If you go for a T-shirt, then your outfit might work better with a simple jacket or a blazer. Ties can be left safely hang- ing in the wardrobe. Tennis shoes belong on
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www.blacksocks.com 3 2 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Not Just a Question of Taste Dress codes are a science all of their own. Categories range from casual to informal, formal, very formal and even highly o˚cial and ceremonial. It is important to choose the right clothing for your event, circumstances, age and shape. Contrasts (black and white) generally have a more professional look than tone-in-tone combinations. It is always worth avoiding style slip-ups, whether in your pro -fessional or private life. Ties with cartoon characters, childish ba -tik patterns, and oversized company logos have no place in the business world. Cloth -ing should not be too tight, too baggy, or too old-fashioned. Other taboos include visible bare calves, white socks, brown shoes with a black suit, or braces at an evening gala.
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www.blacksocks.com 5 4 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Casual Dress Code Page 7 Casual means leisure wear Œ not to be con -fused with the well-known ‚baggy™ look. Out˜ts might include a shirt or polo shirt with jeans or chinos. You can de˜nitely leave your tie in the wardrobe. Smart Casual Dress Code Page 11 This dress code, combining sportiness with easy elegance, o˛ers plenty of scope for choice. It doesn™t have to mean a dark suit and a tie: you could go for slacks or cordu -roy trousers and a shirt or polo shirt with a jacket, for example. Dark-colored jeans would also work Business Casual Dress Code Page 14 ‚Business casual™ is for relaxed business lunches, drinks after work, andbusiness trips. Your jeans are left behind in the ward -robe, replaced by elegant slacks. A classic suit with a plain shirt, tie, and knee-high socks is also ˜ne. Business Attire Dress Code Page 19 Business environments demand a serious and elegant appearance. Put on a dark single-breasted or double-breasted suit, a plain shirt, a tie and socks in a matching color. Only take your jacket o˛ if it gets hot. Bare skin showing between your socks and the bottom of your trousers when you sit down is also a de˜nite faux pas. Black Tie Dress Code Page 23 Formal events always call for dark clothes. Combine a black dinner jacket with a waist -coat or cummerbund, a white dress shirt, and of course, a black bow tie. With black tie, you™ll be perfectly dressed for any for -mal evening celebration! White Tie Dress Code Page 27 The more formal the event, the more el -egant the dress code. ‚White tie™ calls for tails. Wear them with a white dress shirt and a hand-tied white silk bow tie Œ never a necktie. In this out˜t, you™ll ˜t right in at the Vienna Opera Ball.
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www.blacksocks.com 7 6 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Casual dress code You don™t necessarily need a tie or tight suit trousers to do professional work: in the era of internet ser -vices you can also earn money from the com -fort of your own home, before or after throw -ing on your everyday clothes. Think of Zuck -erberg with his familiar hoodie, Jobs with his sig -nature turtleneck sweat -er, or Musk™s competent appearance. Doing work and doing it well is not about the clothes you wear. So why all this fuss about dress codes? Why do you need ‚casual™? Dress codes may have originally been created for entirely di˛erent reasons, but now they mainly exist to provide us with guidelines for what to wear when going to an im -portant client™s o˚ces or if you are invited to an upscale event. Being smartly dressed in a dinner jacket or tails shows the event organiser that you respect them and appreci -ate being invited. That might be true for black tie, but what is casual wear for? Events or places where a smart ap -pearance is crucial are very di˛er -ent to private settings, the business of ‚everything else™: clinking glasses with the boss at a barbecue, watch -ing your mother-in-law blow out the birthday candles, or an informal in -vitation to have a drink with some colleagues. Casual wear places the emphasis on comfort and personal style, as these are more important for the situation than formalities. Street wear vs. casual wear This dress code should not be con -fused with everyday street wear or what you would slob around in at home. On your couch there are no rules, and when meeting friends in a café or walking your dog there is no reason to tailor your appearance to your conversation partners or your environment. A casual dress code helps to set a framework for interpretation. The word ‚casual™ means relaxed and in -formal, so clothing is correspond -ingly functional and comfortable. Nonetheless, grooming and a suit -able amount of elegance are just as important with this dress code. Casual at work Informal dress codes are on the in -crease in business environments, replacing traditional business dress codes such as business casual or
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www.blacksocks.com 9 8 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. business attire, especially in small, family-run operations, young start- ups, creative professions and the fashion industry. In the fashion sector it is even desirable for sta˛ to use the freedom o˛ered by this dress code to highlight their own personalities. Depending on a com -pany™s philosophy and values, having uni -formed employees in such companies would give outsiders the wrong impres -sion. Basic principles T-shirts, jeans and trainers: all are al -lowed under a casual dress code. The key principle is that you should only wear clean clothing without any rag -ged or visibly damaged areas. Flip- ˝ops, shorts or baggy clothing such as sweatpants or hoodies are not entirely welcome. Overly tight cuts are a recipe for discomfort, which is why ‚casual wear™ covers looser, airi -er ˜ts (known as ‚casual ˜t™). Fabrics such as denim, cotton, ˝an -nel, linen and polyester are regular features and can be combined with more elegant materials such as silk and cashmere. Chi˛on, brocade and velvet, on the other hand, will soon make things too elegant. When choosing your out˜t, it is useful to think about who invited you, who will be coming and what the atmos -phere is likely to be. Socks for self con˜dence The casual look al -lows you to display your personality. One popular option is col -ourful or patterned socks which you can combine with the col -ours in your out˜t as you choose. Taking socks as your base, you have plen -ty of options for new out˜t combi -nations that will show o˛ your own particular style with a healthy air of con˜dence and a touch of skilful ˝air. In the fashion sector it is even desirable for sta˜ to use the freedom o˜ered by this dress code to highlight their own personalities. BLACKSOCKS recommends: Delphine boxers: a perfect ˜t with rebellious checks
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www.blacksocks.com 11 10 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Casual for men One option is jeans or chinos com -bined with slip-on shoes and a light shirt or knitted sweater. If you go for a T-shirt, then your out˜t might work better with a simple jacket or a blazer. Ties can be left safely hang -ing in the wardrobe. Tennis shoes belong on the tennis court, but oth -er elegant trainers or sneakers are an option. Some people might feel the need to follow a fashion trend, but clas -sic pieces remain the safer option. Trends can be misunderstood and quickly go awry, meaning that what is intended as a fashionable ensem -ble of trendy elements soon be -comes the exact opposite. Subtlety, simplicity and restraint will mean that your out˜t leaves a lasting pos -itive impression. The best out˜ts are the ones where you cannot see how much thought has gone into them, as this displays nonchalance and proof of a relaxed individual style. BLACKSOCKS recommends: Business light: subtle, calming stripes Some people might feel the need to follow a fashion trend, but classic pieces remain the safer option.
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www.blacksocks.com 15 14 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Smart casual dress code A traditional suit with tie and heavy fabrics can be too formal and un -comfortable in some situations, whilst standard casual wear is also not quite appropriate. If neither casual nor business casual is appropriate or if you do not want to look over- or underdressed, smart casual is the best choice. Smart casual is the dress code for o˚ces in many sectors, meetings, drinks and dinner after work, or business trips Smart casual for men Some people de˜ne this dress code as casual and informal but still ele -gant with high-quality materials, tailored to the relevant occasion. Others see it less as a question of available out˜ts than of good taste and an understanding of fashion. Sporty elegance leaves lots of room for manoeuvre and interpretation, making it di˚cult to ˜nd the right balance. A suit without a tie and with an open shirt collar can be as much smart casual as trousers with a jack -et or sports coat. You don™t have to do away with a suit to ˜t this look Œ you just ensure a more laid-back appearance by re -placing a tie with a breast pocket handkerchief in a contrasting colour to your suit, and don™t button your shirt up to the collar. Shirts, T-shirts and jackets Long-sleeved shirts are perfect with one of the basics Œ a jacket, sports coat or blazer. Outerwear alterna -tives are limited. Opinions di˛er on T-shirts and polo shirts. However, on hot summer days a jacket and long- sleeved short may become rath -er warm, so you can weigh up the particular occasion to decide what would be appropriate. In colder months, you can wear a simple turtleneck or pullover made from ˜ne materials. A round- neck or V-neck pullover over a shirt is anoth -er option depending on what you prefer. Jeans or trousers? Fabric, corduroy or chino trousers in muted colours could all be con -sidered. Don™t forget an inconspicu -ous belt, even if your trousers ˜t like a glove. Jeans are best left in the wardrobe unless they are an even dark blue or black. For a professional appearance, it is
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www.blacksocks.com 17 16 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. also important to ensure that your clothes are not too baggy, wrinkled or faded. This excludes standard denim jeans from this particular dress code. Socks and shoes Don™t underestimate socks, which, even if unassuming, can immediate -ly ruin a carefully composed out˜t if you make an unfortunate choice. They should serve to link your shoes and your trousers by o˛ering a colour that sits in-between, thus rounding o˛ your entire out˜t with a harmonious touch. The best shoes are closed-toe op -tions such as loafers, classy sneakers or moccasins, and you also can™t go wrong with lace-up shoes. Trainers or leather boots are not recom -mended for this dress code. For a professional appea -rance, it is also important to ensure that your clothes are not too baggy. BLACKSOCKS recommends: classic calf socks in powder blue: soft and sure
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www.blacksocks.com 19 18 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Colour choices Since the smart casual dress code is rather reserved, you should go for inconspicuous patterns or unshowy colours such as browns, blues or greys. If you want to add a strong -er touch, try a discreetly patterned shirt or coloured socks Œ the latter have made a comeback in recent years and are no longer taboo if you want something a bit more striking. However, don™t overdo the colour -ful touches; just make sure that they always ˜t harmoniously within the out˜t as a whole. The comfort factor also plays a key role, and you should think seriously about the event to make sure that your choice is the right one. If you aren™t sure if your choice is elegant or smart enough, you are better o˛ going for a style which leaves you feeling comfortable and con˜dent. Since the smart casual dress code is rather reserved, you should go for inconspicuous patterns or unshowy colours. BLACKSOCKS recommends: Delphine boxers: comfortable ˜t in navy stripes
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www.blacksocks.com 21 20 Fine underwear for ˜rst-class men. Smart casual for women Although this dress code is less strict for women because they have a much wider range of com -binations to choose from, this does not make it any less complicated. You cannot go wrong with a trouser or skirt suit, but skirts can also be combined with a pullover or blouse if you prefer. Closed shoes with no more than a small heel, such as bal -lerinas or pumps, are always a good choice. In terms of colour, the same advice goes as for men: dark colours and subtle patterns ensure that your out˜t sits in the happy medium be -tween casual and elegant. BLACKSOCKS recommends: Business light: surprise stripes in your shoe Closed shoes with no more than a small heel, such as ballerinas or pumps, are always a good choice.
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