# Help me get dressed for work (professional business casual) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2012, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136 "2012-09-08T22:31:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/21 "2012-09-09T21:41:07Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > Thanks for the tips so far. Just to clarify, I have business suits but this job doesn’t require them. In that case, you could just wear your suit pants and a shirt, and off you go. Maybe supplement your shirt collection if all you have is white or blue. Or just wear suits–every business casual office I’ve worked in had people who wore suits every day just because that’s how they roll. And even sven raised a good point I should have mentioned–there’s no reason to pay full price at the places I mentioned–they have sales and promotions all the time. If I want to buy something online at a time when a sale isn’t going on, I’ll google “Banana Republic promo code” and often find something. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/22 "2012-09-09T21:55:47Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > Do you have a Kohls? > > Go get kakhis of different collars (tan, gray, navy, etc.) that FIT! Try to get the ones that stay pressed, but can be washed and dried at home. It doesn’t matter if they are pleated or not, just so they sit right (pleats don’t spread wide.) > > Get broadcloth shirts of different collars (light blue, white, pink, yellow, maybe some subtle stripes.) > > These aren’t necessarily stylish choices, but guys have been wearing them for a long time and they work. > > Next you need a high quality pair of dress shoes. Brown lace up, with thin to medium soles. Nothing too clunky or chunky. > > All this stuff “matches,” is easy to maintain, and “fits in.” > > When you say Navy coat, do you mean a blazer? If you like wearing blazers, get corduroy. It will be warm and looks good with kakhis. Plus you can wear with jeans if needed. I find it hard to match ties to pink shirts so I’d stay away from that color. If you have problems matching ties up I would go to a store that displays them against shirts. Look for a well dressed sales person and ask for help matching them up and learn how to tie the damn thing for proper length. A $100 tie looks stupid if you end up looking like Oliver Hardy. I try to buy multiple shirts to match one tie so the colors of the tie match more than one shirt. Buy stuff that doesn’t wrinkle. Again, really expensive clothes look bad on you if they’re wrinkled. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/23 "2012-09-10T08:13:29Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > In that case, you could just wear your suit pants and a shirt, and off you go. I need more in my wardrobe but don’t want to buy more suits. Also, I don’t want to wear wool all the time. Something I can wash would be nice. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/24 "2012-09-10T08:32:45Z")
> [@Dano83860](#): > > I prefer Stafford from JC Penney. Some reviews say too “thin” material, see-through. How have yours been? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/25 "2012-09-10T09:16:36Z")
> [@alice\_in\_wonderland](#): > > Try JCrew or Banana Republic - both has a Personal Shopper option so someone can help you choose what works together and with your shape. As does Nordstrom. They employ people who will find clothes for you based on the criteria you give them. (Age, “business casual,” size, etc.) At very worst, you’ll walk away with a better idea of what kinds of clothes will work for you. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/26 "2012-09-11T04:32:59Z")
**Fitted shirts**. Fitted polos or fitted dress shirts, it doesn’t matter. But nothing looks sloppier or more out of date than a man - of any size - in a billowy shirt. Overall tips for care: Permanent press or casual cycle in the washer in cold (Tide Coldwater performs best in cold water according to CR), low heat in the dryer, wash and dry EVERYTHING inside-out (so it doesn’t pill or wear or fade as fast), set a cell phone alarm 5 min before the dryer is done and hang EVERYTHING up. Buy a $30-50 clothing steamer from Amazon to touch up collars, etc. MUCH faster than ironing and much easier. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/27 "2012-09-11T05:03:25Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > **Fitted shirts**. Fitted polos or fitted dress shirts, it doesn’t matter. But nothing looks sloppier or more out of date than a man - of any size - in a billowy shirt. > > Overall tips for care: Permanent press or casual cycle in the washer in cold (Tide Coldwater performs best in cold water according to CR), low heat in the dryer, wash and dry EVERYTHING inside-out (so it doesn’t pill or wear or fade as fast), set a cell phone alarm 5 min before the dryer is done and hang EVERYTHING up. > > Buy a $30-50 clothing steamer from Amazon to touch up collars, etc. MUCH faster than ironing and much easier. All good but the first. Fitted shirts _dont._ Fit, that is, on us heavier guys. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/28 "2012-09-11T05:11:26Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > All good but the first. Fitted shirts _dont._ > > Fit, that is, on us heavier guys. Just make sure what ever the style, they fit _properly_. Wearing a shirt a size or two too big to hide your size only makes you look bigger and sloppy. Same goes for women. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2012, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136/29 "2012-09-11T13:57:20Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > All good but the first. Fitted shirts _dont._ > > Fit, that is, on us heavier guys. Huh. I really did not know that. Perhaps the mistake I’m making isn’t a question of fitted vs nonfitted but rather of XXL when an XL will do just fine. Tenting is something I see often and it’s never appealing. Certainly though, knowing what looks good on you is 90% of the battle, the other 10% being finding the time and inclination and money to go buy it :p. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-get-dressed-for-work-professional-business-casual/634136.md?page=1)