Business Casual Outfits For Men – What I Wore This Week

Would You Like A Free Salad Sir?

In today’s article, we are going to explore one of my favourite business casual outfits for men. Business casual attire is here to stay and it includes a vest. We are going to keep the Misiu Academy tradition of letting a short story set the stage.

While walking with Ms. Misiu yesterday towards home we passed outside a local pizza shop. It does not look like the place where fancy dressed people usually go, but they often have the best food.

We had a good night out and being well dressed and all, I threw the idea of grabbing some pizza before going home. It was a small shop with a touch of drama and a lot of money from all over the world framed on the walls. We ordered and spent 10 minutes waiting for our tasty snack. Finally, it was time to pay and go home.

“It will be 70 crowns sir. By the way, you look very elegant in that vest. Would you like a free salad?”, the owner said.

This is how style can open doors for you. People do think more highly of you if you are well dressed and will often be very polite or offer you something extra. Don’t forget to smile back and say thank you.

Business Casual Outfits For Men – An Important Piece Of Your Wardrobe

Business casual is exactly what the name implies. An outfit that is formal enough for your workplace or occasion, but not as formal as a 3-piece suit for example. The term is rather vague and unclear for many people, but I would not call business casual something that does not use pieces from a suit, jeans or very casual chinos or sneakers.

Business casual is appropriate for most workplaces unless specified differently and the good thing about it is that you can simply transition from work to a night out with friends with minimal (or no) effort.

For me personally, a business casual outfit can include a suit (with or without a tie), suit separates, a vest, dress shoes or good cotton chinos. If you follow Misiu Academy, you will know the affection I have towards waistcoats and this is the outfit I have chosen to present today.

I am going to explain all choices to help you remember and understand the power of the interchangeable wardrobe. You just need a few good clothing pieces that mix well together and you are good to go. Or you can be even cooler and check my grey suit guide. You are cool right?

Outfit Overview

This is the general overview of the pieces I used for today’s outfit:

• Blue dress shirt by Brothers
• Dark blue vest by Brothers
• Dark melange grey dress pants by Matinique
• Chatsworth Dark Brown Chelsea boots by Loake 1880
• Orange tie by Brothers
• Dark green socks by Brothers
• Kairos Rose/White gold by Vincero Watches

Choose Your Foundation

Every outfit should have a solid foundation that you build up from. Business casual outfits for men are not different. The concept is simple: choose your foundation, mix and match or subtract and you are good to go. This outfit was based on the shirt and pants.

Pants

Waking up that day, I knew I wanted to wear grey pants. I have shown these in my grey suit guide. The colour is dark melange which makes them pretty formal. Not as much as charcoal grey but I love the look and feel of the fabric. Matinique did a great job here and it was a good buy during sales. Grey pants will never go out of style and make a solid choice for any man.

Dress Shirt

Let’s be honest, your options are limitless with grey pants. Denim, blue, pink, burgundy, green, brown. You name it, it matches. I wanted to try a colour that was blue but not your usual light blue. A touch of more casual. I chose a darker shade of blue which had just enough contrast with the pants.

Vest

The vest is a timeless piece that will always look elegant. Initially I chose grey but I wanted to make more contrast with the blue shirt, so I ended up choosing a darker shade of blue that would stand out a bit more.

Shoes

What is an outfit without proper shoes? Since we are talking business casual outfits today, I would avoid sneakers unless your work is less strict about professional attire. Chelsea boots are some of the most flexible type of dress shoes you can wear for any occasion. They can be dressed up or down and they match perfectly with blue and grey. Black would be a good alternative.

Choose Your Accessories

Business casual, business formal or casual wear. What do they share in common? They all have accessories that add a touch of personality and flair. In this case, the tie, watch and socks are the way to do that.

Tie

You could say that the tie was my favourite part of this outfit. Orange is a very underrated colour that shows confidence, enthusiasm and creativity. It also makes a beautiful contrast with the blue colours of this outfit. A great splash of colour.

Watch

The Vincero Kairos has been my go-to dress watch since it was added in my collection a few months ago. It accompanies me wherever I go and this was not an exception. Remember that you should try to match your accessories with the rest of your outfit so if you choose brown shoes, try to also use a brown leather strap on your watch.

Socks

Something that is not seen too often but can add some colour and fun in your outfit. I went with dark green here and felt that it goes very well with brown and grey.

Wait, where is the belt?! Or The Jacket?!

The rules regarding dress pants are quite vague when it comes to using a waistcoat. In general, if your pants have belt loops, you should wear a belt. But with a waistcoat it is not a requirement. I do not need a belt since the pants sit very well on me and I wanted a cleaner look for this outfit.

The jacket you ask? Back to this guide (or drawing inspiration by Gareth Southgate of England). It is perfectly acceptable to wear just a waistcoat and no jacket. Additionally, it will always project confidence and elegance. I didn’t need it and you won’t either if it is not cold outside.

Summary

Business casual outfits for men are rather simple. It’s not rocket science and when you get your basics right you can experiment more. You pick a few signature pieces as your foundation and build the outfit up from there. Choose your pants and shirt, your shoes and vest or jacket and you already have a solid business casual attire for the office or an after-work cocktail.

Accessories is an area where you are more flexible than usual to show what you want. Confidence, adventure, playfulness, seriousness, you name it. For me it was the tie that makes the outfit stand out.

What is your business casual style? Do you incorporate more casual elements or are you in a more business formal environment?

I would love to hear your opinions and interact with you.

Thank you for reading,

Kostas Mandilaris,
Misiu Academy