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casual dress advice for work?

B

Busie23

Senior member
I need help getting the proper casual dress attire for my new job. I will be working at a law firm doing basic pc stuff, and the dress is really laid back. My problem is that I really only favor polo shirts and have never really worn anything else. I don't want to become know as Polo boy or anything like that, so what are some good websites to help build a nice wardrobe? Anyone have any hints or tips for making me look GQ'ish on the job. Essentially,it will be khakis and polos if I'm left on my own. I can even do cargo pants too, kinda odd I thought for a big law firm?

I hate shopping and can't stand tring to get things that look good together so my dressing skills are probably rated as an F-. Now, if I have to wear shorts and a t-shirt then thats a whole nother story. Also, I was debating with my girlfriend, who by the way was not very much help in this situation, although she can shop for hours for herself, that I could indeed wear brown shoes with a black polo shirt. I know I have seen this or am I was off? I know brown and black don't mix, but I thought that that was acceptable for some reason?

Also, I'm the type of person who buys new stuff (on that rare occasion) and doesn't wear it forever. I guess I'm just to comfortable in my old stuff, thats its hard to wear new stuff until it sits in my room for a few weeks and I finally get used to looking at it?

Thanks,

Sean
 
Originally posted by: Busie23
I need help getting the proper casual dress attire for my new job. I will be working at a law firm doing basic pc stuff, and the dress is really laid back. My problem is that I really only favor polo shirts and have never really worn anything else. I don't want to become know as Polo boy or anything like that, so what are some good websites to help build a nice wardrobe? Anyone have any hints or tips for making me look GQ'ish on the job. Essentially,it will be khakis and polos if I'm left on my own. I can even do cargo pants too, kinda odd I thought for a big law firm?

I hate shopping and can't stand tring to get things that look good together so my dressing skills are probably rated as an F-. Now, if I have to wear shorts and a t-shirt then thats a whole nother story. Also, I was debating with my girlfriend, who by the way was not very much help in this situation, although she can shop for hours for herself, that I could indeed wear brown shoes with a black polo shirt. I know I have seen this or am I was off? I know brown and black don't mix, but I thought that that was acceptable for some reason?

Also, I'm the type of person who buys new stuff (on that rare occasion) and doesn't wear it forever. I guess I'm just to comfortable in my old stuff, thats its hard to wear new stuff until it sits in my room for a few weeks and I finally get used to looking at it?

Thanks,

Sean
Click to expand...
Wear whatcha like and dont worry about what other people are gonna say.
 
I agree, but I don't like anything other than shorts and tees, and I would like to not show up on my first day looking like a bum and get booted. Nice clothing is uncomfortable to me since I have never had to wear it, so hopefully I can get used to this crap.
 
I'm pretty sure it's still friends & family for Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic. Snag the 30% off codes off a coupon site, and shop away! Grab a few button down short & long sleeve shirts, some khakis, chinos, etc, and more polo shirts. 🙂
 
My advice: go to a store that sells casual attire that you wouldn't mind wearing and tell them your situation, and your budget and let them try to pick something out nice for you to wear. Express (Structure) has a lot of new dress attire stuff that's reasonably priced and looks good imho but I don't know your budget, etc. Have at least 2 pairs of pants so you can switch things up a bit

Brown shoes I think can be worn with a black shirt if your pants are a light color - otherwise you risk getting made fun of.
 
Go with khaki shorts, and whatever shirt you want....I like to wear long sleeve t-shirts with shorts, but thats me🙂
If its cold, just wear a pair of khakis, Dockers are comfortable, semi-professionable looking, and not too expensive.
 
Brown shoes I think can be worn with a black shirt if your pants are a light color - otherwise you risk getting made fun of.
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My ex always told me that my belt had to match my shoes. Maybe thats the rule of thumb for shoe color?
 
Originally posted by: N8Magic
Brown shoes I think can be worn with a black shirt if your pants are a light color - otherwise you risk getting made fun of.
Click to expand...

My ex always told me that my belt had to match my shoes. Maybe thats the rule of thumb for shoe color?
Click to expand...

Hmmm, that's something to consider alright....if you're a WOMAN 😉
 
who the hell cares what you go to work in, as long as its professional looking. how do you establish that? go to work butt nakkid, then when people start asking why, tell them you didn't know what to wear. got me dressed quick.
 
Heya polo boy! 😛

Just wear whatever is still allowed at work, but what you feel most comfortable in. I'd not feel comfortable in a polo, for me it's either jeans/t-shirt, or a full 3 piece suit (black of course).
 
Wear trousers and a nice shirt.

I feel comfortable in trousers, shirt, tie and jacket/blazer.

Probably because from the ages of 12-16 I had to wear that for my school uniform (I live in England and from those ages MOST if not all schools require a uniform of that)

So I'm use to formal wear. Wearing it for 5 years 5 days a week will do that for you.

I worked in an office job and everyone was wearing shirt, trousers and shoes. No one actually wore there jackets/blazer but it was on the back of a chair. I wore a shirt as I like to look smart.

I say if you can get use to wearing a shirt and trousers that will be a good impression on anyone. Side note girls love girls that dress well.
 
Yo, Polo boy!😛 Luckily for you, your polos and khakis allready fit the bill for the proper casual dress attire.
Here are some Do's:

Chinos or ?Dockers?-type trousers
Sport shirts with collars or banded necks
Polo shirts (with collars)
Sweater or sport jacket
Casual loafers or lace-up shoes

Here are some Don'ts:

Jeans (of any color)
Athletic wear (e.g. sweat suits)
T-shirts
Any kind of workout clothes, running or gym shoes, sneakers or sandals
Hats, caps
Ripped or tattered clothing

And for the record, your belt should match the color of your shoes.😉
 
And for the record, your belt should match the color of your shoes
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huh? you mean for women or men? I am committin a fashion faux pas then, b/c I wear a blk belt w/brown shoes.
 
First you said you wear polo shirts, then you said t-shirts. Which is it?

Well, usually "casual attire" in a place of business refers to still nice stuff.
Don't wear shorts.
Don't wear sandals.
Don't wear jeans
Don't wear sneakers.

Wear a collared shirt, nice khaki pants and shoes.

You're better off overdressing the first day and seeing what everyone else wears.
 
Monday: Dress shoes, khakis, button down, nice belt.
Tuesday: Dress shoes, khakis, polo shirt, belt.
Wednesday: Sneakers, khakis, polo shirt, belt (or no belt, at this point its preference).
Thursday: Sneakers, jeans, polo shirt, belt.
Friday: Sneakers, shorts, t-shirt.
By week 2, your dressed anyway you like. At any step, if someone approaches you, you revert back a step for 3-4 days.
 
Just don't wear shorts!!!!

I inquired about wearing shorts here to my job a few weeks ago and the sh|t still hasn't stopped hitting the fan.
rolleye.gif


amish
 
Originally posted by: Busie23
I need help getting the proper casual dress attire for my new job. I will be working at a law firm doing basic pc stuff, and the dress is really laid back. My problem is that I really only favor polo shirts and have never really worn anything else. I don't want to become know as Polo boy or anything like that, so what are some good websites to help build a nice wardrobe? Anyone have any hints or tips for making me look GQ'ish on the job. Essentially,it will be khakis and polos if I'm left on my own. I can even do cargo pants too, kinda odd I thought for a big law firm?

I hate shopping and can't stand tring to get things that look good together so my dressing skills are probably rated as an F-. Now, if I have to wear shorts and a t-shirt then thats a whole nother story. Also, I was debating with my girlfriend, who by the way was not very much help in this situation, although she can shop for hours for herself, that I could indeed wear brown shoes with a black polo shirt. I know I have seen this or am I was off? I know brown and black don't mix, but I thought that that was acceptable for some reason?

Also, I'm the type of person who buys new stuff (on that rare occasion) and doesn't wear it forever. I guess I'm just to comfortable in my old stuff, thats its hard to wear new stuff until it sits in my room for a few weeks and I finally get used to looking at it?

Thanks,

Sean
Click to expand...

Well, having worked for a big law firm myself, this is what I recommend. Wear a nice pair of khakis and a nice collared shirt for the first week at least. Then, observe what everyone else is wearing. You'll probably notice that there will be three groupings: the lawyers, the secretaries and legal aides, and the grunts. For the most part the lawyers will dress up really nice when they are meeting with clients, but semi-casually the rest of the time. The secretaries and legal aides will dress pretty much the same all the time--business attire. The grunts will be dressed casually. Of course, there will be some irregularities. And they might have a casual Friday or something similar.

I don't know if it will be like this at your law firm, but at the one I worked at, if you weren't a lawyer, then your were a grunt. The secretaries and legal aides will form their own clique, and will think themselves higher than the grunts in the overall scheme of things. By process of elimination, that makes the computer guy (you) a grunt. In the end, you should be able to get away with wearing jeans and a nice t-shirt--maybe even shorts.

Once people grow accustom to you, as long as you act professional, it really doesn't matter all that much what you wear...
 
If you're going to buy some khakis/dress pants, please don't waste your money on Dockers. I had to deal with them in high school, and they are just plain crap: after just a few washes the colors fade, the pants shrink, the fabric becomes tattered, and they start to look just ugly. If you shop around you can get much Banana Republic, Structure, or J Crew chinos on sale for the same price and the quality is noticeably better. If you're willing to spend more you can go a lot better and start slowly building a designer wardrobe.

And as for fear of being stigmatized for dressing more business like, this is one of the great ironies I've noticed regarding fashion. People say they hate fashion because they dislike being judged on their clothing and appearance yet when the time comes they are afraid to start dressing nicely out of the fear that others will start making fun of them for looking good. If your friends want to make fun of you, screw them, you'll have the security of knowing you're dressed better than they are 🙂
 
Electric Amish: Man, I feel the pain for you. I've been wearing shorts, flipflops and short-sleeve shirts to work almost every day for the entire summer. I think I wore a pair of cargo pants once a couple weeks ago just for a change of pace. 🙂

As for casual wear in law, it really seems to depend on the place. One of my friends recently started working for a firm down in San Jose and I'm still shocked everytime I see him in a pair of slacks and button-up shirt. But, another friend, who works in the legal department of a tech firm still dresses the same way she did in school... It's funny to see her when she stops by after work... Lesse... hip-huggers and a tight stretchy shirt... I call her the hootchie-lawyer. 🙂
 
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