You’ve been working hard, you’ve been crushing your key goals, and you’ve been making great connections with your peers and managers. But what could be the secret sauce in getting ahead at work could be something that’s easy to overlook — how you dress. Here are 5 accessories that are a must-have in a working man’s wardrobe.
1. A tie: If you work in consulting, or finance, it’s likely you wear a suit everyday at work. While you can only have so many suits, and you mix up your looks with a variety of ties. And gone are the days when you had to wear a blue or red tie — you can wear ties with a variety of prints, colours, and patterns. Go crazy, mix them up.
2. A watch: Even though it’s now possible to look at the time straight on smartphones, no formal look is complete without a watch. No gentleman can do without a watch. Watches can be timeless classics, or something more modern.
3. Shoes: Shoes maketh a man. It’s necessary to have at least 3 pairs of formal shoes in any professional’s wardrobe. Blacks and browns are standard, but look for the right cuts, and the right materials, and the right brands. Like with ties, it’s possible to go a little unconventional on shoes as well — in the 21st century, it’s okay to experiment with shoes. And as always, shoes always make the best first impressions.
4. Socks: It’s easy to ignore socks — they, after all, are invisible to the rest of the world most of the time — but they can’t be ignored. Socks will peep out from under your trousers every now and then, and it’s important that they leave a lasting impression. Amongst all the accessories, the one with the most room to experiment might be socks. Go crazy, let out your quirky side, and show off your personality with socks that define you as a person. They’re not only a conversation starter, but also allows you to let your hair down in an office that might otherwise be fairly straitjacketed.
5. Phone cover: But the biggest accessory that you might have these days is your phone — it’s with you 24*7, and can speak a lot about your personality. While there are only so many different kinds of phones available, there are virtually an infinite number of covers. Pick a cover that describes you, or is eye-catching. And you can rotate them pretty quickly around as well, and buy new covers every few months.