A crisp, smart business suit was once de rigueur professional attire in offices around the country. However, in many places standards have been relaxed. While some workplaces have jettisoned business suits and corporate guidelines altogether, others have allowed a wide range of personal expression to come in.
It is now common for men not to have to wear ties to work, even in places where ‘Smart business dress’ is still required. In this environment, a company that opts for super-smart business suits as part of their corporate uniform is sure to turn heads, both in the workplace and among customers.
Here are some of the business suit trends we are seeing edging their way back in:
1) Suited and booted
A well-tailored, crisp pressed suit remains a classic style statement for men. Understatement is powerful, so colours and fabric patterns don’t need to be extravagant. A two-piece suit with black ankle boots, a plain shirt and well knotted tie is a powerful expression of professional elegance. The most popular suit jackets at the moment are single breasted, to buttoned suits with long thin lapels.
2) Brightly coloured ties
If men’s business suit fashions have become a bit more toned down in recent years, the same cannot be said for ties. While not approaching the novelty tie fads of the 90s, modern business ties are often quite bright. This works well with a darkly coloured charcoal or navy suit. Regarding patterns, stripes and tweed inspired checks with pastel shades are proving popular among city workers. As for how a tie is knotted; a ‘single Windsor’ best compliments the slim line suits and ties that are popular today.
3) Seasonal variations
Even in the most formal workplaces, it doesn’t look good to force male colleagues to sweat their way through the hottest summer months in woollen suits and buttoned up shirts. This doesn’t mean you have to revert to a ‘shorts and T-shirt’ rule either. Dressing for the seasons involves having a summer variation of business dress. Lightweight cotton or linen suits, with breathable short-sleeved shirts and light ties maintain a professional appearance throughout the summer, without compromising on comfort.
4) Accessories
Some of the most stylish business suit trendsetters of re-embracing the forgotten art of accessorising. Popular among these are silk pocket handkerchiefs. These had been out of fashion for many years but are now making a deserved comeback. If the rest of the suit is understated and formal, men can go to town with their handkerchiefs. We have seen office workers sporting pocket hankies in all manner of shades, colours and lurid designs.
5) Business suit colours
We have already mentioned that most popular business suit designs are currently dark. This doesn’t mean they have to be sombre or unimaginative. Black remains a common choice with some businesses, but some companies find this gives their team a stilted, formal or unapproachable face. Black suits also don’t age as well as other colours if you are choosing the corporate uniform. In place of this, various shades of grey are popular, ranging from dark charcoal cashmere wool for winter uniforms, to lighter shades in the summer.
The growing revival of business suits in the office is living proof that a company can be ‘trendy’ without succumbing to informality, and that professionalism can be fashionable. When choosing a corporate uniform for your team, there are now a wide number of options open to you. Get in touch with our service team for impartial advice and to design a uniform that matches your style and business ethic.
