Taboos – sneakers, khaki pants, polo shirts
This knol is created to serve as a guide and relief for all those men who work in an international setting, where the issue of dress code is particularly sensitive due to the differences in people dealt with. In such environment, a man’s outfit becomes his first ‘business card’ that can either draw or spurn people.
Introduction
Although there is no universally agreed definition of casual business attire, a common perception is that men casual dress typically includes: khaki pants, a pair of casual shoes and a button-down shirt (including polo) worn with no tie.
In numerous instances you can (and sometimes asked to) dress like that, but it is very important to always mind the particular environment you are working in. In fact, the above mentioned outfit would be a no-no for an international business environment, i.e. any job that requires dealing with mostly people from different countries. Such positions may be within trans-national corporations, non-governmental and multilateral organizations, foreign affairs agencies, consulting firms etc.
Hence, deeming it to be an important topic that is quite overlooked by many and thus not quite covered in the press and on the internet, I shall strive to rectify that and draw on my knowledge and experience for the help of those men, with who we have at least two things in common: professionalism and the domain of specialization.
1. Understanding the difference
Image source: www.flickr.com
Jobs in international domains significantly differ from “regular” business jobs. The best distinguishing characteristic of the former would be that they are concerned with dealing with people from different cultures and of different backgrounds on everyday basis.
In general, professionals working in international business areas travel way more often and interact more intense and with a greater number of people than those working in other areas. Thus, a business casual outfit worn in an international environment must be suitable for all these tasks and all occasions likely to happen, in other words, all the eyes likely to see it. In fact, an international business casual dress would be rather leaning towards a salesperson’s casual dress than regular business casual since in both cases, a perfection and none-distracting look are a must for success.
Nevertheless, a suit one chooses for casual wear need not be a very formal one. A male professional can have a one really good suit, that costs over $2,000 for the purpose of wearing it on such occasions as high-level events and receptions, job interviews etc. Other suits in a man’s wardrobe can be worn on a day-to-day basis, they can be less formal in design and of a great variety of fabric-color-pattern combination, albeit not too relaxed and blatant (which unfortunately can be widely seen in the United States).
2. Tips for international business casual
Suit jacket
Since we are talking about casual, but casual in an international setting, wearing a suit jacket is deemed necessary. All general jacket selection criteria are still valid here, although we can be less strict and formal in the selection of jacket’s color and pattern. Stripes, window panes, different colors – gray, blue, brown; all these would do as long as the suit looks slightly conservative yet not too formal.
Trousers
Khaki pants, a typical gear in many other casual business settings is not acceptable and appropriate in an international business environment. In general, you should try to avoid looking too relaxed, and thus your overall look should be something like a level down from your top-notch formal look (that suit that cost you $2000). Thus, a man’s trousers should not have too much contrast between his jacket in terms of color and pattern.
Dress shirt
This part of your outfit is exactly the one, in which you can regain your casualty back and which can be the least formal piece of the entire costume. There is a variety of fabrics and colors to choose from, and all of them, generally speaking, would be fine as long as they make a good match with the rest of your outfit.
As for shirt design and collar type in particular, you can go with any – more formal, spread and point collars, as well as less formal and more relaxed button-down collar. Just remember to fix a tie!
Neck tie
Not required in regular business casual, a tie is an integral part of the international business casual. However, too, you have a greater number and more interesting options with regard to patterns and colors. The only restricted ties would be those featuring Bart Simpson, Christmas trees, bumble bees, toxic colors and others alike; and of course, a tie must be of an overall high quality and made of pure silk. Once again, it must match the rest of your costume.
Dress shoes
Your dress shoes should be nicely polished and match in tone with your suit, and in color and (preferably) leather texture with your belt. There are a few types of shoes you can choose as an option for international business casual. Leather Oxfords are always a good choice, but you may also want to wear loafers (slip-on shoes), which are fine for casual wear too. Stay away from sneakers, sandals, hiking boots, as well as other similarly casual footwear.
In conclusion
In general, you should remember that since you work in an international setting, your attire should be such as not to make you feel ashamed to speak, if asked, in front of a bunch of diplomats visiting your country, to deliver an important presentation in a boardroom, or to be sent right off to negotiate with your company’s prospective foreign investors, who may come from such diverse countries as France, Russia, China, India and Brazil. There is no need striking any of those people with your outfit, is there?
About Antonio
