The Perfect Business Casual Uniform

What I am about to tell you is not surprising. It’s not ground-breaking. It’s not all that inventive.

But it needs to be said. It needs to be said in the way I have stated it in the title.

I have found the Perfect Business Casual Uniform.

The reason it needs to be stated in that way is because most menswear articles give the reader too much choice. They will give too many options for what to wear in a business casual office. Too much is left up to chance when the article inevitably mentions how each office is different and some of the suggestions they mention might not be appropriate (like, sneakers, or nice jeans, for example).

The problem with that, is that is exactly the kind of guidance people are looking for when they click on the article in the first place! They want to know whether they can wear such-and-such in THEIR office.

Well, look no further, because this article will tell you (and you, and you, and you) exactly what to wear in your business casual office.

Notice how I said BUSINESS CASUAL. If you work in finance or law then you probably don’t need to continue reading.

How am I uniquely qualified to tell you what the perfect business casual uniform is, you ask?

Well, for starters, I have worked in a lot of very different types of business casual offices. I’ve worked for small rural agencies. I’ve worked for large corporations in the city. I’ve had client meetings in upstate New York and sales conferences in Texas. I’ve done presentations for CEOs in New York City and attended business dinners in London.

This uniform is appropriate for all of those environments.

Also, I currently only go into my office about once a month. Because of this, I find that I’m not tempted to mess with perfection. I only get the chance to be face-to-face with my coworkers once in a while so I stick with what works. Since I’m not in the office every day, I don’t switch things up for variety’s sake (a little more casual one day, a little more formal the next). Every time in the office is a riff on the exact same formula because I want to make sure I am making the right impression each time.

This wasn’t a conscious decision at the start; I simply kept reaching for the same thing every time I went into work. Finally, it dawned on me that the reason I kept reaching for it was because there was no need to wear anything different.

Now, hold onto your hats, because here is the perfect business casual uniform.

• Khaki pants, or some other plain, odd trouser.
• Oxford cloth button down shirt, preferably in white.
• V-neck sweater in cashmere or merino wool, in a solid dark color (navy or burgundy). Only wear this in the cooler months, obviously.
• Sport coat in tweed or navy blazer, depending on the weather.
• Burgundy lace up shoes (either oxford or derby style) or burgundy loafers.
• Outerwear should be a cloth cap (weight depending on weather) and either a tan trench coat or navy/charcoal topcoat or overcoat.

What did I tell you? Nothing shocking. The point of this uniform is that it is so middle-of-the-road. It’s not super formal or super casual, but it IS a step above the Banana Republic chinos and gingham shirts everyone else wears. It doesn’t even really stand out too much.

The khaki pants and oxford shirt are so ubiquitous that they are not out-of-place literally anywhere on planet Earth. There will likely be a horde of other men in your office wearing the same thing.

What sets this uniform, and you, apart from your peers is the addition of the sweater and sport coat. I like having the sweater on because I am usually pretty warm in the office and don’t always want to have the sport coat on. The sweater means I don’t HAVE to wear the sport coat all day if I don’t want to. I can gauge how formal I want to be each day while still looking put together.

In the summer, you do lose this one aspect, but what can you do?

I know some of you won’t want to do the sport coat, but it’s an absolute necessity. That is the piece that solidly puts you ahead of your colleagues. They probably won’t be wearing a sport coat, so even if you only have it draped over your chair, you are still leagues ahead of them.

This is standing out in a good way. This isn’t peacocking. Your goal is to be slightly better dressed than everyone else without it being totally obvious.

This uniform will be appropriate in almost every single professional situation.

Other than its simplicity, what I love most about this uniform is the endless variation that is built into it. Sure, I think the khakis are the best choice of pants, but you can totally swap in a grey flannel. I think the white oxford is the best choice for a shirt, since it straddles the line between casual and formal, but a light blue or a Bengal stripe would work, too. And don’t limit yourself to navy or burgundy for the sweater. Obviously, a charcoal sweater works with anything, but what about green or eggplant? Don’t get me started on the different pocket squares you could do.

Take a look at some recent variations I have done using this template…

It’s so easy to be creative within this structure while still adhering to the formula.

What you don’t need to do is, like I mentioned earlier, switch things up for variety’s sake, as in: push the boundaries of formal or casual simply because your office dress code is somewhat permissive. Because you will inevitably miss the mark some days.

Don’t feel like you need to wear a tie some days. Don’t feel like you should incorporate “nice” casual pieces like sneakers or jeans. Don’t go sockless in the summer because you think your office would be ok with it.

Don’t try to be the “fashionable” guy just because you know a bit about clothes. Just stick with what works and you will always stick the landing.

If you work in a business casual office, you cannot go wrong with this list.

It is the Perfect Business Casual Uniform.