Business attire...

[tvp2003]

... starting a new job next month in an office; any tips on proper dress? I've had to wear business clothing before and stuck to black/navy suits; however I don't really have much in terms of 'style', so when it comes to matching a sport coat with a pair of dress pants, I pretty much don't have a clue on what to buy Don't even want to worry about socks and shoes; I have about a dozen dress shirts so I think I'll be okay in that department

I also don't really know what's appropriate when it's 25 degrees outside... any tips from the 'Business Clothing for Dummies' book?

[looooob]

just go to those places in the middle of malls that sell you the shirt, tie and belt in the same bag and you are almost there

seriously about the only rule I can give you is just say no to the short sleeved 'dress shirt'

[DementedReality]

match your belt to your shoes...

just saying

[Cheese]

Golf shirt and dress pants....ties blow...havent worn one in more than 20 years.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

What kind of office? Oil, Law, Financial?

[tvp2003]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

What kind of office? Oil, Law, Financial?

Law. Haven't gotten a feel for the office yet, but it looks to be business attire... it'll probably be a little more lax during Stampede Week, but I don't want to make the mistake of under-dressing at a new job

I'm also anit-'short sleeved dress shirt'... more of a 'roll-your-sleeves' up kind of guy

[JD]

Go to Moore's, tell them what type of business you're in, tell them you need a full wardrobe, and they'll hook you up with everything you need.

I do that once every couple years just to keep the wardrobe fairly fresh. No ties in our office (except for rare occasions), and I spend about $500 each time.

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by tvp2003

I'm also anit-'short sleeved dress shirt'... more of a 'roll-your-sleeves' up kind of guy

Definitely stay away from the short sleeved sport jacket.

[Claeren]

I don't know what your budget is but i would suggest just getting a GOOD store to take care of you over the long term.

For me (I am 26 and i like to think relatively hip - just for perspective, like i am not 40), i go to 'Ed Williams' up in Crowfoot Crossing behind the KFC. It SEEMS like nothing but when you go in they have AWESOME stuff for the modern man. Wicked sport coats, custom shirts, good shoes, etc. It is not cheap but it is not outragous for what you get either. You can literally feel the difference in your clothing. You feel more confident and that translates into success. You cannot find this kind of feeling/stuff at Moores or Brogue Man or whatever...

Go there, even if you are not intending to buy anything, and speak to 'Thomas' (there except on WED). He will take care of you. He is young'ish and is very willing to explain what you should and shouldn't do with your wardrobe without pressuring you to buy. And he will also give tips on how to 'build your wardrobe' cost effectivily with the right peices so you can maximize your money.

I can also tell you he did up an entire new wardrobe (more $$$ then i care to know) for a certain unamed Calgary Flames player....

HIGHLY recommended.

Claeren.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I was a roving consultant once upon a time and by far law offices were the most "office" dress of a place (next to investment banks, those are on another plain of existence). If it's a major law firm in DT Calgary it'll be shirt and tie for you, (jackets usually get hung on a door, unless you meet clients). Suburban law offices are a little more relaxed - in general if they do corporate/commercial/securities it'll be shirt and tie. If it's wills and family law, perhaps not.


I personally despise Moores as I find it stodgy, but you may have better luck. Winners dress shirts for $40 can't be beat, and they usually have some decent ties.

You can't go wrong with the corporate uniform of black pants/shoes/socks and a nice dress shirt.

[Mr.Coffee]

I work in an office and for the first day wore a tie, and they let me know it wasn't necessary.

Seriously they will let you know after the first day and if they don't just wear what everybody else does. Sounds like a lemming philosophy but guess what? It is like that.

I don't think ties and suits are in the norm too much anymore. Lawfirms could be different though.

[firebug]

I will through my two cents in.

I am an investment banker so dressing up is part of the gig. If you are in a major firm downtown, expect a suit and tie everyday except for friday's, especially if you are working in securities law.

Shirts:
Winner's is good if you have some experience and cand sew button's back on ($25 - $50).
Landsend.ca: great value, fast shipping, especially if you look in their clearance section ($30 - $75).
Brooks brothers: if you want some good upper midline stuff ($65 - $100).
Charles Tyrwitt: english, expensive, beautiful, order their free catalogue off the website and you should get 50% off your first order ($75 - $250)

Ties: See shirts section

Suit: Here's my secret, I go to a consignment shop near Mt. Royal and get great suits for a bargain, they are either lightly used or brand new "samples". Boss, Canali, Armani, Zegna, Ferre, etc. all for about a third of what you pay at Holt or Rosen's ($500 - $1,100). Store is called "the place for men" and is on 14th Street SW about a block south of the 7-11 between marda loop and 17th Ave on the West side of the road.

I also use a custom tailor located downtown on 8th Ave SW by the Theatres. Custom made for less than $1,000.

Best regards,

~bug

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by looooob

seriously about the only rule I can give you is just say no to the short sleeved 'dress shirt'

Yup.

Unless you're office is in the business of giving out the book of mormon then those are silly.

[tvp2003]

Thanks guys; great info

I'm definitely on a budget... got a new mortgage and a bunch of student loans to take care of

I-H-H: Thanks for the info; it's a major DT corporate firm, so penguin suit it is I've spent some time at a Bay Street firm so I'm guessing Calgary would be similar (although they still had casual fridays and ties were often absent).

I thought it might be worth venturing into the sport coat/dress shirt department because the jacket will probably just sit on the chair the second I get into the office... any thoughts on faux pas's to avoid? Should I just get matching suits or can I mix a jacket with different pants (i.e. black, navy, grey, etc.)?

[Cowperson]

I get my suits at Harry Rosen downtown . . . . probably too pricey for this thread though but thought I'd mention it.

Shoes I can buy anywhere and Mrs. Cowperson scoops up dress shirts and ties for me whenever she feels like it.

My rule for business wear is not to be a distraction to business . . . . so I tend to dress fairly conservatively . . . . . although the pink tie and pink striped shirt Mrs. Cowperson got me recently mortified me until the ladies I work around made cooing remarks about it.

http://www.harryrosen.com/english/home.html

Cowperson

[I-Hate-Hulse]

I too, feared the pale pink shirt, worried I'd have to hand in my man card. (or have my hand stamped *INSANE*)

Then the 2 uber hot girls at the office said how good it looked on me.

I'm wearing it today.

Sport jackets are good, but I prefer to leave a black suit jacket in my office, if I get sucked into a Board meeting, it'll go with anything usually. A good backup to have. Remember, it's all about 'scalability'

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by JD

Go to Moore's, tell them what type of business you're in, tell them you need a full wardrobe, and they'll hook you up with everything you need.

I do that once every couple years just to keep the wardrobe fairly fresh. No ties in our office (except for rare occasions), and I spend about $500 each time.

I agree, if you're over 50. I find Moore's doesn't have the best style for younger corporate types..but I haven't been there for some time now.

As a younger guy in my twenties, I'd rather go for a more modern look. Not that I'm mr GQ, but I like to shop at Banana Republic or Zara..some pretty stylish dress clothes. Don't be afraid to spend a little money, especially if you're going to be wearing these clothes a lot, you might as well get a good cut and good quality.
And honestly, don't be afraid of being "metrosexual" a little bit..take some pride in your outfit. Nothing looks worse than bad suits and bad dress clothes, it'll make you look way less professional.

[Claeren]

Originally Posted by Igottago

I agree, if you're over 50. I find Moore's doesn't have the best style for younger corporate types..but I haven't been there for some time now.

As a younger guy in my twenties, I'd rather go for a more modern look. Not that I'm mr GQ, but I like to shop at Banana Republic or Zara..some pretty stylish dress clothes. Don't be afraid to spend a little money, especially if you're going to be wearing these clothes a lot, you might as well get a good cut and good quality.
And honestly, don't be afraid of being "metrosexual" a little bit..take some pride in your outfit. Nothing looks worse than bad suits and bad dress clothes, it'll make you look way less professional.

Hey, if you are paying what Banana Republic and Zara now ask for their clothes you should follow my prior advice and at least get some quality for your money.

BR (etc) is BRUTALLY over charging you. You could get a hand tailored shirt, in high quality fabric, in a limited edition, from Montreal or Italy for roughly the same price as the over priced pieces of crap that BR sells that are pattern rip-offs from the better fabrics from the REAL stores from last year, manufactured (shirt and fabric) in the third world, on substandard fabric bases.

It was cool when they would charge like $65 for a shirt. But now that they often ask well over $100 for them it is just brutal.

I have been getting Klaus Boeler and Dagr shirts on sale for ~$100 a peice and they have double fabric/weight cuffs, convertable to french cuffs, solid collars, much nicer buttons, tailored to fit me, in cool custom fabrics. No comparison to mall clothes at all except in price.


Claeren.

[Maritime Q-Scout]

my rule rule of thumb:

unless it's lounging around the house, doing yardwork, or going to a sporting event

ALWAYS wear what a chick tells you. Last fall I went out with a friend of mine as she needed something at the mall, and I needed a new "bar" shirt (you know those stripped dress shirts, but with no pocket, yeah generic I know) - so we went to Le Chateau (which I thought sold exclusively women's clothing) I swollowed my pride and bought two shirts.

I was iffy wearing them at first, until it seemed like every girl I knew commented on them. If a chick says "pink shirt" you get a pink shirt, if she says shorts sleeve dress shirt (as much as I hate them too) you get a short sleeve dress shirt.

Let's face it, guys = ZERO fashion sense (why the ones that do have it get a TV show)

Same way that chicks don't know guy stuff like how to fart and belch at the same time.

[Igottago]

Originally Posted by Claeren

Hey, if you are paying what Banana Republic and Zara now ask for their clothes you should follow my prior advice and at least get some quality for your money.

BR (etc) is BRUTALLY over charging you. You could get a hand tailored shirt, in high quality fabric, in a limited edition, from Montreal or Italy for roughly the same price as the over priced pieces of crap that BR sells that are pattern rip-offs from the better fabrics from the REAL stores from last year, manufactured (shirt and fabric) in the third world, on substandard fabric bases.

It was cool when they would charge like $65 for a shirt. But now that they often ask well over $100 for them it is just brutal.

I have been getting Klaus Boeler and Dagr shirts on sale for ~$100 a peice and they have double fabric/weight cuffs, convertable to french cuffs, solid collars, much nicer buttons, tailored to fit me, in cool custom fabrics. No comparison to mall clothes at all except in price.

Claeren.

Well I only usually buy BR stuff that is on sale, I agree that their regular prices can be outrageous. Zara actually isn't bad, most of their dress shirts are around $60 and have a pretty decent cut to them. I'm not really familiar with the place you mentioned, maybe I'll check em out. The reason I mention these mall places is because they're easy and they also sell other, non dress clothes that I like, so I shop there more often anyways. As for the specialty menswear stores like you shop at, I always assumed they were way more expensive and out of my league.