Business casual clothing advice for a very lost and pretty broke guy (color, guys)
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I recently landed my first receptionist type job so, with this being my first, I never had to have business casual clothing and I'm truly lost on what looks good and not over-dressed. Being the only male working the position, as the other is a veterinarian and in scrubs, doesn't help. All my manager said was 'business casual, like most guy clothes' and left it at that. So I'm here for help.
Basically, I'm a jeans guy, with varying types of shirts, so I am having to buy lots of pants really. With these new shades, I have no clue what actually looks decent with my skin tone. It doesn't help me when I read online that, for darker complexions, wearing brighter or darker shades aren't really recommended. Yet I see a crap ton of those shades as recommended for business casual! So I'm confused, to be honest.
All I know is grey, black, and white are universal colors. I've matched a light blue shirt with darker grey pants, those pants with a more black and lighter grey long sleeve (it was the only 'sorta matching' clean shirt I had), the light blue shirt with black pants, lighter blue jeans (as I don't have lighter blue/navy blue pants) with a white/brown/light blue long sleeve, and the black pants with a greyish/blue button up short sleeve. That's about all I can think of with my current wardrobe, as I rarely buy clothes. This is actually the first time since my sophomore yr that I've literally done intense clothes shopping, and that was four years ago.
So if I could get color combos that match, especially for my skin tone, that'll be fantastic! With clothing types, I think I'm good. Just know shoes don't matter and even our manager suggested to not wear nice shoes since it's a vet clinic and, well, poop and such are common-place and our office cats don't care about brands if it feels nice to claw in. She actually went on ahead and said my gym shoes are fine, as long as I don't care about the chance of stepping in unnoticed poop/pee.
I would say that business casual generally means khakis or some other type of dress pants (not jeans), a button down shirt with a collar, usually long-sleeved, and some type of casual shoes that are not sneakers.
You could possibly get away with dressier sneakers or sneaker-like shoes (rubber sole). I see a lot of guys wearing them to work with business casual outfits in the last year or so.
If you want to go a little dressier, you could throw on a sport coat, but it's not necessary, and I definitely wouldn't wear a tie. Often now I see a lot of dudes wearing khakis with a sport coat and no tie, and a pair of shoes that is one step above sneakers. I think it's a pretty nice look.
Start slow, you don't need full wardrobe as soon as you start new job. you just need enough clothes for 1 week.
Keep it simple. For guys business casual means shirt & trouser/khaki. Make sure you have 4-5 shirts and 3-4 pants (khaki or trouser). Mix and match. Wear undershirt so you can get 2 wear out of your shirt before washing. No one will notice what you are wearing. slowly you can figure out what color works with what & build outfits.
some places say they are business casual but it leans toward "casual" than business casual. Until you work somewhere for while you won't know exactly where they stand. Business casual is such a loose term. Thats why I say don't invest in an wardrobe yet. Wait and see culture of your new place. But it is always better to be dressed in more business side than casual.
No blue jeans. Some places interpret business casual as a long sleeve shirt, slacks and a tie. Other places are okay with khakis and a polo shirt. It's always better to be a little overdressed than underdressed. Don't buy a lot of clothes until you see what the other employees are wearing. If you're a normal size, you can find clothes at the thrift store a lot cheaper than the regular stores. Ideally you'll end up with at least 5 pairs of pants and 10 shirts.
No blue jeans. Some places interpret business casual as a long sleeve shirt, slacks and a tie. Other places are okay with khakis and a polo shirt. It's always better to be a little overdressed than underdressed. Don't buy a lot of clothes until you see what the other employees are wearing. If you're a normal size, you can find clothes at the thrift store a lot cheaper than the regular stores. Ideally you'll end up with at least 5 pairs of pants and 10 shirts.
Well all the other employees were, as stated, women and dress quite differently than I did regardless. Hence why I'm struggling with copying them.
Well all the other employees were, as stated, women and dress quite differently than I did regardless. Hence why I'm struggling with copying them.
I'm sure you could tell if they were wearing blue jeans, t-shirts and sneakers, or if they were more dressed up than that.
It's possible that people working in a vet's office have a different idea of business casual than people in other offices. When my husband had to wear business casual, it was slacks, an ironed long-sleeve dress shirt, tie and shined shoes. I can't imagine it being practical to be that dressed up while taking care of animals. I'm guessing khakis and polo shirts are going to be okay, and if the other employees wear jeans you probably can too.
If you are on the east coast business casual may be dressier than other places. In much of the country it is this: Khakis or chinos but not suit slacks. Shirts must have collars - polos and button downs/oxfords are both okay. A dress shoe (not athletic or sandal). Sweater vests or sweaters okay. Suit blazer not necessary, but may be okay depending on the job. Ties not necessary. As for color matching - I usually stay basic for the pants - black, gray, tan, navy - although I think navy is the hardest to match so if unsure avoid it for now Then feel free to experiment with color for the shirt - bright is actually okay - just see what you get compliments on or what you feel comfortable in. If you are unsure, go for a few basic choices - something white (but maybe not if likely to get dirty) or with a light stripe, etc., something black, something red, something blue, something neutral. Don't buy too many items when you're just starting it - get a few basics that can be worn in many combinations with one another.
"Business casual" leaves lots of room for interpretation. I would think that khakis or similar pants in navy would be good choices. As for shirts, that's harder to say, but I suspect in a vet clinic, the tendency would be more towards casual than dressy, for practical reasons. I can't imagine anyone in a vet clinic wearing a tie, for example, and button-downs seems like a stretch, too. Polo-type shirts, maybe? Whatever it is, make sure it does not need to be dry cleaned. Even if you are the receptionist, at some point, you WILL be in contact with a sick or injured animal, and you WILL get dirty. Why not ask your manager to offer a couple of examples, explaining that you want to hit a good balance of professionalism and practicality? I'm not really sure what business casual would even mean at a vet's office. I've only ever seen people working at them in scrubs, even those behind the desk.
Polo shirts in warm, "autumn" colors would probably look good on your complexion - yellow, loden green, copper tones, and so on. Get a package of different colored construction paper and hold up each sheet just below your face while checking out the effect in a mirror. You'll quickly spot which colors work and which don't.
Oxford cloth shirts in light colored solids or small stripes are another option. In the fall, plaids in fall colors (see above) would look good - Madras cloth or a cotton blend. You could layer solid-color sweaters over these long-sleeved shirts when winter comes and look fine.
You can't go wrong with a classic, understated look, and it's not necessary to spend big bucks to achieve it. Thrift shops or resale stores plus yard sales are a great way to build your wardrobe.
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