Many professionals when starting out in the corporate world, changing jobs or moving up in their company face the dilemma of how to dress in the office. Many are likely to ask themselves this question as their own personal style is far from the classic style used at work.
There are companies where it is mandatory to wear a certain outfit, and there are others where it is not. The obvious thing is that a formal or semi-formal style will give us a successful image.
If we walk into a law firm and see them dressed in any way, it is very likely that they will lose credibility for us and we will look for the competition. In this blog, you will find practical advice on how to dress in the office.
Why is there a clothing code to follow at work?
The work environment is an area in which our personal image can improve our skills. It can give us security, authority and professionalism. You just have to do a test to check it, we are going to close our eyes and visualize a man and a woman wearing a suit. What impression does it make on us? The image provokes a feeling of high status, professionalism, and security…
General recommendations
In this article, we are going to focus on men’s and women’s outfits, but first, there are a series of general recommendations for both sexes:
- Well ironed clothes.
- Take care that we do not have any stains.
- Shoes say a lot about us, keeping them clean and cared for.
- If we wear jeans, avoid worn, torn, and excessively tight pants.
- Avoid very overloaded accessories.
- Clothes of our size, this is important, because we want to feel comfortable during the long eight-hour day, and wearing baggy or too-tight pants does us no favours.
For Men
If the company is very formal, it is advisable to wear a suit. If it is a little more informal, you can wear dress pants and a shirt, dispensing with the tie. If it is a youth company, jeans have a place, as long as they are not torn or worn.
For all three cases, there are a series of essential tips that will help us not make mistakes when dressing in the office:
- Shirts without print.
- Neutral colours: White, black, beige, grey, camel…
- Appropriate Oxford-type shoes or moccasins, stay away from sports shoes.
- If we want bright colours, limit it only to the tie.
- Dress pants without fanfare.
- Avoid ostentatious watches.
For Women
Women’s clothing offers a wider range of possibilities than men’s, and therefore, it is more complex. We want to look professional, and unless we work in fashion and have more freedom, these tips are a good recommendation from Albeli.
- Classic suit skirt.
- Medium or low heel, we don’t want to end up with swollen feet at the end of the day.
- Shirt without transparency.
- Blazer or suit jacket.
- Natural, or sober makeup.
- Use colours freely, except those called “neon” and “fluorine”.
- The length of the skirt must be a minimum of 6 centimetres above the knee.
- Avoid deep necklines and showing bra straps.
- Nails preferably in classic colours, browns, reds, cream, French manicure… avoid greens, yellows, blues, etc.
- If we want to have original touches, we can play with sober clothing and slightly more daring accessories.
- Classic pants, palazzo, elephant foot, dark straight jeans, avoid skinny jeans.
- Structured bags in neutral colours.
Other factors
In addition to clothing, there are a number of other factors to take into account. Men who wear beards must keep them well-groomed and well-trimmed. An unkempt beard gives a very bad impression.
If the man has long hair, it is ideal to put it in a ponytail. For women, an updo, or hair down without covering the face, is appropriate since wearing hair in the middle of the eyes gives a feeling of personal neglect.
Paying attention to our nails when gesturing is something that others will notice and a dirty or neglected appearance does not favour our image. Make sure that the attention is on our faces and not on other accessories that may distract us.
Our smile is a good letter of introduction, clean and cared-for teeth give a positive feeling. The excess of rings and bracelets does not favour us in the work environment.
Attitude
A good attitude is essential to succeed. A broad smile, looking our interlocutor in the eyes, maintaining a sensible body distance in a conversation, and a forceful but not elevated tone of voice are factors to take into account when interacting with our colleagues or superiors.
Conclusion
We just have to do the test to see the excellent results of a good personal image. It is worth investing our money in a wardrobe dedicated to work attire. We can start with two lower pieces and six upper pieces (for each lower piece 3 upper garments), combine them with each other, and little by little expand.
