How you dress for work reflects not only your personal style, but also your attitude towards your work position, your ambitions and your dedication. Your colleagues, clients, and in the end, employer, pay much more attention to your outfit than you can possibly imagine. It does not even have to be on purpose, but subconsciously. That is not all – how you dress affects both your work performance and how people perceive you. In fact, a 2015 study suggested that formal clothing increases abstract thinking, which further influence the productivity. Now that we are sure that your style at work counts, it is time to make it a good one.

Casual Does Not Equal Chaotic

If your office has an informal dress code, that does not have to mean you have to go to work in red sneakers, loose jeans and some lame t-shirt. That also does not mean you should follow some of the latest “goofy” trends, such as loose Cuban collar shirts. Even if there are any strict clothing regulations, you will need to rise above that informality to a place between dressy dress and casual – smart casual. The key of this style is to keep it simple, so avoid combining too many colors and textures. Some of the staple of every man’s smart casual wardrobe are a clean cut white t-shirt, chinos, denim jacket, slim fit jumper, loafers, jeans (dark colored and slim fit), blazer, button down shirt, trousers, and a skinny tie (for informal shirts).

Sharp-Dressed Man

White Collar, Suits, Mad Men and other popular TV shows, brought back the allure of wearing a suit, and shook up the notion of informal work clothing. It is no wonder that more and more man are starting to wear suits to their offices, even if there are no strict policies about formal wear. As a consequence, tailors in Sydney have more work than ever, and it is becoming a trend around the globe. Become a part of the change and get yourself at least two custom-made suits that will perfectly fit your body shape and style. You can also buy off the rack suit and visit a tailor to make the necessary repairs, since it is highly unlikely the suit will fit you, unless you have ideal proportions. Tie and shirt matter equally as the suit – wear a slim fit dress shirt (in light color) and a tie that is somewhere between skinny and wide. As for the shoes, the classic round toe oxfords are always the ideal choice.

Think about the Colors and Details

Now that you are done thinking about all the “big things” you can move on to the smaller decisions. Colors are very important, since they affect how people perceive you. Depending on the occasion you can use the functions of colors for “manipulating” the outcomes of some situations: red is power (always incorporate it through details), white are organizational abilities, blue is team work and confidence, grey is logical thinking, yellow and green are for creativity (wear them just as red) etc. Avoid orange, though, since it can be too striking. Accessorize with a wrist watch, envelope bag or a briefcase, and a leather belt.

Dressing for success is much more than just an expression, and although the clothing itself (without ambition and hard work), will get you nowhere, when combined with work qualities, it can help you progress, perform better and be perceived as a professional.

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