Grooming Workshop: Formal wear

Hi!!

It is the start of my fifth semester and we had a grooming workshop on this very first day. It was prepared by Sun-TES and the purpose of this workshop is to prepare students for internship. What to wear and what not to wear.

So, we had Michelle Tan from Chapter One and Brand International Institute as our Image Consultant. We began our class with creating first impression. Greetings and giving compliments, with a smile, dressing, postures, eye contacts, good firm handshake can give a great impression. And later, we proceeded to the dressing part.

I'll start with men's formal wear. Be prepared, there are more restrictions than you think!

Men's Formal

1. Types of blazer

Single-Breasted Blazer (Photo from Google)

Double-Breasted Blazer (Photo from Google)

• Some said that double-breasted blazer is more formal than single-breasted blazer. So, if you have a slimmer fit body, you can opt for double breasted blazer. For starter, it is best to have a single-breasted blazer.

2. Layer

• The more layer you have, the more formal it is. So, if you have a formal shirt, a vest and a blazer (3 layers), you are more formal than those without a vest (2 layers).

3. Shirt

• For the colour, white without strips is the most formal, follow by light blue, pastel colour, pastel colour with strips, dark or deep colour, and dark colour with strips. Normally, dark or deep colour shirt is more of business casual. You can wear it when your company adopts a business casual dress code (In Malaysia, usually it is Friday). 
• The thinner the strips, the more formal it is.
• The cloth material must not be denim as it is very casual and unprofessional.
• Next, is the collar. There are many types of collar. The most important thing of a collar is that is must be neat, pointy and have bones, in the sense that it can stand on it owns. Those with buttons at the both side must buttoned. Normally, the ones with buttons do not have to wear tie and it is more of a business casual. 





Photo from Google

• The correct size of the collar is when you can insert 1 or 2 fingers between the collar and your neck.
• For the sleeve length, raise your arm and bend your arm 90 degree. If the sleeve touches your prominent bone of the wrist, then it is a suitable one. 



Photo from Google



Photo from Google

• How much you need to tuck in your shirt? First, tuck in all your shirt. Then, raise your hand slightly above your head. Your shirt will now slightly hang out of your pants. That's how much you need to tuck in your shirt.
• You can have a pocket or one without pocket. If there is a pocket, there should be no flap, as the flap makes it look casual.

• Can you see the difference between the white one and the blue one? The white button, center part is more obvious, harder, and thicker than the blue part and therefore looks more professional. Well, it is not that obvious, you have to touch it to know the difference. Of course, it is not limited to the white shirt, it is available in many colours.

3. Blazer

• Black blazer is the most formal follow by navy and grey.
• The lapels of the blazer are usually half the shoulder area.

• Lapels which are less than half of the shoulder area is more fashionable and thus more suitable for events.
• 1, 2 or 3 buttons? A classic blazer has 2 buttons and a modern blazer has 1 button and it is suitable for all body size. For 3 buttons, it may make you look shorter as there is an additional button above the 2 buttons. It is actually your preference how many buttons you want. However, there are rules to follow:

Photo from Google

• The correct length of the blazer. First, put both of your hand at the side. Grab the end of your blazer without moving any other body parts. If you need to adjust your blazer sleeve to grab the side of your blazer, then it is too short. If you need to extend or bend your body to grab the side of the blazer, then it is too long. 

• When you wear a blazer, the sleeve of the shirt should be one or one and the half of inch out of the blazer. 

Photo from Google

• If you think you have the budget and when your position is higher, you might want a cuff-link blazer as it looks much more professional.

4. Trousers

• Usually, the ready-made trousers has belt loops and therefore MUST wear a belt. 
• The length of the trousers MUST fully cover your socks when you stand and should gently drape on the shoes. If the socks can be seen, it is too short. 

Photo from Google

• It is ok if the colour of the trousers is different from the colour of the blazer.
• NO jeans!

5. Shoes

• The ones with shoelace is more formal than the ones with none. 
• Thinner sole is more formal than thicker sole.

• Shoes with heels is more formal than those without heels.

Left - with heels, Right - no heels

6. Tie

Photo from Google

• The widest part is at most 3 inches. However, if you are slimmer, you can choose a more slimmer tie that fits your body shape.
• However, the skinny tie (the one on the right) is more casual and fashionable, and therefore it is not really suitable for business formal occasion. Party probably yes.
• Choose any colour that fits the colour of your shirt. 
• The length of the tie should be at the center of the buckle of your belt. It can also be slightly above the buckle. 

7. Belt

• The belt must not be too big.
• White belt is more casual and therefore is not formal.
• The length of the belt must pass the first belt loop and end right between the first and second belt loops.

Photo from Google

8. Socks

• The colour of the socks should follow the colour of your trousers. If you do not have socks that match your trousers, you can have socks that match your shoes. 
• No white socks!

9. Accessories

• Watch - Leather strap or metal strap
• Cuff links - optional

10. Hair 

• Neat and properly gelled hair so that your hair will not cover your forehead or face.
• You can either have mustache or beard. However, you must make sure it is clean and neat. 

Women's Formal

Compare to men, women have fewer restrictions. What I post here may not be accurate for some companies. So, it is best to visit your future company and see how the ladies dress. Before I start there are 2 golden rules for ladies:

• The more structured, the more professional. More structured means less flowy or wavy.
• The more skin that you show, the less professional.

1. Types of blazer

• Women have many blazers to choose, whether it is full-length sleeve or half-length sleeve. There seems to be no restrictions on this.
• If you want a feminine look, you can choose pink, beige, white or any colour that tones down the serious, authority look of black, navy and grey blazer. 
• Ladies do not need to follow the buttons' rules.

2. Layer

• Like men, the more the layer, the more formal it is. 
• Women who wear shirt, skirt, blazer and pantyhose (4 layers) are more formal than those who do not wear pantyhose (3 layers).

3. Shirt

• For the colour, white without strips is the most formal, follow by light blue, pastel colour, pastel colour with strips, dark or deep colour, and dark colour with strips.
• There are also more choice for women instead of the conventional working shirt. For a more feminine look, shirts with lace or ribbons can be worn.
• The correct size of the collar is when you can insert 1 or 2 fingers between the collar and your neck.
• For the sleeve length, raise your arm and bend your arm 90 degree. If the sleeve touches your prominent bone of the wrist, then it is a suitable one. 



Photo from Google



Photo from Google

Photo from Google

•  Ladies can also opt for a more flowy top, paired with a suitable skirt or trousers.

Photo from Google

• Sleeveless top can also be worn provided that you wear blazer all the time.

Photo from Google

• How much you need to tuck in your shirt? First, tuck in all your shirt. Then, raise your hand slightly above your head. Your shirt will now slightly hang out of your pants. That's how much you need to tuck in your shirt.

4. Skirt 

• Skirt should be knee-length and below. Skirt above knee-length cannot be more than 3 fingers.
• Skirt can be A-Line skirt, straight skirt, pencil or tube skirt and wrap skirt that is not wavy, flowy or flare. Godet skirt and gypsy skirt that are not too flowy or wavy may be worn.
• Thus, flare and wavy skirt like skater skirt cannot be worn. 
• It is ok if the colour of skirts is different from the colour of blazer.
• No jeans, no denim!

5. Trousers

• Basically, any type of suit trousers are ok. However, skinny fit trousers may look less professional. 
• It is ok if the colour of trousers is different from the colour of blazer.
• No jeans, no denim!

6. Dress

• Those that wear dress are lower in hierarchy compare to those who wear work suit (less layer).
• You are not encourage (doesn't mean cannot) to wear dress for interview or meeting as it is less professional than work suit. 
• Basically, the more structured the dress, the more formal it is.
• The safest dresses are the dresses that have a straight look. It is the most structured and thus is the most suitable dress to wear for an interview or meeting.

Photo from BI institute

• Next, is the hourglass dress. Although the lady on the left has a flare part at the hemline, the dress is still structured.

Photo from BI institute

• Then, will be the apple dresses. Although it is a little bit flare, it is still structured.

Photo from BI institute

• The last will be pear dresses. Pear dresses is the most flare and wavy compared to other dresses above and therefore, if you have a strict HR, pear dresses may not be worn.

Photo from BI institute

• Dresses that have no sleeve or the sleeve is so short that others can see the armpit, then a blazer has to be worn.
• No jeans, no denim!

7. Shoes

• Shoes with heels must be worn. Heels doesn't mean it has to be high heels. Flats with heels can be worn too.

Photo from Google

• Some heels have straps. You can wear it too but you may look shorter.
• Wedges may be worn but it does not look professional.
• Shoes that are not closed toe can be worn provided that only 2 toes are revealed. 
• Usually, black and neutral shoes are worn.You can also explore different colours to match with your clothes with the consideration to your working environment.
• A guide to how high you can wear for heels. First, sit on a floor or a chair. Sit straight and rest your leg on the floor or a chair. Don't point, don't flex. Put a cardboard on the black line as shown. The red line is how high you can wear for heels. 

• Wearing heels can be painful. So, you may want to bring extra flats to be worn in your office and change when you need it to meet client or to have a meeting. (You need to see if your company allows it).

8. Bags

• You can go for a more structured bag but not too structured, so that you can bring the same bag when you are dressing more casually.

More structured, harder edges (Photo from Google)

Less structured, softer edges (Photo from Google)

9. Accessories

• You can wear accessories like brooch, necklace, earrings and others to make you look more professional. However, don't wear too much!
• You may have more accessories on a business casual day. 

10. Pantyhose

• You are not encouraged to wear black pantyhose. For safety, wear a nude colour pantyhose. 

11. Hair

• It is best to keep your hair tied up or bun-up, so that your hair will not cover your face or forehead.
• You may let your hair down, but it must be neat (no flying hairs).

The grooming workshop ends with a simple make up for girls and facial care for boys. Ms Michelle taught us how to put eye shadow, draw eyeliner, put on mascara and blush. We even get to try it ourselves when she distributed her makeup kits to all of us. 

The makeup kits

For the guys, they have the chance to learn how to take care of their skin so they will have a clean, smooth and shine look.

Overall, the grooming workshop was interactive, fun and enjoyable. We gained a lot of knowledge to prepare ourselves for work and I hope what I share can benefit you too!