Business Casual Clothes

[CrazyDyde12]

So i got a job working in an office environment and we are required to wear business casual clothes

Well i dont have much in terms of business clothes so i was wondering where beyond buys there clothes, any good places with good deals, etc

[Mitsu3000gt]

Banana Republic has 25-40% off days all the time if you're on their mailing list. NEVER buy anything there at full price though.

[G-ZUS]

H&M

[CrazyDyde12]

nice tip about the mailing list, ill have to check that out later

[3drian]

depends on your budget, I know a lot of people where I work get crazy deals at zellers and to be honest they dont look bad or cheap, pretty decent actually. myself I like to get my dress shirts at Zara, and tommy has pretty good dress pants, once again depends on your budget

[SRT]

Of all the stores I've been to, The Bay seems to have the best selection for button-up dress shirts and the obvious 25-60% sales to make it a no brainer. Although if you are a newb to this world I suggest buying at least one shirt from a place like Tip Top so you can be assured you are getting the right size (the person there will measure you) THEN you'll know what your looking at when in other shops.

I also like RW&Co for pants and sweaters

[Idratherbsidewayz]

Originally posted by CrazyDyde12
So i got a job working in an office environment and we are required to wear business casual clothes

Well i dont have much in terms of business clothes so i was wondering where beyond buys there clothes, any good places with good deals, etc

Its not the nicest quality stuff (Read: It won't last more than 1-2 years), but I got totally set up at the Banana Republic Outlet Store during a sale.

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/295504/banana-republic-outlet-store/

[Chester]

Brooks Brothers is pretty good. I was there a couple weeks ago, got 3 shirts for $240

[dsr7723]

Mark's, dude. it's not just a redneck coveralls and work boots store, they have tons of business casual stuff at great prices, and those wrinkle free shirts truly are wrinkle free, (I have a few) never need to iron them as long as you hang dry them they look like new forever. Plus they have safety shoes that look just like regular shoes, (if you need 'em).

Banana Republic have nice stuff too but if you wanna get taken seriously in the field I wouldn't recommend it, plus it doesn't last and its higher maintenance.

[bjstare]

Mexx, Banana Republic, or Winners. If you can force yourself to search the racks at winners, there's good deals sometimes. If you're on a tight budget, Mexx and BR have outlets that are super cheap.

EDIT: How the heck can clothes be "higher maintenance?"

[syeve]

Originally posted by Chester
Brooks Brothers is pretty good. I was there a couple weeks ago, got 3 shirts for $240

:werd: Their no-iron machine wash shirts should be nominated for a pulitzer. I have about 10 that I throw in the wash, hang dry, a few minutes in the dryer once dry, and BOOM...super nice crisp shirts.

EDIT: plus they have slim fit for the playa's

[tom_9109]

The Bay has some decent clothing. Their Hudson Room shirts are great.

Mexx has some nice dress pants that have more of a jean cut also if you want to be a little more comfortable.

[SRT]

EDIT: How the heck can clothes be "higher maintenance?" [/B]

Ironing shirts FUCKING sucks..especially on a Sunday night at 12am because you put it off until the absolute last minute. Buy the non-wrinkle / no-iron shirts..they are gold.

I will NEVER buy another shirt that requires ironing.

[300zxfairlday]

Originally posted by SRT


Ironing shirts FUCKING sucks..especially on a Sunday night at 12am because you put it off until the absolute last minute. Buy the non-wrinkle / no-iron shirts..they are gold.

I will NEVER buy another shirt that requires ironing.

It really only takes about 3 mins max to iron a dress shirt. I do it every morning.

[Canucks3322]

Here's a tip I learned with dress shirts and I do it with my pants too now.......ALWAYS hang dry your dress shirts...it's so easy, when you take it out of your washer, just fold the collars back down and fling it in the air by the collars to get the wrinkles all out, then put it on your hanger and fix any wrinkled or folds and it dries in like an hour all CRISP and new looking!....saves energy on the dryer too as well the dryer itself breaks down any fabrics so hang drying makes it last longer....I do this with my pants too except I'll fold it down on a table and get the wrinkles out by hand before hanging it....

PS.....another person kind of touched on this in another post, if you're younger, be careful what style you're buying, you won't be taking seriously if you look too "trendy" (example, a few years back when the it was cool to wear those pointy elf looking dress shoes out to the bar, I was wearing them to work, little did I know how douchey I looked)...stick with conservative styles and colours.

[RY213]

I buy my business clothes at Banana Republic, Tristan Men, and sometimes Bedo in Southcenter mall. Tristan has nice stuff, and a lot of people dont know about it so you dont have to worry about showing up to the office and seeing someone with the same shirt on as you. Bedo occasionally has dress shirts for $35-45. They arent the greatest quality but they look alright. Brooks Brothers is nice as well and not that expensive when it comes to dress shirts, similar in price to Banana Republic.
I personally hate Mexx. Their clothes are for young douches who work at the mall and think they look professional. You see the same people wear Mexx who buy those pointy shoes. I hate going in this store as well, staff are super annoying.

[slinkie]

Originally posted by dsr7723
Mark's, dude. it's not just a redneck coveralls and work boots store, they have tons of business casual stuff at great prices, and those wrinkle free shirts truly are wrinkle free, (I have a few) never need to iron them as long as you hang dry them they look like new forever. Plus they have safety shoes that look just like regular shoes, (if you need 'em).

Banana Republic have nice stuff too but if you wanna get taken seriously in the field I wouldn't recommend it, plus it doesn't last and its higher maintenance.

yeah just wore my mark's outfit to that rush place on 9th ave

[GQBalla]

get shirts that fit you.

anything that fits you will look great.

also remember pleats are out of style.

[dexlargo]

Originally posted by tom_9109
The Bay has some decent clothing. Their Hudson Room shirts are great. I love the Hudson room shirts! Only $45, and for me they fit better than any off the rack shirt I've ever owned.

[dsr7723]

Originally posted by slinkie


yeah just wore my mark's outfit to that rush place on 9th ave

fuck off troll

[bjstare]

Originally posted by RY213
Their clothes are for young douches who work at the mall and think they look professional. You see the same people wear Mexx who buy those pointy shoes. I hate going in this store as well, staff are super annoying.

..says the guy who buys his business clothes at Banana Republic (i.e. the higher end division of GAP)? BR and Mexx are on a very similar level, the main difference I've noticed is that BR shirts are tailored for guys with pot bellys and Mexx's aren't.

I like Mexx stuff because it fits me great and I like how it looks. And I don't work at the mall or wear pointy shoes; I work in an office. Careful before you generalize.


Originally posted by SRT


Ironing shirts FUCKING sucks..especially on a Sunday night at 12am because you put it off until the absolute last minute. Buy the non-wrinkle / no-iron shirts..they are gold.

I will NEVER buy another shirt that requires ironing.

Fair enough. My wife does my ironing.:thumbsup:

[Chester]

If you don't want to iron just buy a steamer, much easier/faster:dunno:

[Everlast]

Originally posted by Chester
If you don't want to iron just buy a steamer, much easier/faster:dunno:

^^ I bought one of those and like it a lot

It works really well for most things but I have a hard time getting out the deep wrinkles without an iron though

Also you can use it to deordorize your jackets

[GQBalla]

+1 on BR being for the fat people.

i need more dress clothes lol

[civic_stylez]

If you have the budget, the 3 H's are always good ( Holt, Harry,Henry)

Mexx, Zara, Banana are all good too. I personally like H&M and RW Co. The bay/sears have alot of selection at different prices so you can shop around. You can find good sales at Tip Top as well for shirts/ties/casual blazer jackets.

I definitely support those that have said "buy dress shirts that fit you" This is a must!!! A 200.00 dress shirt will look like a $2 table cloth on you if fittied incorrectly.

[msommers]

I've found the opposite at BR vs the Bay. A lot of their sizes are frigging huge at The Bay, even at the downtown store. I'm a smaller guy so finding well fitting shit was hard and I found BR to be one of the better places for that. Hugo Boss stuff fights a little slimmer too. My suggestion would be to check out TD and go nuts.

Get quality shirts though. I have one shirt from BR that is quite possibly the biggest pain in the ass to iron because it doesn't maintain its shape at all after being washed and is quite thin. The rest I have are good, just be careful. I also have 2 pairs of paints from BR and they're holding up just fine. Depending on how long you're going to be at the job for or having an office job in general, I'd get Maxwell to make up a few shirts and pairs of pants for you. I'm doing this next time they're in town because of such oddball shaping I fine in stores. The unfortunate part is that it takes quite a few weeks before you see anything. Shoulders and neck fit decent for me off the rack but get to the waist and it could be better, it just all bunches up because of too much fabric.

A few belts are key as well. I bought a nice one from Tristan and ended up ordering more online because of sizes. Shoes are key too, don't cheap out imo.

When I first started, ironing was a 30min/shirt task and frustrating as fuck. Now I do it in the morning in less than 5 minutes. But if ironing really bugs you, I think drycleaners charge like 3 bucks per shirt including washing and perfect ironing.

[Chester]

Originally posted by civic_stylez
If you have the budget, the 3 H's are always good ( Holt, Harry,Henry)

Mexx, Zara, Banana are all good too. I personally like H&M and RW Co. The bay/sears have alot of selection at different prices so you can shop around. You can find good sales at Tip Top as well for shirts/ties/casual blazer jackets.

I definitely support those that have said "buy dress shirts that fit you" This is a must!!! A 200.00 dress shirt will look like a $2 table cloth on you if fittied incorrectly.

I went to Harry a couple weeks ago and didn't bother looking at the price tag on one of the shirts I tried on, it was $500. Came off real fast after that lol

[Cos]

I like RW&co for some stuff.

[adidas]

Just a suggestion, but if you have trouble dressing your self properly and stylishly, i suggest you record a couple of episodes of a soap opera show while ur at work.

[EK 2.0]

Or when in doubt...do what I do....wear what George would wear...

I try to dress like George Clooney...only difference...I rock sneakers with my suits...But I can get away with that...

[civic_stylez]

Originally posted by EK 2.0
Or when in doubt...do what I do....wear what George would wear...

I try to dress like George Clooney...only difference...I rock sneakers with my suits...But I can get away with that...

That cus you keep it hood all da tyme sonnnn!!!!

[RY213]

Originally posted by GQBalla
+1 on BR being for the fat people.

i need more dress clothes lol

Banana Republic has a slim fit line that looks good. Their Classic fit is awful though, i bought one before I knew the difference and I can see why you would think BR is for fat people.

[D. Dub]

Originally posted by EK 2.0
Or when in doubt...do what I do....wear what George would wear...

I try to dress like George Clooney...only difference...I rock sneakers with my suits...But I can get away with that...

Sorry, NO-ONE can get away with that.

[r3ccOs]

I've learnt this --- important to dress to your level

In IT, I've worked in many industries with various roles, from internalized roles, to very sales oriented roles.

but it is important to maintain observation and dress appropiate to your audience, subordinates, peers and superiors.

If you're making 40k a year, there is no point to spend all your disposable cash on a couple Brioni suits that people even breaking into the 6 figures would hesitate to buy.

If you're a manager, its imporant to remind them that though they are a subordinate, that you do not outclass them, as that will cause apprehentions. (Humility, next to nobility is the greatest virtue)

I have to admit... my favorite suits are some off the rack Hugo Boss (& made to measure) along with their 42L shirts.
They just fit and the black, green and orange lable are conservative yet still current.

Problem is... I co-manage 5 departments with close to 40 people. I am no longer client oriented, but will make the occational "sales" pitch when required...
As such, my wardrobe is mainly filled with polo-t's from:
Benneton, Helly Hanson, Esprit, Banana Repulic and slacks from the Gap, Banana Republic, and other golf companies like Izod.
I rarely ever even tuck my shirt in (most Polo's-ts aren't long enough anyways)

I also have a tendancy to wear my Khaki tech wear from North Face, or Mountain Hardware on the somewhat casual days, with some train runners.

I love the fact that none of those pieces need to be pressed and are quite comfortable.

However, when I was working as a SA doing work on RFPs atpretencious client sites (mostly FIs)... thats where again, you are also expected to dress the part on behalf of the oberservant eyes of professionalism.

So, out goes the laptop from my Patagonia sack and into a attache, and off goes the suits, shirts, pants and trenches to the cleaners....

[K3RMiTdot]

i get all my business attire from mexx =)

[Bizzareo]

Calvin Klein modern fit shirts. Classy simple and fucking amazing (I used to do tuxedos so I know a thing or two).
What I really love about these is that they can be down played with jeans, or taken all the way up to a suit and no one would know the difference (just hold onto the plastic collar pieces). I buy them at the bay..

Mexx as some nice shirts, but watch the fit.

For dress pants, Kenneth Cole and le chateau have really good pants. I prefer wool polyester mix since it doesn't wrinkle and is warm but breathable..

Best time to buy is after boxing day, when all the stores are overstocked to the tits and are selling things for stupid cheap... (basically the entire month or so after boxing day).

If you want more advice feel free to pm me, I have helped a few friends with wardrobes and style.

[syncmaster550]

You should try 100% Legit

they have the best business casual attire there