants, shirts, and I'm not too happy with my shoes either so I wouldn't be upset with a new pair or two.

I'd like my pants and shirts to be slim fitting, so any recommendations would be really helpful.

I'm looking at the J.Crew Urban Slim pants, and for shirts I've been just been shopping around for the slimmest fit (plus I'll be taking them to the tailor).

Thanks
So, in my opinion, a good business casual wardrobe, for starters, would be something like the following (my apologies if this is just common sense):

Shirts:
- several "staple" white cotton dress shirts
- several "staple" blue/light blue dress shirts
- a few other conservative patterned shirts (white with blue stripes, blue checked, etc.), maybe a solid pink shirt if you are comfortable
- the above can be button-down collars but I choose non-button collars for work - more formal
- work as quickly as possible towards 10 shirts or so but you could get by with fewer if needed. remember, with more shirts each one will wear out less quickly...

Trousers:
- at least one pair of navy, charcoal gray, light gray and tan trousers. Get wool - it's dressier than cotton. I'd double up on the first three so you end up with at least 5 pairs of pants to rotate
- the bulk should be solid colors.

Shoes:
- one pair black lace-up, one pair dark brown lace-up

Belts:
- one dark brown, one black

Socks, underwear, undershirts:
- I prefer at least two weeks worth of these (including weekends) to reduce the frequency of doing laundry
- For the latter two, I prefer as snug and thin as possible so as not to distort the appearance of the outer-garments

Even if you're business casual, you'll probably want to have at least two suits. I'd go navy for the first and either charcoal gray or light gray for the second, depending on your coloration and preference. And of course you'll want to have at least one blazer. Navy is considered the "staple" color. I'll stop before I get to outerwear.

In general, buy the best quality you can afford (read this forum extensively) as things will last longer. Also, the more you lean towards classic rather than trendy the less likely you'll be constantly swapping out pieces as you get older and your tastes evolve.

 

[sanadan]

I am pretty much in the exact position as the original poster. I'm looking to build a business casual wardrobe (do not need a suit), but my problem is trying to find good value brands. Since I have started to browse this site I have started to browse around the few higher end clothing stores in downtown Calgary and it's an entirely different world than what I am used to.

Any recommendations for good quality dress pants (wool) that I should be looking at if I am on a budget? I tried on a very nice pair (in my uneducated opinion) of Coppley grey flannels, but they are $265 and that seems quit expensive to me still. Obviously I am looking for brands that are available in Canada and I'd like to try them on as things tend to fit me weird as I am somewhat overweight.

 

[withstyle]

I've paid $265 or above for only two pairs of pants in my wardrobe and they are both superlative. A pair of Attolini Super 150s and a pair of L. Barbera pants. They are at the higher-end of high-end clothing. In Chicago you can get a pair of bespoke or MTM pants from a tailor (not a high-end tailor mind you) for around $265. You have to be able to do better than those Coppleys at $265 for your entry-level pants.

One suggestion is to watch the B&S section of the forum. The Mabitex pants that often sell there for around $100 are phenomenal. Also watch out for Brooks Brothers sales. I believe you can find Borrelli pants for around $200 at Shop the Finest (google them). That's all I have... I'm definitely not the best person to dish out advice on entry level/budget brands at this point.

 

[Brian278]

I wear business casual everyday, and here's what I've come up with in constructing my wardrobe since being out of school: For slim-fitting business casual pants in the $150 range it's pretty hard to beat Howard Yount, or at least I've never found anything better in 2+ years of looking. The quality is on par with $300 pants I have seen and the selection of fabrics (at least until they sell out) is excellent in terms of staple colors. You could literally order 5-6 pants in different colors from there and be pretty set in terms of pants. The price may seem like a lot more than you're used to paying but these will hold up better than J. Crew, so weigh that in as well. For shirts, Kent Wang has limited colors at this point but features a very slim fit by most standards and great quality for a little over $100. A fit like this is pretty damn hard to find with traditional dress shirt styling. I'd imagine they're slim enough to avoid a trip to the tailor as well, but check the measurements. Otherwise, check out ShopTheFinest and eBay the B&S for heavily discounted Borelli, Truzzi, Finamore, RLPL, RLBL (my favorite), etc. There's a wide range of these shirts at $100-$150, all very high quality, if you're patient enough to check back regularly for staple colors.

 

[millionaire75]

Pants are my biggest problem for work. How are the rise on these?

 

[Eccentric]

Originally Posted by Film Noir Buff

Bidnez casual is so much more difficult than wearing a trusty suit and tie every day.

Couldn't have said it better. The only times I really find myself browsing the forum anymore for actual advise vs. inspiration/general knowlede are when I need to do Business Casual.

 

[MHH89]

I hate business casual, I hope business formal comes back after this recession.