What do "businessmen" really wear in London?
May 5, 2010 10:13 AM Subscribe
What do "Businessmen" really wear to work in London? Obviously, this will vary from company to company, industry to industry, but I'm looking at a week-long business trip to London, in the pharma industry, and I have no idea what to pack.
My company's California offices are "business casual" which, applied locally, means slacks (either khaki's or dress) and button up shirts. No ties or jackets ever. Our managing director is based in London, and whenever he visits, he wears a tie.
So, what should I pack? The standard California uniform? Should I throw in a suit or two? Ties? My only frame of reference is British TV where everyone in The Office, Coupling, As Time Goes By, etc, seems to be be-suited.
For what it's worth, my company is in the pharma industry and the office is in Heston/Hounslow.
My company's California offices are "business casual" which, applied locally, means slacks (either khaki's or dress) and button up shirts. No ties or jackets ever. Our managing director is based in London, and whenever he visits, he wears a tie.
So, what should I pack? The standard California uniform? Should I throw in a suit or two? Ties? My only frame of reference is British TV where everyone in The Office, Coupling, As Time Goes By, etc, seems to be be-suited.
For what it's worth, my company is in the pharma industry and the office is in Heston/Hounslow.
Knowing people who work in similar fields, the office itself may be a jackets-off sort of place, but still shirt-and-tie territory: in Britain, outside of the production side of creative/tech, business formal is the rule of thumb for offices, and it's always better to overdress than underdress in situations where you're the outsider.
You might have a special dispensation being from the land of the khakis, but pack a dark suit and some ties -- especially if your trip is going to involve meetings with people outside the company -- because you don't want the "oh, yes, he's in from California" thing being part of the preamble every single time.
posted by holgate at 10:29 AM on May 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
You might have a special dispensation being from the land of the khakis, but pack a dark suit and some ties -- especially if your trip is going to involve meetings with people outside the company -- because you don't want the "oh, yes, he's in from California" thing being part of the preamble every single time.
posted by holgate at 10:29 AM on May 5, 2010 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Hard to say. I wear a suit, but generally no tie. I wear a tie for client meetings. Even in my company, the dress code seems to vary from very corporate to quite casual - typically depending on how senior and how client-facing people are.
Generally speaking, when I go to client sites - and that includes pharma companies - they tend to be a bit more casual. Smart shirt and trousers, brown or black shoes, no tie. I am overdressed more often than not.
But I guess it's better to err on the side of caution and I never quite know if clients expect me to be more dressed than them.
The best advice is to call them and ask. The second best advice is to overdress. If you don't fancy those, make a call on whether the people you're meeting are back office or front office. If the former then they're more likely not to be suit wearers.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:33 AM on May 5, 2010
Generally speaking, when I go to client sites - and that includes pharma companies - they tend to be a bit more casual. Smart shirt and trousers, brown or black shoes, no tie. I am overdressed more often than not.
But I guess it's better to err on the side of caution and I never quite know if clients expect me to be more dressed than them.
The best advice is to call them and ask. The second best advice is to overdress. If you don't fancy those, make a call on whether the people you're meeting are back office or front office. If the former then they're more likely not to be suit wearers.
posted by MuffinMan at 10:33 AM on May 5, 2010
My dad just got back from working in England for a year, and he said he had to go out and buy more button-down shirts and ties when he was there. He works for a defense contractor and over here it was business casual (polo shirts and khakis) but they are a bit more formal on the other side of the pond.
posted by cottonswab at 10:41 AM on May 5, 2010
posted by cottonswab at 10:41 AM on May 5, 2010
Best answer: I've just spent the last two days in meetings all over London with government and academics - every man I met wore a suit and tie. The darker the suit, the more formal. If they want to be less formal they'll take jackets off.
Also, if you really want to blend in, don't wear slip-on shoes.
posted by girlgenius at 10:45 AM on May 5, 2010
Also, if you really want to blend in, don't wear slip-on shoes.
posted by girlgenius at 10:45 AM on May 5, 2010
I noticed the same thing as mmmbacon, a few years ago, while riding the tube. Lots of people in really sharp-looking well-tailored suits.
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:04 AM on May 5, 2010
posted by PercussivePaul at 11:04 AM on May 5, 2010
I spent two and a half years working in the civil service in London a couple of years ago. Seconding the suits--even the civil service wears them. French cuffed shirts too. You can't go wrong with that combination. But it's worth while to call and ask--the dress code might be different at Hounslow.
posted by Logophiliac at 11:15 AM on May 5, 2010
posted by Logophiliac at 11:15 AM on May 5, 2010
Spent two and half years in London. Working in market research, I wore a suit every day. Advertising people wore shirts and slacks. Middle-class professionals in most non-hip fields wore suits.
I echo the call for calling ahead. I'm glad I did, since clothing can be very expensive over there.
posted by Clambone at 1:34 PM on May 5, 2010
I echo the call for calling ahead. I'm glad I did, since clothing can be very expensive over there.
posted by Clambone at 1:34 PM on May 5, 2010
Our managing director is based in London, and whenever he visits, he wears a tie.
This is the most important part of your post. My advice: dress like your MD, because it shows the one person that's likely to care that you're taking this visit seriously.
posted by deadmessenger at 2:50 PM on May 5, 2010
This is the most important part of your post. My advice: dress like your MD, because it shows the one person that's likely to care that you're taking this visit seriously.
posted by deadmessenger at 2:50 PM on May 5, 2010
I work in central London. Apart from on tourists, I haven't seen khakis in so long I'm actually starting to get nostalgic for them. (Only a little.) So yeah, a suit is a safe bet. And definitely wear smart shoes to dispel any lingering "he's from California" doubts. For some reason British men place great stock in well-polished shoes.
posted by stuck on an island at 4:27 PM on May 5, 2010
posted by stuck on an island at 4:27 PM on May 5, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
I was struck by how well-dressed everyone was. I noticed lots of suits, and even for casual activities, individuals looked a lot more polished than most people do in the states. I don't remember seeing anyone in khakis.
Personally, I would wear dressier attire.
posted by mmmbacon at 10:25 AM on May 5, 2010