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Business casual + tie suggestions?

Street_Remote

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I am about to start my first office job, and the dress code is "business casual" with a "tie highly recommended". Which I take as basically required:) It seems like an odd dress code, because I've always been under the impression that business professional is suit and a tie, and business casual is... well a lot of different things but usually not tie.

When I was in for my interview everyone (males) were wearing either dress pants+slacks+tie or doing a khaki+dress shirt+tie combo. Anyone else had a dress code like this? Any recommendations? I feel kind of awkward doing the tie rocking free thing, but it also seems to be the general vibe of the office so...
 

breakaway01

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Congrats on the new position! I think most people here (including myself) would frown on the idea of wearing a tie without a jacket. But since it's a new job, I'd consider maybe not standing out too much right away. Once your colleagues get to know you better, that would be the time to start introducing an odd jacket here and there.
 

maxalex

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I think you’re saying the preferred dress is tie with no jacket? That’s a bit of a douche-y look, but better than the usual uniform of chinos and polo. Even back in the days of “proper” office dress, men often took their jackets off at their desk. (See: Mad Men.) Sometimes they even rolled up their sleeves.

You could always wear a jacket to work, then remove it at your workspace. At least you’ll have it with you, so when walking around outside the office you won’t look like you time travelled from a mobile phone kiosk in a 1995 shopping mall.
 

rollerkilt

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Are guys going to start wearing grey flannels for fall and winter? Are knit ties, and ties in linen, cotton, or wool going to go well?
 

rjc149

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Unusual dress code indeed, especially as neckties in the workplace are slowly dying. Good opportunity to build a sport jacket wardrobe.

Wearing a tie without a jacket as the complete outfit smacks of door-to-door salesman or evangelical pastor.
 

mak1277

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If a sport coat isn’t in the cards, you could look at something like armoury’s 3pb or anthology’s lazy man

edit to add link to an old but good thread.

 
Last edited:

Panama

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What's wrong with wearing a knitted Silk tie with a plain or simple business shirt and dark Chinos and Oxfords? WTF are Khakis?
 

mak1277

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What's wrong with wearing a knitted Silk tie with a plain or simple business shirt and dark Chinos and Oxfords? WTF are Khakis?

We’ve been over this. Khakis = chinos.

if it’s good enough for Sid Mashburn it’s good enough for me.


Money quote : “I guess it gets confusing – when we say khaki.. are we talking color or style? You can have Grey khakis – Blue khakis - we even made day glo khakis one season. “
 

maxalex

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Khaki is an Urdu word (Pakistan) that means sand colored trousers. It was adopted by the Brits for their colonizing uniforms in Africa (Boer War) in the late 19th century, then used, in a darker olive drab, by the Yanks in their own colonial adventures (Spanish American War) and later in the world wars. So it’s a color, or two shades. Not blue or grey.
 

mak1277

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Khaki is an Urdu word (Pakistan) that means sand colored trousers. It was adopted by the Brits for their colonizing uniforms in Africa (Boer War) in the late 19th century, then used, in a darker olive drab, by the Yanks in their own colonial adventures (Spanish American War) and later in the world wars. So it’s a color, or two shades. Not blue or grey.

In America khakis can be any color. Get over it everyone.
 

maxalex

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In America khakis can be any color. Get over it everyone.
Get over…what? That words have meanings? Up is never down, in can’t be out, and khaki is not navy.

The word you are looking for is chino, which properly describes durable cotton trousers, of any color.
 

mak1277

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Get over…what? That words have meanings? Up is never down, in can’t be out, and khaki is not navy.

The word you are looking for is chino, which properly describes durable cotton trousers, of any color.

Read the article I linked. As I said, if Sid Mashburn is ok being “wrong” then I am too.
 

Panama

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What I see in my mind when I read Khaki pants...

download (6).jpeg
 

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