Business Casual Doesn't Have to Suck (Ft. Charlie Tran)

This week's issue of Unbuttoned dives into how to inject your own style into business casual with the help of Charlie Tran (IG: @charkietran)

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TLDR

Charlie Tran, a renowned content creator with a flair for denim expertise and western-wear influences, is an inspiration for achieving the perfect office look in a creative business casual setting. Business casual strikes a balance between formal and casual wear, and Charlie redefines it by pushing boundaries within specific garments. He emphasizes using materials, fit, and accessories to elevate outfits. Embrace creativity within business casual guidelines to stand out in the office like Charlie.

Foreword

1. Hit subscribe, it really helps, and it’s free.

2. As some of you may know, I am starting my corporate job in a little under a month now. As excited as I am to start work, I am not as thrilled about the business casual dress code that my corporate job comes with. I know I am not alone in this and, thus, wanted to write this article to give myself (and you guys) a framework to tackle this issue. That’s where Charlie comes in.

   

3. Charlie Tran is a well-respected content creator across several platforms best known for his denim expertise, western-wear influences, and ridiculous ability to find the coolest garments at great prices.

   

   
   Charlie has been my primary source of inspiration for achieving the perfect office look. I've been following him on social media for quite a while, where he generously shares his well-put-together outfits that are both formal and creative, making them perfect for a business casual setting. His unique approach to fashion has given me ideas I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

   
   I am delighted to feature Charlie as Unbuttoned’s first guest writer, where he will share his fashion insights and advice. If you find his outfits and tips as captivating as I do, make sure to follow his social media accounts for more style inspiration:
   
   Charlie’s Tiktok
   Charlie’s Instagram

Overview of Business Casual

So most of you are familiar with business casual, but let's take a moment to define it more precisely. Business casual is a dress code that strikes a balance between the formality of traditional business attire and the comfort of casual clothing. It emerged as a response to the rigid and often uncomfortable formal business dress of the past, offering professionals a more relaxed yet polished alternative.

In a business casual setting, you're expected to maintain a professional appearance while having the flexibility to be comfortable. It's not as strict as traditional business attire, which typically includes full suits and ties, but it's also not as casual as wearing t-shirts.

Now, something that I have mentioned before is that formality is a simple way to generate a good outfit; for the most part, if you take simple, formal garments and pair them together, you will usually be able to create good outfits. Formal wear is one of the foundations of fashion. That’s why if you look into office wear in the 70s/80s/90s, you will likely realize that they hold a sort of elegance missing from modern-day counterparts.

All great examples of how not to dress

This is largely due to the business casual genre of clothing leaning more into athleisure, slimmer and tighter cuts, and non-natural materials.

So how do we regress back to this era of elegance and stand out at the office while still abiding by the semi-strict business casual guidelines? The secret lies not in overhauling the entire corporate attire, but rather in pushing the boundaries within specific garments, embracing creativity in their colors, materials, and fit.

Let's delve into how Charlie effortlessly infuses creativity into each business casual piece, setting a new standard for professional fashion:

Style Guide via Charlie Tran

Collared Shirts

Collared shirts are one of the givens within business casual, it is pretty much the one thing that you will have to wear. So this section will be dense with some good information.

A still from Margin Call

Typically the above image is what I envision when people talk about collared shirts in corporate settings. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing bad about shirts like this, timeless Oxford button-ups will always be a staple of men’s office wear. They are simple and classy, and a well-fitted white or lighter blue one will always look great with any pair of pants

A great example by Charlie, I will cover the other elements shortly

But Oxford shirts aren’t new, let’s talk about what else we can do to push the boundaries of the collared shirt: Materials. The Material of the shirt you wear can completely make or break how to put together your outfit can look. For instance, people love polos, and polos can be great, but not when they look like you are about to play a round of golf:

Way too tight, please don’t wear stuff like this to the office

Athleisure and formal wear are two genres of clothing that never should have been combined in my opinion (sorry lululemon). So then what types of polos can work? Again, its all in the materials: knit polos.

COS

Usually made of wool, these are built like a sweater but just look so much classier. The above is a great option by COS and there are so many other variations out there. I know that Abercrombie & Fitch has a ton of options available. And, for anyone wondering, Uniqlo is going to have a knit polo option soon. (August 10th)

Side note and just to prove my earlier point, knit polos were most popular in the 60s.

Imagine paying 3 bucks for a shirt

I digress, let’s continue. So, now that we understand that materials typically govern the elegance of a garment, how can we infuse our own style and creativity into this? I think Charlie does it perfectly here with this Canadian tuxedo look:

Yes I know, most corporate offices won’t allow jeans every day, but these types of looks deserve to be saved for Fridays. Everything is just so effortless here: the denim on denim (Charlie’s personal creativity), the shades, the layering over a t-shirt, and the boots just tie it all together.

Linen is another vastly unexplored material within the realms of business casual in my opinion. Obviously, there are some days when you won’t be able to wear such a casual material but man does it look good here:

To be fair, in an office setting you might want to do that top button up, but other than that (and maybe the lack of socks), this fit falls within the parameters of business casual. It’s flowy, elegant, and aesthetically pleasing. Talking about the actual fit of clothing is a perfect segway into the next important piece of any good business casual outfit:

Bottoms

The first point still stands, material matters again here. But since I already explained why, here is a short list of materials beyond traditional khakis you could experiment with:

• Raw Selvedge Denim (a signature of Charlie’s fits)

• Corduroy

• Linen

• Wool

This is a great example of a fit utilizing raw denim pants that stretches the boundaries of business casual but still holds a high level of elegance. Raw selvedge denim is almost a pair of jeans in the office that you can get away with in my opinion, or at least it should be. Everyone should own a pair. If you don’t know what selvedge denim is, here is a quick guide. Also here is a entry level pair Charlie recommends.

So then what is the aspect of bottoms that can help us transcend past this type of look:

Lululemon has great pants, except when they fit skinny like this

The answer is the fit of the pants. This isn’t a new idea at all, people seem to understand that the dawn of the skinny/ slim fit empire has finally (thank god) come to an end. However, with athleisure brands like Lululemon being constantly propagated as the best office pants, it’s easy to understand why straight/wider-fit pants haven’t become a standard of office wear. Charlie at it again:

JCrew Giant Fit Chinos

Not only are wider-fitting pants actually more comfortable, but they also look way more effortless and give you a way easier time when having to pick what shoes you want to wear. When you look effortless in formal clothes, you look casually put together. If you don’t believe me about wider pants, maybe you’ll believe the leads from 90s/ 2000s rom-coms (they know best):

Wide pants are the way to go, I will die on that hill. These types of pants are in every thrift store ever. Get a pair. Special tip from Charlie: spend some money on getting them tailored if they don't fit, its an extra $15-20 for a perfect fit.

And if you insist on buying them new, Uniqlo has many options (Wide Leg Pleated Pant).

Outerwear

Outerwear in business casual is honestly relatively simple. Where it goes wrong is when we start doing this:

This needs to stop. The vest is just so unnecessary. The Patagonia variation is even worse, maybe I just don’t get it but I am not a fan. I don't know that vests in any capacity (other than a sweater vest) have any place in an office setting. When it comes to creativity with outerwear, you have to remember that most of your outwear will likely come off at the office, which is exactly why layering is the key:

This is one of my favorite outfits by Charlie and it is a layering masterclass. Not too much, but it plays with patterns, neutral tones, and just a perfect fit on every piece. This is the blueprint for layering at the office.

Side note, if it tends to get colder where you work, you may be able to forego wearing collared shirts provided you have sweaters that fit the agenda, which you can layer over a shirt.

Here are some general tips for outerwear:

• Overcoats. They are simple, can be put over anything, and keep you warm; acquire one.

  

• Choose outwear that will complement your look and not detract from it.

  • It doesn't make sense to put together an elegant outfit and then cover it with a ski jacket.

• Sometimes a suit is necessary, some tips if so:

  • Investing in vintage suits, blazers, or sports coats

    

    This Chorecoat/ blazer hybrid that Charlie wears is a perfect example

    • Something with a lapelled collar

  • Buying secondhand and then tailoring

  • Opt for a non-saturated suit color scheme if possible (brown, pinstripes)

Accessories

This is the section where I actually learned the most from Charlie’s content. He loves to wear western-wear when he isn’t at work and he still manages to let it bleed through into his work fits, mainly in his belt and boots.

His belt is something that always stands out in these office fits. This western belt specifically. It is something that I never would have thought to utilize as a personal style outlet in business casual but I definitely will now. He always tends to wear this one by Maximum Henry a lot which is really sleek:

Oval Belt - Maximum Henry

Other options to explore within accessories are jewelry (article coming soon) and the type of bag that you pair with your outfit (last week’s article)

Footwear

Paired with these belts you will usually see Charlie wearing Loafers, Sneakers, or Boots. The boots that he wears are typically heeled, matched to his belt (simple concept, but a necessary reminder), and are very reminiscent of cowboy boots in a way. It is honestly a really sophisticated look when he infuses his personal western-wear style into his formal outfits.

Here is a link to his: Boot Collection

Loafers, Boots, Belgians, and Lug sole footwear, are other great ways to stand out from the crowd at the office. This article by NY magazine gives a great breakdown of loafers at various price points

When you opt for a sneaker, going for something with fewer primary colors often is a solid option. Some examples of sneakers that can fit into business casual outfits:

New Balance 992

New Balance 327

Adidas Samba

Conclusion

Alright, folks, it's time to wrap things up and give a shout-out to Charlie Tran for joining us in this issue. His fashion insights have provided us with excellent guidance on crafting creative office looks.

Remember, embracing your uniqueness in the way you dress boosts your confidence, and when you feel confident, your day just gets better. Personal style is the key to making business casual attire truly yours.

So, let's all step up our business casual game and infuse creativity into our outfits while sticking (kinda) to the dress code. Experiment with different materials, colors, and fits to stand out and feel amazing in the office.

Don't be afraid to take some fashion risks and try out new styles. Embrace your creativity, and you'll be amazed at how it elevates your style and will bleed into the office outfits you wear.

What I have picked up recently

Hiking Shorts - Exept Studios

Cardholder - Minted New York

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If you made it all the way down here, thank you. Tune in for more cool stuff.

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