Relaxed corporate

Once upon a time, dressing for the office was easy. You wore a suit. Today, society is less formal, and this is reflected in corporate attire.

Groovy dot-com offices triggered the trend in the 90s, and the drift to dressing down eventually filtered through to some conservative accountancy and law offices. Recently, there has been a backlash against "anything goes" dressing in the corporate world. Many human resources experts argue that relaxed dress codes encourage relaxed attitudes to work, and that the professional image of an organisation is compromised. However, in some offices the "relaxed corporate" look is here to stay. At its best, it’s a look that simply updates the professionalism of the suit – if you get it right. At Parker & Co. we can offer you all the advice you need on selecting the right garments for your relaxed corporate wardrobe.

Striking the relaxed corporate balance

How do you find the right balance between "relaxed" and "corporate"? When in doubt, it’s better to err on the side of dressing conservatively. Remember, your clothes are a powerful tool in influencing others. (For details, see Success Dressing.) Your look should be a comfortably relaxed version of classic corporate attire with no sacrifice of professionalism. It’s a matter of matching your apparel to your industry field. Areas like advertising and architecture allow more artistic licence in dress standards than law, finance and politics. It’s common sense to match your wardrobe to your activities for the day. If you are delivering a presentation to clients in a conservative field like finance you should dress up more than if you are inspecting a building site.

European corporate dressing

Just as different fields of work embrace different dress codes, so do different countries and cultures. In Britain, anything other than a suit for business was traditionally frowned upon. In Europe, however, relaxed corporate has been an accepted mode of business dress for decades. The Europeans, especially the Italians, continue to set the standards – with sophistication, polish and professionalism. It’s a look that translates well to our relaxed Mediterranean lifestyle in Australia. At Parker & Co. we carry an extensive range of European relaxed corporate apparel by leading designers such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Brioni, Cantarelli. For customised fit and fabric, we also offer a made-to-measure service in collaboration with Zegna and Brioni. (For details, see Made-to-Measure.)

Dos and don’ts of relaxed corporate dressing

Dos

Don’ts
The following garments are inappropriate for men’s business attire, except in a few "creative" industries such as advertising and IT. Even then, image experts would caution against:

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