While many businesses are now opting for slightly more casual work clothing, the idea of business formal attire won’t be disappearing any time soon. When a business wants to create a great impression, whether for an event, or as the standard work clothing for their employees, business formal attire is a must.
As specialists in online suit hire, we want to walk you through what business formal for men requires. So, whether you need to dress up full-time at work in business formal attire, or you need it for just a single event or meeting, you’ll know exactly what to wear.
Key Elements of Business Formal for Men
Business formal suits can be two or three piece suits. Three piece suits are often seen as much more formal, but the vast majority of business settings will likely be fine with a two-piece suit, as long as it fits well.
Business formal suits will always be in darker colours. It is rare to have them be anything other than black, charcoal, or navy. It will be a simple colour too. No patterns. Nothing ‘loud’. This goes for all your attire too. Wear a business formal suit in a formal setting, and you’ll be blending in with every other man there.
Let’s look at some of the elements that make up a business formal suit and attire.
Dress Shirt and Tie
A dress is a long sleeved shirt that will be button-down. It should be a lighter colour, preferably white. Once again, no loud colours. Anything that isn’t pale-coloured should not be part of business formal attire.
Your neck tie can be of complimentary but not matching colour to your pocket square. Block colours or patterns are fine but no novelty ties. Leave the Mr Men tie at home!
Shoes and Accessories
Polished leather shoes are a must with business formal attire. Oxford-style shoes are seen as the more ‘formal’ of shoes that you can wear. However, some people may prefer derbies. They are seen as a bit more casual, although not too much. They can be much more comfortable to wear, though. Black or navy blue should be your go-to colour for your shoes. Loafers are perfectly suitable also, either penny or tassled.
We highly recommend that you keep jewellery to a minimum. In fact, it would probably be best if you didn’t wear anything other than your watch.
When is Business Formal Required?
As we said at the start, business formal is starting to become ‘required’ less and less. Many people are now opting for business casual. However, there are some situations where we feel business formal attire is an absolute necessity:
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If you’re attending an interview for a corporate role. Conversely, standard interviews probably wouldn’t necessitate the use of business formal attire, you’ll probably be fine with business casual there. However, if you’re looking to get into the corporate job market, then business formal attire is a must.
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Boardroom meetings and high-level presentations i.e. anything where you need to put your best foot forward when it comes to looks.
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Business dinners, networking events, etc. You might not need to wear business formal attire for all these events. Make sure that you check the invite, or look at evidence of past events, to know whether business formal is appropriate.
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While these roles are dying out, some industries still require you to wear business formal. This includes law, and finance. In rare cases, government positions (especially those in elected positions) may also need this type of attire.
Business Formal v Business Casual
The rules for business formal attire are very rigid. We detailed them above, and you can’t really deviate from them. However, if your dress code is business casual then you have a bit more creativity with how you can dress.
Business casual allows you to ditch the tie, and opt for slightly different colours. You still need to have tasteful colours, but you don’t need to limit yourself to blacks and blues. You can even get a few patterns into your clothing, although they shouldn’t be over the top.
Smarter trousers are fine (do not need to be suit trousers) as are polo shirts. You can even wear cardigans and jumpers.
No need to limit yourself to certain types of shoe either. While you can’t get away with wearing your favourite pair of trainers, simple shoes are fine. You can even throw in a few more accessories including jewellery.
Business casual is for business environments that are a lot less formal. For example, office work, working in customer-facing banking positions, sales, etc. For the most part, business casual is fine. Unless your employee handbook explicitly states you need to wear business formal (or your coworkers are opting for business formal) then business casual is fine. It is rare that you’ll be wearing business formal attire all the time anyway, outside of certain industries.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
If you’re opting for business formal attire, we want you to put your best foot forward. So, here are some mistakes to avoid when opting for this type of clothing:
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Don’t wear casual shoes, even if you think they work with the colour palette. This means no trainers.
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You should try to wear some perfume or cologne when wearing business formal attire. Good scents go a long way. However, it is imperative that you don’t overdo the scent. A little goes a long way. Remember, scents will get stronger as the cologne interacts with the oils on your skin. A quick squirt is more than enough.
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Ill-fitting suits: always get your business formal attire suits sized properly. If your suit is hired but fits well, it will look more expensive than an ill fitting suit from a high-priced tailor.
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Make sure that you do not have any bright colours, or anything too distracting. We mentioned this before. Business formal attire has very specific colours and you shouldn’t deviate from them at all.
Final Tips for Dressing Business Formal
It is essential that you prioritise the fit of your business formal attire. Poorly fitting suits will stick out like a sore thumb. Make sure that when you put on the suit, you groom yourself properly too. This means having a good shave, a haircut, etc. Look as smart as you possibly can.
Always ensure that you stick to a neutral, and professional colour palette. This means blues, blacks and charcoal colour. Never go for anything too extreme, even in your small accessories.
Remember – keep it simple. Elegance comes from understatement. You look smart because you’re wearing properly fitting clothes, a neutral colour palette, and you’ve selected your suit well for the occasion.