Building a work wardrobe can be an intimidating process. Where do you start? How much should you spend? How conservative should you lean? And with the work-fashion world undergoing some drastic changes, wardrobe expectations for men are different than they were even a decade ago.
For men, building a reliable work wardrobe should be a systematic process, especially if you’re on a budget. But the most important thing to remember is fit.
Read through our breakdown of workplace wardrobe essentials below, but remember that the most important thing is the approach itself: build your closet from the ground-up so it matches. Interchangeability is everything! (Note: all of this applies specifically for men working in offices.)
- Every guy needs at least one suit. Unless you wear a suit to work everyday, you really only need one, and it should be dark blue or gray. If you do wear a suit to work everyday you should probably have at least two or three, but that’s a different article entirely.
- You should have at least five dress shirts. That’s enough to wear a separate shirt for every day of the week. Start simple: white and light blue dress shirts are always appropriate.
- You need at least two pair of dress shoes. And they should be black and brown.
- Buy versatile, work appropriate coats. A dark navy or black peacoat is perfect for the winter. And since you’ll be wearing it most everyday for a full season: don’t skimp! You’ll also want a nice lightweight rain-jacket and maybe even a light coat for the spring and fall.
- A nice pair of dark jeans goes a long way. You probably won’t be wearing them everyday if you work in an office, but you can dress jeans up nicely with a dress shirt and blazer or a nice sweater.
- Chinos should be a core part of your closet. If you can afford it, try to build up to a handful of options. You’ll want flat-front and slim-fitting chinos in tan, olive green, and navy.
- Don’t skimp on socks. They might seem like an afterthought, but the wrong pair of socks can ruin an outfit. (We’ve all seen that guy wearing white athletic socks beneath his khakis.) Plus, socks are one of the few wardrobe items that can add tasteful character to an outfit.
- You can always use a handful of white t-shirts and undershirts.
- A couple high-quality sweaters add a lot of versatility. You can pull a sweater over your collared shirt, wear it alone with jeans, or under a blazer. Look for navy and/or gray sweaters.
- A sportcoat/blazer is the perfect business casual piece. You probably only need one, but it’ll go a long way. You can wear a blazer with jeans for a fashionable business-casual outfit or you can fold it into an upscale outfit. Buy a navy blazer with two buttons, it’s the standard for a reason, and it’s one of the rare items that doesn’t look out of place almost anywhere.
