Selecting the appropriate suit to wear to a corporate event could prove to be quite a challenge. It is necessary to consider the kind of function you are scheduled to attend, the dress code prescribed, your body shape and your personal taste. Several aspects are vital to take into consideration before you make your decision.
Making the right impression
Many corporate functions expose you to key suppliers, clients, partners and decision-makers. Thus, you are likely to be highly visible and it is important you make a professional impression. The shifting trends of suits for men may depend upon the corporate image that a particular business prefers to project. Although the classic business suit has remained largely unchanged for the best part of a century, fashions and suit cuts, styles of tie, lapel size etc. change on a regular basis. The double-breasted style is, for instance, less prominent today, compared to how popular it was in the past. It helps learning what the corporate image of a particular organisation is to know what kind of corporate suit to wear to a particular occasion.
Your host’s dress code
When attending a corporate event, it is useful to be familiar with the dress code the event organiser sets out for its own team. Some companies require employees to select a specific colour for their suit. For example, the male office employees of Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals are instructed to wear dark blue single-breasted suits. Other businesses prefer putting on black, grey or even brown suits. Company dress codes might also apply to how the suit gets cut, and the type of fabric used. It is important to take into consideration the host companies dress code when attending a corporate event.
Incorporating Personal Tastes in Corporate Suits
Investing in suits for your business is a brilliant move that makes it convenient for employees to adapt their usual personal style to what your company brand requires. It sets out a clear guideline for personal appearance and code of dress at professional events. The same corporate image determines what form of tie to wear to a formal function, among other accompanying accessories. Shoes, watches, handkerchiefs, ties and shirts are some of the accessories that complement corporate suits, and which give space for individual and personal expression. Be clear with your team how much leeway they have to personalise their attire and how flexible the dress code is for any event.
Selecting the Appropriate Fabric for Your Corporate Suit
Many business suits are made from polyviscose and come with different finishes, among them matt finish as well as shimmer/shiny finish. What kind of quality you opt for eventually determines how long your suit will last. Being lightweight and affordable is the main advantage carried by this form of fabric. However, they do not breathe very well, making it better only to opt for poly-viscose suits within an air-conditioned office environment. Expect to sweat profusely if moving around a lot and meeting clients at random. This makes poly-viscose suits unsuitable for most corporate functions! When considering the comfort of your team, as well as the impression made on your host, it is best to select a high quality and durable material for your corporate suits.
Wool and Viscose Suits
You may alternatively try wearing corporate suits made up of a blend of wool and viscose. These keep you aerated with ease and suit many different weather conditions. They keep the wearer warm during winter and cool when summer comes. Also, they have much better quality and can last for much longer than purely synthetic alternatives. Suits of wool hardly crease up and are thus a superb choice for anyone who delights in wearing formal suits on a regular basis. They, however, have the disadvantage of being heavier and costing more than polyviscose and blended material suits.
