Dress Wear in the Business World

In the world of business, one must dress formally in business attire.

• For men a suit and tie are appropriate in all major cities, according to http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/us.htm.  Color of suits should be dark, such as black, gray or navy.  For formal situations, a white dress shirt should be worn underneath the suit jacket.  A light blue shirt is appropriate for a less formal situation.  Some businesses allow slacks and a collared shirt without a suit jacket.  A watch is appropriate as one may need to periodically check the time.  Men may generally wear khaki pants with a shirt for casual attire.  

• Women should wear a suit or dress with jacket.  Acceptable colors are navy, gray, black, ivory and white.  Women should wear slacks with a shirt for casual wear. Non-flashy jewelry is acceptable, but keep it simple. One ring, not five.  Wedding rings are acceptable.  One bracelet is okay provided that it does not create noise when you move.  One necklace is acceptable provided that it is not too loud, shiny or distracting.   
• Clothing, whether formal or casual, should be clean and neat in appearance.

• Pinstripes may be acceptable as long as the color of the pinstripes and matching undershirt are not loud colors.  One may include colors in his or her wardrobe as long as they are subtle and appropriate.

• Rural areas with very hot summers allow a more casual dress code.  Also, it is common for rural area work environments to allow for more casual dress year-round.

• Regarding piercings, in some blue-collar work environments and very few laid-back white-collar work environments, one piercing in each ear is acceptable for men and women.  More formal work forces may restrict men from wearing any piercings.  Also, it is very rare for eyebrow piercings or nose piercings to be acceptable at work, but it is heard of.  Visible tattoos are usually forbidden.  One must check with company policy regarding piercings and tattoos to see what is acceptable. 

• As a rule of thumb, it is better to be more formal than casual.  Check with future coworkers regarding dress code if hired by a new company.