Ten tips on how to properly wear a business suit
photo by pretendtious
Regardless if you are a man or woman, you may wonder what no-no’s there are when it comes to wearing your suit and business shirts. There are ten things you need to keep in mind when it comes to dressing properly and making a classy impression on those you come into contact with.
Ten tips to dressing in suits and business shirts correctly
Tip 1 – Should you wear eyewear if you’re wearing a suit?
It’s generally not a great idea to wear sunglasses when you’re wearing a suit. Doing so makes you look more like a gym teacher at a wedding, rather than a Blues Brother. The only exception… is if you’re spending a day in the sun at the races.
Tip 2 – What to do with your suit tags
Make sure you cut off the manufacturer’s tag from the suit’s sleeve. There are so many people who just leave these on. However, keep this in mind: if you feel you must prove your suit’s worthiness by its label, consider hiring yourself another tailor.
Tip 3 – What do you do with all those buttons on a suit
It’s normal for buttons to be on suits but you certainly don’t want to button up all the way on your suit jacket. If you’ve got a two button suit, just button that top button. For three button suits, always button the middle button and occasionally button the top one.
Tip 4 – Wearing runners while walking to work
When you wear a suit, wearing chunky white runners are a pretty average look. Of course, if you plan on exercising, you’ll want to wear a track suit, which is fine.
Tip 5 – Dealing with shoulder pads
Shoulder pads are a fad that’s long gone and unless you’re an American football player; avoid using extra thick shoulder pads on your wide suit shoulders. Yes, the shape of your suit’s shoulder is important; after all, it’s the suit’s cut and the tailor’s signature. Don’t forget that the shoulders of your suit cannot be changed so it needs to be done right the first time.
Tip 6 – How to wear your socks
Sometimes it’s fine to wear colorful socks, but in the work setting, it’s usually best to pick socks that fall in the black, gray or navy categories. Try to avoid wearing bright, striped socks with your suits.
Tip 7 – How to deal with suit sleeves
Make sure your suit sleeves that are comfortable but not baggy. Baggy suits make your whole attire look bad. Assuming you’re wearing a business shirt that is the correct length, the suit sleeve should stop one centimeter before the cuff of the shirt.
Tip 8 – Dealing with extra pointy shoes
If you’re a man wearing a business shirt and suit, extra pointy shoes are generally not a great idea. These may have been made somewhere in Italy but likely have sense been discontinued, and are certainly not the must-have fashion accessory. What should you wear instead? If you’re wearing a grey or navy suit, just wear a pair of tasteful black shoes.
Tip 9 – Should you wear a belt with your suit?
Yes, always. When you wear a belt, make sure that it matches your suit in color and material; choose a buckle that’s small and inconspicuous.
Tip 10 – Is it OK to wear novelty ties?
No. No matter who bought you that Goofy/Mickey Mouse tie, the last thing you need to wear it with is your business shirt and suit.
Six tips to starch and iron your business shirts the right way
photo by s_w_ellis
Everybody, men and women, want to look their best especially when it comes to their clothes. If this is you, you may wonder what the best way is to take care of your clothes. One thing people tend to do when they want to look their best is starch and iron their business shirts. If you don’t know how to starch and iron? Don’t fret; the process isn’t has difficult as you may think. When you apply the six “how to starch and iron your business shirts” tips, you’ll wonder why you were ever worried about the process.
Don’t look disheveled: six steps to starching and ironing your business shirts
The first thing you must consider when starching is to know when to stop spraying. You spray too much starch on your business shirts, they can become to stiff (certainly nothing you’d want to wear). Make sure you stand about a foot away from the shirt you’re spraying so you don’t apply too much starch to it.
The second thing you need to deal with is the collar. After all, business shirt collars tend to get wrinkled quickly. Start the unwrinkle process by laying the shirt face down; you’ll want the back collar facing toward you. Lightly spray the collar with starch and then iron from one side to the other side. Make sure you apply constant pressure. Repeat the process by flipping the shirt over. To do this part right, be sure you flatten the collar on the ironing board.
The third thing you need to contend with when it comes to your business shirts is the cuff. If you’re the type of person who thinks a small crease near the cuff is nothing to be concerned with then iron the shirt with the button on. Don’t want a crease? Unbutton and spread it out to iron it. How do you iron the sleeves of these shirts? Make sure to line up the seams with your shirt facing up. The shirt seams should be parallel to the board. The sleeve should be flattened down that way the fabric won’t bunch up. Lay a layer of starch on the arm sleeve and then iron it; repeat this step after you flip the shirt over.
The fourth thing you should know when it comes to ironing your shirt properly is to lay the shoulder flat at the smaller end of the ironing board. Spray carefully and iron the wrinkles out.
Number five: you should understand is that starching and ironing will take time especially when it comes to the back of the business shirt. You don’t want your shirt to crease so make sure you lay some part of the shirt on the board and let the other part of it hang off your board to keep wrinkles and creasing down to a minimum. Again, starch and iron, as you have done with the other parts of the shirt. Ensure that your shirt is starch-free and dry.
The sixth thing you must remember when it comes to ironing your business shirts is that the back of them can wrinkle very easily. Don’t allow your shirt to become wrinkled; place the shirt completely flattened facedown on your ironing board. Liberally spray your starch and iron those wrinkles out.