Clothing Definitions — definitions of garments and clothing terms from Apparel Search
International standard business wear, for men, is a suit — an ensemble composed of a pair of trousers with a matching jacket. The suit is worn with a long-sleeved shirt and a tie. Wearing a suit to work is a proclamation of managerial or professional status, and when applying for work or attending business meetings, many men who do not otherwise wear suits will don them as a mark of respect and formality. In the 1990s, relaxed business casual spread with the flourishing Internet businesses. This page explains the men's standard, business casual, the changing standard for women, and how Western business wear is used around the globe alongside national costume.
Many men do not wear suits to work. They wear uniforms, or they wear inexpensive, sturdy clothing that can be easily laundered. Wearing a suit to work is a proclamation of managerial or professional status. However, when applying for work or attending business meetings, many men who do not otherwise wear suits will don them as a mark of respect and formality.
In the 1990s, Internet businesses flourished and so did the relaxed dress standards flaunted by unconventional dot-com businesspeople. Business casual, consisting of good pants and a polo shirt or short-sleeved shirt, is increasingly acceptable attire at technically-oriented business meetings.
The standard for women is also in flux. In the 1970s, women aspiring to managerial or professional status were advised to "dress for success" by wearing clothing that imitated the male business suit: jacket and matching skirt, worn with a plain blouse and discreet accessories. Some women wore pantsuits, substituting pants for the skirt, but in doing so, they risked the displeasure of many who felt that women should not wear pants.
Now even conservative Western workplaces are more accepting of pants on female employees. However, they may still expect female employees to exhibit the drab, no-nonsense look of mens's suits. Women in "creative" professions, such as advertising or fashion, can usually dress with more color and flair. In fact, their eye for the current fashion is a subtle proclamation of their competence as workers who set the fashion for others.
Male business attire is also nuanced. Choice of clothing and accessories proclaims social and financial status. A cheap suit, purchased off-the-rack at a chain store, does not have the cachet of a bespoke suit tailored in London to one's exact measurements. Custom shirts, hand-made shoes, and Rolex watches shout "money" to the discerning eye.
Western business wear is standard in many workplaces around the globe, even in countries where the usual daily wear may be a distinctive national costume. Western business wear is most often seen on those who often interact with Western businesspeople. It is a declaration that "I too am one of you".
Some non-Western businesspeople will wear national costume nonetheless. A Saudi Arabian sheik may wear the traditional robes and headdress to an international conference. Doing so can proclaim national pride, or just extremely high status. Sometimes an element of the national costume such as a hat is combined with a Western business suit.
| The above article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/international_standard_business_attire ). 10/21/04 |
Within the standard itself, quality is a language. A cheap suit purchased off-the-rack at a chain store does not have the cachet of a bespoke suit tailored in London to one's exact measurements, and custom shirts, hand-made shoes and expensive watches proclaim money and position to the discerning eye. The same signalling explains the exceptions. Western business wear is standard in many workplaces around the globe, most often on those who interact with Western businesspeople, as a declaration of shared professional identity. Some non-Western businesspeople wear national costume nonetheless — traditional robes and headdress at an international conference can proclaim national pride, or extremely high status — and sometimes a single element of national costume, such as a hat, is combined with the standard. Business wear is therefore a code with set pieces, the suit at its centre, read the same way in most of the world's meeting rooms.
For men, international standard business wear is a suit, an ensemble composed of a pair of trousers with a matching jacket, worn with a long-sleeved shirt and a tie.
Business casual, consisting of good pants and a polo shirt or short-sleeved shirt, is increasingly acceptable attire at technically-oriented business meetings. It spread in the 1990s as Internet businesses flourished and relaxed dress standards with them.
In the 1970s, women aspiring to managerial or professional status were advised to dress for success in clothing that imitated the male business suit: jacket and matching skirt with a plain blouse. Pantsuits once risked displeasure, but even conservative Western workplaces are now more accepting of pants on female employees.