If your husband/partner works in an office (smart dress code) what do they wear and where do they buy it?

[AreMyDucksinarow]

My Dh has a new job and the office is smart/smart casual dress code, he’s managed to get through this week with suit trousers and shirts (only has one suit and 3 shirts as we got rid of it all when we moved as it wasn’t needed 🤦‍♀️🙄) and we are going shopping tomorrow.

Dh has noted that they all seem to wear a lot of designer stuff (most of it has logos on) but we can’t really afford to splash £500 so we were planning on going to an outlet village.

It’s not full suits but it’s definitely very smart.

What do we buy? For a late 40’s reasonably slimish man?

I’ve no clue I work from home and haven’t been into my office since December so can’t even scope out the guys I work with (not that would be much help as I work in construction/engineering

My DH wears chino type trousers in navy, stone, khaki and black. Shirts in various colours/patters that match the trousers and in Autumn/Winter he wears a jumper on top (some are v neck sweaters, some are round neck, some have a quarter zip at the neck etc) He gets most of his work clothes from M&S. He's not into labels though I know a lot of the guys he works with are. He has a couple of nice sports jackets and good quality shirts that he wears with the slacks if he's going to a meeting or event that doesn't require an actual suit. For those pieces he shops in a local independent mens shop.

Charles Tyrwhitt is the mainstay for mine, I think. I don't get involved 😊

DH wears either smart trousers or nice jeans (dark coloured, not ripped)
shirts, cardigans or puffed vests - tends to bring a nice jacket
or full suit for client / important meetings
most of his clothes are M&S, TK Max (designer stuff) and outlet mall

This is exactly what my DH wears too.

Not cardigans!!! Sweaters!!!!
can you see I was woken up at 4 am!!!

Sounds like my husband who is a manager for a large company, he and his boss dress the same which is either suit trousers and shirt or chinos/smart black jeans with a polo shirt depending on meetings or visitors etc. They wear these with a round neck jumper or a quarter zip. He usually wears Joules, Barbour and Fat Face or from John Lewis. He has seen some nice Boss ones and Ralph Lauren but would get these from an outlet not John Lewis due to cost.

Thank you everyone.

We will look for chinos, shirts and jumpers, and another suit which he can wear when he has a meeting with directors etc

Dh isn’t overly bothered by designer clothes, he never has been to be honest but it seems to be quite normal where he is.

I might try vinted and see if I can find some designer bits for him, until he gets paid at the end of April it’s going to be hard to justify spending lots of money.

charles tywritt often have sales with 3-4 shirts for £100 , if he rarely needs a suit the one suit he has got is enough, I agree with others chinos or suit trousers only he will know if dark jeans in straight leg cut ( nothing too skinny or too lose and definitely not faded or ripped) will be ok, a decent belt and shoes make an outfit so if shoes are polishable polish them. a v neck lowish crew neck or quarter zip wool jumper is good so collar of shirt still visible, not a sweatshirt

smart casual probably includes cord trousers too
my DH would probably do cords with check shirt, he also has a tweed jacket which can make jeans look smart without the look of a suit jacket with jeans which I personally find a bit meh!!

My DH wears chinos, shirts and fine wool sweaters. He likes Boss clothing but he also really like Uniqlo shirts and he has some chinos from Marks which look exactly like the Boss ones!

My son has to wear smart clothes for work and jeans of any type are not acceptable, neither are chinos if they have pockets on the legs. My son prefers proper trouser ie suit trousers, as he reckons they wear better, cotton trousers tend to fade after repeated washing. Fortunately he does not need to wear a jacket in the office unless he is meeting clients. He lives in Birmingham and buys most work clothes from Slaters as they cater for people his height, 6ft 7 ins.

DH shops Charles Tyrwhitt or T M Lewin shirts on sale (usually buys 5 - 2 white, 2 blue, 1 gray). He also buys his suits on seasonal sales in same stores or Hammond & Co (Debenhams has sales of these online frequently). He just bought leather monk shoes on sale for £40 (Debenhams as well) which are great quality and look very good.

The guys in my office are wearing chinos, with an open necked shirt and jumper over the top at the moment. Jumpers are crew clothing, Gantt or not logoed.

My oh works in a professional office and definitely doesn't wear designer clothes even though he could afford to. Its dark jeans or chinos plus a shirt. Will only wear a suit and tie for a client meeting. Its much more casual than pre-covid.

DH works in the city, has meetings at director level. Work from office days: shirt, jumper/tank top, chinos.

Are we married to the same person 😉😂

Ah @VanCleefArpels you have my sympathy if we are 😝

Thank you I’ve ordered some charles tywritt shirts from vinted £4.50 each so fingers crossed they will be in good condition.

Trousers he really need to try on as I’m not sure what size he is at the moment.

We will also look for a couple of pairs of shoes he’s got 2 pairs (one slightly past their best) and a pair of lovely suede boots he’s wearing.

No idea why they wear designer clothes 🤷‍♀️ like I said Dh isn’t fussed but he does need to up his game and look smart.

Another person saying Charles tyrwhitt or t m Lewin.

Fingers crossed on the Vinted ones!

M&S is your friend, no logos are better than cheap ones.

Shoes are important too. Nice brown brogues are good. He might need one smarter pair and one more casual. Also Chelsea boots, maybe in suede. And a decent belt or two.

Do be aware of the suit/no tie thing though with men at the moment. It’s rare I see a man in a suit and tie these days, but still lots in a navy/great suit without a tie.

He’ll need a decent laptop bag too… satchel style is more versatile than a backpack if he’s only buying one.

Next do suits for about £100,
perfectly nice for work.

Chino type trousers ( crew or one of the bespoke online companies think it’s called spoke ) check shirts (m and s) quarter zip jumper or v neck jumper ( crew) .Also has a blazer just in case . Brands husband also likes Gant .John Lewis own brand is also good for this kind of stuff .

if he isn’t fussed don’t do designer

husband also says there is a lot of white trainer wearing going on ( too old to understand that one ).. he just wears brogues

DH wears chinos in various colours with shirts usually. Most are from next, he doesn't care about labels at all and doesn't like to spend that much money on clothes

Charles Twit is the go to here too. Usually on sale. Then next and m and s do decent suits but we were pleasantly surprised to discover you can get a fitted suit at the local gentlemans outfitters for under £500 which obviously looks classier than and off the peg one. Generally the go to is buy two trousers for each jacket. If you're on a budget don't forget to check sales and cashback sites before buying.

Where I work it's all about dark jeans and polo shirts, branding is irrelevant really as anywhere that feels heavyweight and washes well works.

Personally I prefer charity shop clothing as you can see how it washes and whether it creases easily.

Levi’s actually do nice trousers which are smart. Ralph Lauren does nice shirts that wash and last well. Boss jackets and Didrikson coats are nice. My husband also wears nice jumpers but not sure where they are from. The m and s ones look quite smart the thin wool ones.