If geek workplaces have a dress code at all (and many don’t have an explicit one), it’s usually stated as “business casual”. Business casual is also, supposedly, the appropriate wear for interviews at tech companies, meetings, trade shows, and the other not-bashing-at-a-keyboard parts of many geek jobs. What that actually means, however…

Business casual is an oxymoron. Either clothes are business clothes (suits, ties) or they’re casual (jeans, T-shirts, sneakers). Business casual is an uncomfortable compromise, a term that’s never been very clearly defined, and a style of clothing that very few people would choose to wear outside of the office. At least, very few people that I associate with.

So what is business casual? What garments actually make up this style of attire? Usually if you ask for an explanation they’ll describe it in negatives:

• No jeans
• No T-shirts
• No sneakers

But that leaves a pretty wide range. Obviously ballgowns, flight suits, and pyjamas are not jeans/T-shirts/sneakers, but they’re also not business casual. So… what do you wear?

Here’s a quick formula which should work in most cases: find a shop which sells business suits, and which does not sell jeans. The most casual clothes in that store will probably be suitable “business casual” wear.

Let’s break it down:

Pants in fairly conservative colours: khaki, brown, blue, grey, black, beige, etc. The fabric may be a cotton drill (that’s the heavyish cotton fabric that chinos are made out of) or some kind of synthetic or blend. The styling varies — flat-fronted vs pleated, cuffs or no cuffs, etc — and all of these are OK. They should be long enough to hide your socks under normal circumstances, and short enough not to touch the ground at the back. Pants with cargo-style pockets, decorative zippers, or weird straps and loops are not usually business casual. Anything with contrasting external stitching or rivets on the seams may be a bit too close to jeans, depending on your workplace’s standards. Shorts may or may not be acceptable in your workplace in the summer, but if you wear shorts they should be the short version of the pants I’ve just described.

Shirts in plain colours, stripes, checks, or subtle patterns. Buttons down the front, soft collar, no tie. Long or short sleeved. Cotton or synthetic or blends. Linen, hemp, etc are OK too. May be worn with a plain (usually white) T-shirt underneath, but T-shirts are usually not acceptable business casual on their own. Some definitions of “business casual” also allow collared T-shirts (golf shirts, etc). Some companies are OK with company-logo T-shirts (your company, that is). Wearing your shirt untucked is more casual than tucking it in, so when in doubt tuck it in. If you tuck your shirt in, wear a belt.

Shoes in black or brown or other neutral colours, usually in leather. Boots (Docs, hiking boots, other generic ankle boots) are OK, but sneakers are not OK by most definitions of business casual, and nor are sandals. Don’t let your shoes be too scuffed — they don’t need a high polish, but they also shouldn’t look too beat up. If you wear a belt, it should approximately match your shoes in colour. That is: black shoes, black belt; brown shoes, brown belt.

Socks. I’ll only say it once: Don’t wear white socks with dark shoes. It looks like crap, and people notice it.

Sweaters and other such warm things: plain colours or simple patterns (a couple of stripes across the chest, for example). Jackets of various kinds are also suitable — anything that they sell as casual wear in that business-suits-but-not-jeans store is probably OK.

Hair long or short, as long as it’s clean and neat. Shaved bald or buzzed is fine too. Brightly dyed hair (green, etc), dreadlocks, or unusually shaved hairstyles (mohawks, etc) aren’t appropriate with business casual. Facial hair likewise clean and neat; stubble is less appropriate with business casual than with entirely casual dress, but you can probably still get away with a couple of days’ worth of it outside of job interviews and important meetings.

Jewelry should be kept to a minimum. Watch, wedding band or class ring, and not much else. Some plain metallic necklaces and bracelets are OK, some aren’t… look around and see what your co-workers are wearing.

Piercings are becoming more and more common. Earrings are no problem at all with business casual, though you probably don’t want anything too attention-drawing. If you have multiple or stretched ear piercings, go for something fairly simple in stainless steel. Facial piercings may or may not be acceptable in your workplace, and in general the less obtrusive the better, but again, go for something plain in the way of jewelry. The 00 gauge neon spikes are better for the weekend.

Bags aren’t part of your attire, but you’ll be seen with them anyway as you come and go from work. Backpacks, courier/messenger bags, laptop bags, man-purses, etc are all fine, but the important thing here is that they shouldn’t be too grubby or battered, nor covered with band patches or political stickers or whatever.

Care and maintenance of your business casual attire is much more important than for casual clothes. Make sure your shirts and pants are ironed, or else buy ones that don’t need it. If anything has a stain, put it aside for weekend wear. Don’t wear shirts with missing buttons. Replace your shoes before they disintegrate.

Quantity. If you’re wearing business casual every day, you’ll want at least 3 pairs of pants, 6 shirts, and 2 pairs of decent shoes. This is enough to last you a week between laundry loads, with a reasonable amount of swapping and changing. (The sixth shirt’s just in case.) If you only wear business casual occasionally, such as for interviews and meetings, you’ll still want two full outfits so you don’t always appear in exactly the same gear. Or, at minimum, two quite different shirts.

Shopping tips for people who hate clothes shopping:

• Grit your teeth, go into one of those suits-but-not-jeans stores, walk up to the counter, and tell the sales staff that you need business casual clothes but don’t know what to get. Their job is to help you out. If they’re not helpful, take your money somewhere else.
• Take a friend if and only if you think s/he’ll actually give good advice and you actually want to listen to it. Otherwise, it can just be extra stress.
• Go at a quiet time (not Saturday, not lunchtime) when they’re less busy.
• To a certain extent, price does indicate quality, and quality is worth paying a little extra for. Higher quality garments won’t need replacing as often, and are cut and constructed with greater care so they will sit better on your body and make you appear to better advantage. I’m not saying go for the most expensive brand name, but conversely don’t just go for the cheapest you can find.
• A slightly upmarket department store is usually a safe bet with regard to reasonable quality, price, and service.

Business casual for women is in one sense easier (because the unwritten rules are less strict) and in one sense harder (because the unwritten rules are less strict). Just about anything described for men, above, is suitable for women working in the technology field, with the following exceptions:

• The range of acceptable colours and patterns is broader — a woman, for instance, could get away with wearing a bright green shirt that would be considered rather eccentric on a man.
• Fitted/styled women’s T-shirts are more acceptable than ordinary T-shirts on men.
• Skirts are acceptable, but shouldn’t be too short (just above the knee is fine) nor too light/frilly/feminine in styling. Plain colours or subtle stripes or patterns are best.
• Sandals are usually acceptable for women in warm weather; in fact the range of acceptable footwear is broader overall.
• Makeup isn’t required, but if worn, don’t make it too outrageous. The sparkle eyeshadow or gothic whiteface aren’t appropriate.
• Facial stubble… no.

As with my discussion of no-dress-code attire, the whole point of this exercise is not to be an outlier on the bell curve. The difference here is that the bell curve is narrower, and the penalties for outliers are harsher. Therefore, the advice above is intended to put you pretty much right in the middle of the bell curve.

Remember, any situation in which you’re asked to wear business casual attire is one in which the management think they’re offering you a favour by not making you wear a suit.