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Men’s clothing guide for the office

Employees represent the company they work for with their appearance and clothing. However, there are large differences in the dress code depending on the country and industry.

What may still be permitted at a hip online marketing agency is an absolute no-go at an insurance company or a banking institution. In between, there are many gradations, whereby there is only rarely a clear right or wrong.

The same applies to a professional stay abroad - in some countries a conservative dress is required, in other employees have more freedom.

Australians least likely to wear casual office wear

Who would have thought that in Australia, of all places, casual wear is the rarest? Only about every fifth employee goes to work in a casual look. Even in the rather conservative United Kingdom, 29 percent of the working population dare to enter the company in loose clothing. And in Russia, of all places, the majority of employees (58 percent) wear casual clothes at their desks. At 52 percent, Germany is above the global average of 50 percent when it comes to casual dressing at work.

With these seven tips, men can better judge what to wear in the office and what to wear only in their spare time.

Tip 1: Orient yourself towards your colleagues

Perhaps the best way for new employees to find the right outfit is to orient themselves to their work colleagues. Especially when you are newly employed in a company, the others show very well how far you can go. You can’t go wrong with bespoke suits NYC and other custom clothing. Nevertheless, one should not push the limits too hard. A look that is too casual can quickly make you look dubious and leave a bad impression on your boss. Therefore one should orientate oneself with the dress choice rather somewhat more at the average.

Before taking up a new position abroad, it is worth taking a look at the employer’s website and finding out about Dos and Dont’s fashion in general. Pictures of employees provide information on how the company presents itself to the outside world. If you follow this style, you can’t actually do anything wrong.

Tip 2: Pay attention to general appearance

Internationally, in addition to clothing, a well-groomed appearance is an absolute must for every office job, regardless of the industry. The same is true for teachers. Well-groomed hands washed and combed hair and clean clothes are a matter of course. A good shave is recommended for men. Shoes that you put on for work should be cleaned from time to time, especially when it has rained or snowed outside.

If you want to look good on a business trip, take a look at our Suitcase Style Guide. After a certain career level, it can happen that your new employer picks you up at the airport. A battered, stained suitcase with colored stickers doesn’t make a good first impression.

Tip 3: Find a suitable upper part

The outerwear range includes shirts with short or long sleeves, polo shirts, and T-shirts for everyday office wear. With a shirt, one should fall back absolutely on discreetly patterned variants. Funny lettering and motifs have no place at work. Even Hawaiian shirts have not been worn for at least three decades.

Employees can hardly do anything wrong if they choose a shirt and dark jeans, no matter where they work. Therefore, it is advisable for almost every profession to buy a few chic and comfortable shirts for everyday office life. In order to feel comfortable even on long working days, you should pay attention to the right cut. Comfort-fit shirts have a rather loose fit and are suitable for men of medium to stately stature. The slim-fit version, on the other hand, emphasizes the figure. In between are the fits Regular- and Classic-Fit.

Tip 4: Reach for the right trousers

Shorts and Bermudas are absolutely out in most offices, even in southern countries. At warm temperatures, you should rather take stylish ankle-length fabric trousers with a loose cut, which is made of light material. Such chinos have long since found their way into the wardrobes of modern men. The heat doesn’t build up in it as much as it does in thick jeans.

With monochrome trousers, the shirt can be discreetly patterned. Jeans in the used look are rather less recommendable. What is very trendy in leisure time is a clear failure in the office.

Tip 5: Combine the colors well

A basic rule for all styles is: Never combine two or more different patterns. If, for example, the trousers have a light checked pattern, the shirt and shirt should always be plain. If two colors are combined, they must form a contrast so that the wearer does not look too inconspicuous. These rules work for any type of clothing, even lesbian wedding suits.

For the very brave, who want to set a cheeky fashion accent despite a business outfit, color-intensive socks are suitable. A dark suit with a chic shirt is really spiced up with bright red socks.

Tip 6: Put the finishing touches on your outfit with the right shoe

Sporty sneakers are allowed with loose fabric trousers, as long as the general dress code lived in the office does not go too much in the direction of business. The following applies: The more muted the color (dark blue tones, black, white or gray), the more sporty the cut may be. However, if you wear sports shoes with a jacket, you are usually committing a fashion sin. In any case, neon-colored sneakers belong more on the career track than in the office.

Open shoes - such as trekking sandals or toe separators - do not belong in the professional world, only a few countries are an exception. Anyone who deviates from the standard in this way can be prepared for comments from the boss. In case of doubt, you should rather approach him in advance and ask if sandals are allowed. If he gives his okay, all ambiguities concerning dress code are cleared up. If he answers evasively, this usually means that he doesn’t want to see open shoes in his office.

Tip 7: Consider culture when dressing

If you want to emigrate or work abroad temporarily, you should get to grips with the target country intensively. It depends much more on the correct behavior and less on the outfit. If you imitate the clothes of another culture, you can quickly look ridiculous. Anyone who appears to work as a German in a shirt and suit will normally not be convicted anywhere for it. It is more important to find out how you usually deal with a supervisor in that country.


The right outfit for teachers

Every day, teachers stand for several hours in front of a very critical audience: their pupils. They can see at a glance whether their teacher’s outfit is right or not. Stephanie Grupe is the “fashion whisperer” and has been giving women tips for many years on how to present their own type well - even at school.

Every Sunday they write about fashion in their blog and are among the most successful over 40 bloggers in Germany. There’s also a separate article on outfits for teachers. How did you come to turn to this professional group?

I didn’t explicitly intend to do that. At some point, I noticed that teachers kept asking me if I could give them tips for the right clothes for everyday school life. They wanted to avoid dressing up, but still radiate professionalism through their clothing; they wanted respect.

What do custom suits have to do with respect?

A lot - and more than you think. Many people don’t realize that clothing appropriate to the situation positively supports their own professionalism, while unsuitable clothing works against them. Through appropriate clothing, a teacher expresses appreciation and consideration for students and shows that she is aware of her role as a role model. I can see from the many letters that teachers are very concerned about what to wear. They ask themselves: Are the jeans too tight? Is the blouse detail too wide? Can you see sweat stains in my armpit when I write something on the blackboard? How comfortable can a pair of trousers be so that I can bend down well without it appearing formless?

Teens are also a very critical audience

Oh, yeah! Children and teenagers scan immediately whether a teacher is suitably dressed, whether she looks old-fashioned or comes to school too trendy. I know from the teachers among my readers that they are addressed directly to a new hairstyle, new shoes, a new piece of jewelry and generally to their clothing style.

Let’s imagine that a teacher, let’s call her Julia, has the first day in a new school in front of her tomorrow: What should she get ready for in the evening?

If she prefers the androgynous business style, she can combine a shirt blouse or blouse top with fabric trousers made of suit fabric, for example. On top, she wears a blazer or a short jacket, and like shoes, for example, pumps with block heels or lace-up shoes in men’s style. If Julia wants to look more feminine but still stay in the business style, then a pencil or A-line skirt with stretch, a sheath dress or a wrap dress that doesn’t open, or a shirt blouse dress fits.

What if she’s the casual clothing type?

There is a fine line between casual-comfortable and careless. Especially when Julia wants to be friendly, yet professional, accessible, yet respectable, youthful, yet adult, and modern but not fashionable, the balancing act can be difficult. But she could, for example, combine a T-shirt made of a solid fabric or a thin sweater with a blouson and wear it with a dark jeans skirt or dark jeans. A robust, high-quality leather belt underlines the casual touch. The matching shoes would be ballerinas with firm soles, sneakers, but not from the sports department, or well-maintained sailing shoes. While in business style the jewelry should be rather discreet, necklaces or earrings may attract attention - they should only not jingle, that distracts in class.

In a nutshell, this means that every teacher should think carefully about how she wants to look with her clothes and not leave this to chance, right?

Yes, a teacher always makes a statement with her clothes, whether she wants to or not. The choice of fabrics, cuts, colors, accessories says a lot about a person and their attitude. Teachers have to pay attention to optimal freedom of movement, but should always be able to maintain their posture. The secret lies in high-quality fabrics that are flexible or with stretch components and wrinkle as little as possible. Posture is also emphasized by teachers when the shoulder area is well worked out and fits perfectly. A well-fitting blazer always helps to stage the teacher as a person of respect.

What teachers should not wear

No Walle dresses, no wild colorful patterns - and if so, then only in a single element of clothing - no transparent fabrics, no wide or deep necklines, no too short skirts; and overall, even in summer, not showing too much skin. All oversize elements should only be used discreetly and should not be