The Formal Turnout

Once upon a time, dressing formally used to be synonymous with being a corporate executive. The moment one thought of IBM, the picture of a well groomed executive wearing a dark blue suit, black shoes and a sky blue shirt came to ones mind. It was almost a brand characteristic of IBM. Dressing formally was then considered to be as essential as knowing your subject matter or your business. A few years back when I worked for MphasiS and EDS was still around and invested in MphasiS, I heard this urban legend around how the founder and the then CEO of EDS, Ross Perot was obsessed about formal dressing. He apparently refused to sign an important deal once because the client’s CEO came for the meeting with him wearing laceless shoes! Not sure if the story is true or not but the importance of formal dressing it highlights is not too far fetched.



Fast forward to modern times and you find more and more corporations getting relaxed about formal dressing. It started with dressing down on Fridays, but soon Friday dressing became the norm on other days of the week as well. Having said that, there still are certain occasions, such as senior executive meetings, important sales presentations, or even job interviews, which still demand formal dressing. However, since people are not used to doing so, when the situation does demand, their attempts at formal dressing usually are inadequate. Having spoken to many such people, I came to realise that ignorance and ill informed assumptions are often the cause rather than lack of intent. Penning a few simple rules and clarifications I thought might be of help for many such people.


One has to start with the shoes. The first rule is that the only permissible colour for formal shoes is black. Not even brown, let alone fancier colours like burgundy would be truly formal. The second rule is that formal shoes are always laced. When in doubt, it’s best to keep the shoes plain, but patterns such as the Brogue and the Oxford are definitely formal as well. The last rule is that the soles can only be leather. Rubber or synthetic soles are not on. And needless to say, black shoes can only be paired with a black belt.


Formal dressing has to consist of a suit. The suit should always be a dark shade of blue, black or grey. Sorry to disappoint some of you, but brown is not the colour of a formal suit. Prohibited colours of course are red, green and pink, and no value judgements are intended in saying so. Wear a jacket with less than two buttons or more than three and you are in violation once again. And ofcourse, the fabric is to be wool, always!


A complete faux paux would be to match up this elegant dark suit and black shoes with light coloured socks, the worst of them being white. Some people believe in this myth that socks should match the shirt. That maybe true or at least permissable when dressed casually, but for formal dressing, the socks have to be the same shade or only slightly lighter in colour than the suit.


By now it would be an obvious guess that I will recommend plain white or light blue coloured shirts as the ideal formal wear. But this is where you can experiment a bit. You may be able to carry off very light shades of pink or cream. You could also try some pin stripes or textured patterns. But I must caution you that experimenting too much can take away from the formal effect.


Last but not the least comes the neck tie. This is the area plagued with the most misconceptions. The popular notion is that as long as I have a piece of cloth around my neck I am in good order. That is far from the truth. Ties have various grades of formality. The most formal ones would have not more than two colours, and the pattern if any would not be more than the size of a 25 paise coin. Stripes are fine too as long as they conform to the two colour rule. Once again, a little experimentation may be ok, but stretch your imagination at your own peril.


So it isn’t too difficult after all, is it? All you need for a formal impression, are black laced leather soled shoes, a black belt, a blue/black/grey woollen suit, a White or light blue shirt, and a two coloured tie, and you have a perfect gentleman walking. And dear friends, please do me a favour, no Micky mouse pattern on the tie pleeaaassee!


I know some of you are turning your noses and saying ah! These days are past… let me assure you , they are still relevant and matter at the global workplace. Remember you don’t have be formal always but at the appropriate times. I for one believe that even when you dress causually, dress smartly, it only helps build your brand.

source :- Elango's Blog - CEO of MphsiS an HP company