Entering the corporate world

[NoKetchupAllowed]

34, programmer/engineer. I've always worked for small outfits and this is my first push into the corporate culture and I need to tweak my look.

Me: Rockabilly cut, 3 day trimmed scruff, acetate tom ford glasses, dark indigo selvedge jeans, smoker.

I do business casual somewhat well, very selective with the shoes with more than a dozen pairs of Allen Edmonds (all are brown, most in chili, most have a certain flair). pants are all khaki, nothing fancy and all admittingly a few years old. Shirts are more on the casual end of the spectrum, heavy on the blues, slim fit, but once again much more on the casual than the business. Everything is always dry cleaned and crisp. Firm believer that if you have to lean on anything, it should be nice shoes.

Things I've noticed that I need to address:
1) no one is wearing khakis, it doesn't have to be dress pants material necessarily, it can definitely be something that sits on the rockabilly spectrum (preferred) but it has to be darker than khaki. I need to pick up at least 4 new pairs. I would like to hit about the 300 dollar mark on that.
2) shirts are just a bit off. Patterns are fine and encouraged but my currents are just a bit too casual. I'm torn between just getting a dozen slim fit H&M white dress shirts and another dozen or two casual/slim ties. A tie would draw more attention than I want and I'd really need to beef up my tie stockpile to reduce repeats but it might be the best way of maintaining my desired look. My other choice is just to rebuy a fleet of random dress-ish shirts, and I'm only accustomed to randomly picking up one here and there not bulk purchasing variety. I imagine it'll run me 400ish either way.
3) scent.... just a random rant on this one. I'm just so accustomed to wearing whatever I want but it's hard for me to give up the pungent lifestyle. I love wearing my Tom Ford, ETAT or channel leather oud. I have plenty of boring stuff, but that is one thing I just really don't like having to tone down.

Looking for corporate dress guidance. I can get away dripping of blood if my work is good enough but it is very much a stuffy corporate office. I pretty much need to purchase variety now in bulk. I'm good on shoes but I need to target else at brown shoes. I don't know where to start with good sources for shirts (unless you suggest the tie route), pants too I would struggle for a quick purchase. I also wouldn't mind random musings on corporate dress culture keeping in mind I'm not oblivious to it or fresh to the job market.

 

[dpm802]

Do you already have a job offer? If so, scope out your co-workers and see what they're wearing. If you know who your boss will be, pay particular attention to how he dresses.

You can fill out your wardrobe rather quickly at Goodwill and consignment shops. People donate lots of good, serviceable, name-brand clothing and you can get them for just a few dollars. Make the rounds of each Goodwill store in your town, and within a couple of trips you'll have plenty of pants and shirts and ties to get you started in the corporate world. 5 pairs of pants and 10 shirts and 10 ties should be enough to get you started, and probably won't run more than $100.

Be sure you know your measurements before you go shopping, and try on each item before you buy it. If needed, spend a few more bucks at a tailor shop to get the pants re-hemmed or the shirts tailored to fit. You can spend big bucks on fancy clothing, but if it doesn't fit your frame properly, it won't look right. A $10 suit from Goodwill that is properly tailored will look better than a $1000 suit that doesn't.

This is a good quick-start, economy method of building a wardrobe. Depending on how much you can budget, plan on replacing each Goodwill item with something brand new over the course of the next year. Out of all the used items you purchased, one or two brands will stick out, and you should build your next-generation wardrobe around that.

My rule of thumb with wardrobes is to let the designers do the designing for me. I refuse to mix-match labels, so if I'm wearing Ralph Lauren pants, I wear a Ralph Lauren shirt. Cross-labeling Tommy Hilfiger shirts with Geoffrey Beene pants just looks wrong to me, but others will disagree.

 

[NoKetchupAllowed]

Sorry I need to preface a bit better. I am already into the new job, I come from high paying positions, and this is equally so (just different company culture, my niche denim doesn't fly here). The actual price is not a concern at all, it's just quickly revamping a new base wardrobe. Not that I don't hunt consignment shops but my actual purchases and diamonds-in-the-rough are very few and far between.

This is not a suit company or a tie company, but it teeters just short of that.

I get hung up following a few very niche brands and labels. I'd love to purchase all that from them but in no way am I going to drop 10k right now nor would that solve my problem (need to integrate), I'm looking for a go-to X for this and y for that (insert something above nordstoms).

For reference, I am 5'10, 180. 32x32 on pants, have a fitment issue with slim cut pants, always a bit snug up top. Shirts are always an issue as depending on stress levels in my neck goes between a 16" and 17.5" neck but only a 32 length and a slim build. I've never gotten tailoring on a shirt but I should. I have never found a good fit.

 

[xserror]

Don't know if Melka is available where you live, but that brand offers separate measurments for sleeves, neck and torso. I can never buy any other shirts of the rack. I've got long arms, slim waist and a robust neck, so when the torso looks good, the sleeves are to short and the neck is constricting to the point that I look like someone is choking me. But if I shell out for Melka shirts, they're the closest thing to tailor made. But hey, ymmv.

 

[joel]

Where do you live? The reason I ask is that there are a few places I know of around the US that are absolute gems. For instance, in Minnesota - a little shop called heimies can get you set with clothing that'll fit you like a literal glove in no time flat - and you'll be able to see/feel the final product before you buy. While I can give you recommendations up the wazoo with links/pics if needed - if you live near a good clothing shop, i'd rather steer you in that direction, as it sounds like you have discerning taste, and if you see it, you'll know exactly what you want/like. Links and internet shopping (IMHO) tend to work better for folks who don't really know what they're looking for.

My .02 though - don't fall into the lemming trap and continue to rock the selvage. I am in the same industry as you and regardless of what size company i'm working for (from 30 folks to 140,000) I wear tailored selvage denim, killer shoes and a nice shirt. Even when I do public speaking engagements, unless i'm in New York and the audience is larger than 500 people, I don't deviate.

 

[LogisticEarth]

I would worry about buying a "fleet" of shirts and a bunch of ties. You just need a few shirts in basic solids and/or classic simple patterns, like gingham check or something. No loud colors, keep it simple. dpm802's suggestion of 10 shirts is probably more than enough, especially if you're already dry cleaning stuff. I'm of the opinion that if you wear an undershirt, aren't getting sweaty, and aren't spilling food on yourself, there's no reason to wash a dress shirt after one wear. 10 shirts would get you through a few weeks without having to go to the cleaner.

Ties...that really depends on the situation. I don't think the tie-without-jacket is a particularly good look. So if you're skipping the blazer or suit, I'd skip the tie as well and not worry about having too many "repeats". As with the shirts, the ties should be basic enough to not be noticed if you wear one twice in the same week.

Overall you probably want to keep your outfits simple if you're sticking with selvage jeans. You have a fairly exotic haircut, some stylized glasses, and a variety of decent shoes which I assume you keep shined. That's enough "flair" for the corporate world. Any more and you start to look more like a character than a professional.

 

[reverseapachemaster]

Looking at how your potential boss and coworkers dress will tell you a lot about how to dress. Corporate dress codes are all about conformity and professionalism. Many places follow a "business casual" dress code but there is a lot of room between BUSINESS casual and business CASUAL. (Regional norms can also play a role.) If you don't see polos or khakis frequently then lean more towards the business side and less the casual. In some places khakis are not business casual. They are just casual.

There is a fine line between dressing nicely and dressing too modern so that your professional attire feels unprofessional to your colleagues. You have to be careful about dressing too modern or unique at work. Sure, the women there might take notice that your dress shirts are expertly cut but if you are surrounded all day by guys who wear whatever their wives bought them at Kohls then you might stick out like a sore thumb. That can make you an outside in an environment that demands conformity. That's why you benefit from looking at your potential colleagues and dressing somewhere in that range.

I'd suggest picking up a handful of dress shirts and pants in basic colors (no problem buying from the same store/brand in multiple colors) and get a feel for what is appropriate for the workplace and then flesh out your attire.

One other point: be really careful about wearing a cologne or assertive aftershave at work in those environments. It's often not a welcomed part of your presence in corporate environments. Maybe lay off it for a couple weeks while you see what goes on there. If you don't smell any other colognes then it's best nobody else smells yours. Maybe an exception for a light scent to temper some of the smoke but I would be very delicate about it.

 

[NoKetchupAllowed]

reverseapachemaster that was very well spoken, its exactly like I expected but just one of those things it's important to hear from someone else's mouth.

I just did a bulk pants purchase. It's a stop-gap and at least gets me into the color spectrum I should be in, and 6 pairs for 60 bucks, hard to pass on.
http://bensbargains.net/bargain/6-pairs-haggar-lk-life-khaki-men-s-chino-pants-for-68-at-132053/
It buys me some time to more carefully select nicer pants.
[edit and another 4 pairs here for something bit more formal
http://bensbargains.net/bargain/4-pairs-men-s-dress-pants-for-84-at-perry-ellis-131960/
]

I do require quite a few clothes in my wardrobe because I have a split living situation (GF), so I need to stock two closets. Shirts only get a single use because I am a smoker, pants get 2 uses (maybe 3 tops).

I work in Chicago, so the standards are a bit higher than less populaces areas. But definitely no shortage of shopping options.

 

[OldGrowth]

Just a couple observations. I'm 6'0" and wear 32x32 or 33x32 depending on maker. Are your pants breaking too much at the cuff? That may be okay with the rockabilly style, but that look is very dated now. Ideally, you want little to no break with current trends. It's still a matter of preference, but since you're not trying to rock corrected grain leather crap shoes, don't slop up the transition with too much break.

I'm no style guru, but I would start with 2 pairs of medium weight wool trousers (depending on where you live -- if you're somewhere hot or climate doesn't change, you can go light wool) -- 1 navy (or a bit lighter) and 1 medium gray (don't go too light on this). Why don't I recommend charcoal instead of medium? Charcoal is a bit more formal, and from your shoe collection I'd really only recommend the darker brown (especially if burnished) shoes. With med gray you can pull off more of your browns and maybe even the chili depending on the shirt and how "loud" you want to be. If you're not a fan of navy or comfortable matching it, get a variety of grays. In your environment and position, stay away from chinos except for causal Fridays or after work casual functions. You need to put chinos in the same category as jeans now. If you're rocking any type of chino, no matter the color, you might as well grab some ill fitting Van Heusen shirts while you're at it. Anyway, you say they don't need to be dress pant material, but I disagree. If you're wearing AE's and similar, especially if they're Bal's and not bluchers, you need the weight, drape, and break of quality wool pants. If you haven't worn many wool pants, stop thinking "hot". There are so many weaves and weights you'll be able to find something that works for you easily, and the look will be so much more polished than jeans or chinos. You'll never go back, or at the very least you'll feel too casual when you are wearing jeans/chinos.

As for shirts, I personally stay away from patterns for work for the most part. If you're getting patterns, subtle is better (less contrast and/or smaller pattern). Just remember, white or blue solids are "boring" but you can repeat more frequently and nobody notices. That neat pattern sticks out in people's minds, and it seems like you just wore it yesterday even if it's been two weeks. I'm a fan of sport coats in this "business causal gray area". Maybe you aren't, and that's fine. Maybe you think it'll look like you're trying too hard or whatever, but if it's as close to a suit environment as you say, I'd go for it. If you're rocking sport coats, it's more reasonable and practical to do the solid shirts. It makes matching easier but also presents a palette for your face. A white shirt with no jacket looks off and even a bit "loud". A white shirt under a subtle pattern sport coat pops, helps highlight your face, and shows you mean business. If you must get a navy blazer, stay away from the brass buttons. I have one with dark "pewter" buttons that's more to my liking. No ties with the sport coat. At least not in your environment. Ties with suits only, unless you're waiting tables at Olive Garden. Okay, enough rambling for now. I'm tired of typing and you're probably tired of reading this (if you even made it this far). Good luck with the new job. Keep those shoes cleaned, conditioned, and polished.

 

[Doc4]

Looking at how your potential boss and coworkers dress will tell you a lot about how to dress. Corporate dress codes are all about conformity and professionalism. Many places follow a "business casual" dress code but there is a lot of room between BUSINESS casual and business CASUAL. (Regional norms can also play a role.) If you don't see polos or khakis frequently then lean more towards the business side and less the casual. In some places khakis are not business casual. They are just casual.

There is a fine line between dressing nicely and dressing too modern so that your professional attire feels unprofessional to your colleagues. You have to be careful about dressing too modern or unique at work. Sure, the women there might take notice that your dress shirts are expertly cut but if you are surrounded all day by guys who wear whatever their wives bought them at Kohls then you might stick out like a sore thumb. That can make you an outside in an environment that demands conformity. That's why you benefit from looking at your potential colleagues and dressing somewhere in that range.

That's a really good summary of dressing appropriately for a given work environment.

To sum up: find out what your workplace's "bell curve of style" is, and stay within the big part of the bell ... but toward the "top end" of the big part. Be "above average" but still fit in ... not being the "wears a tuxedo to a bar-b-que" guy.

 

[Alacrity59]

I'd stress quality a bit over style. You climb the ladder and become a supervisor . . . you buy Armani depending on your industry and what your job is . . . some folk may be saying wow . . . he looks the picture of success . . . others may be thinking . . . this git has no idea the value of a dollar. We are talking about dressing for work . . . consider where you are and dress for success with some of your own flavour. If you feel uncomfortable then go somewhere different.