As we showed during the the article “how to make a good first impression“, your business look is very important. Now we are going to start from the details to go back to the basics of business look, as it makes it a little more interesting. The two items on this article are very reasonable and won’t set you back financially in any way. Accessible to all, they will make a difference.

Pocket Square

Pocket Squares have long been forgotten, but they are one of the simplest accessories to add to your business look. When it comes to wearing pocket squares there are few men that make that conscious decision not to wear a pocket square. Most men don’t because they don’t even know it’s an option. The whole point of a pocket square is to give you the way and the means to stand out in a room full of other men wearing jackets and give you a further way of expressing your personality through your clothing.

• What NOT to do: Do not match your Pocket to your tie.
• What to do: Try to match your pocket square to your shirt, your cufflinks (like on the photo above) or even to your socks

In this case, I am wearing a light blue pocket square from The Tie Bar with a French cuff white shirt and light blue silk knot cufflinks.

Cuff Links

Cufflinks are tools for fastening shirt cuffs closed. They’re an alternative to the buttons that are commonly sewn onto shirt cuffs. Just like buttons, cufflinks come in many shapes, sizes, styles, and materials. They usually offer a little more contrast than a button, and are a more ornamental option, but they’re not inherently more or less formal.

Practically speaking, most men will wear cufflinks in business and formal social settings. An accent to a suit-and-tie ensemble. That said, more relaxed links are perfectly acceptable with a sports jacket. Cuff links can add an air of playfulness that simple buttons don’t provide.

• What NOT to do: Wear Cufflinks that you find “fun”. I might sound boring but anything ostentatious will draw the wrong kind of attention.
• What to do: Wear something subdued. You will find very subdued cufflinks that will look great just by their material or simple design.

On the photo above, these are simple silk knot cuff links by Hawes and Curtis (link is not the color from the photo). They are really reasonable, and will set you back for less than two morning coffees…

Business Look in details

Photos of me in this article by Oby Foto.