"Ugh there it is," said my friend Patrick as we sat at a table in Bryant Park casually shoveling spoons-full of burrito-bowl-goodness into our mouths. "And there, and there, and there," he continued between bites. "What?" I said, having no idea why he was pointing at random dudes who were seemingly minding their own business. "The exposed crewneck under the frumpy, oversized dress shirt. Classic business casual. So painful."
NOOOOOOO.
And that right there set off a lengthy discussion about the sartorial merits of "business casual." We lamented the fact that the workplace world, including the law firms at which we were both about to begin our careers, had largely replaced business formal (conservative suit, conservative tie) with the ever so ambiguous dress code known as business casual. By the end of our conversation, we concluded that business casual was a stain on the style world, to be blotted away by any means necessary.
A year after that conversation, I graduated from law school, took the bar, and started work. I then quickly started realizing that business casual actually isn't so bad after all. In fact, I now much prefer business casual to business formal. Why the sudden about-face, you may be wondering. And...what would Patty and all the other sartorially conscious folk say about such a preposterous notion?? Well, in short, business casual gives you options, and opportunities. It affords us the option and opportunity to "lean business" with a well-pressed suit and a luxuriously subtle silk knit tie, or "lean casual" with some chinos, a cable-knit sweater over a button-down oxford, and a pretty pair of Chelsea boots. No matter which way you lean, business casual, if done right, will still let you look like a bauss.
YESSSSSS. This fellow "leans business" but still gets creative. Instead of a conservative navy suit, he went with a more royal blue. Note the brown knit tie and the pop-of-color pocket square. Bonus points for the (very optional) suspenders. But don't forget -- one can never go wrong with a conservative navy suit (PC: GQ London).
Don't get me wrong, while most people don't wear full suits to work anymore, I still think we can and should. All I'm saying is that business casual should be lauded for its generosity (and, either way, it's here to stay). However, rocking business casual properly is a tricky proposition, and that's where this blog comes in. While I'm not sure what exactly I'll be posting in the coming weeks (years?), my overall goal is to help y'all find your business casual confidence, and have fun and look fresh while doing so. I'll also be posting random fashion-related tidbits about celebrities, weekend style, wonderfully dressed women, and whatever else may come to mind along the way. So remember, folks, business casual is your friend. When done correctly, it can provide plenty of fun opportunities to sartorially express yourself while still conforming to the workplace environment (because, hey, we still gotta show up to work).
Thanks for reading and please e-mail me with any comments/concerns/suggestions and even some business-casual selfies if you're so inclined!
(PC header picture: Pitti Uomo)