Informal wear

• Dress socks, differentiated from normal socks by a tighter fit and dark colors
• Underpants, seen as required by casual and above.
• Trousers, generally monochrome, and in a dark color. Does not normally include jeans
• Dress shoes, brown or black leather shoes
• Dress shirt, traditionally white, cream, or light blue, but pastel pink and lavender may be viewed as equally appropriate; checkered and striped shirts are seen as acceptable in most circumstances
• Polo shirt, replacing the dress shirt, this has seen a surge in fashion starting in the mid to late 2010s.[2]
• Necktie, generally with a knot such as the Windsor knot[3]

Condoleezza Rice, United States Secretary of State, and Abdullah Gül, President of Turkey, in informal wear (2010).

• Pantyhose, knee highs, or stockings, generally covering the legs is good practice
• Undergarments, such as a bra and panties, the latter seen as required in casual and above
• One of:
  • Slacks and a blouse or
  • A skirt and a blouse or
  • A dress
• Dress shoes, see above
• Makeup,[3] however, more and more people are wearing less makeup

These are usually worn for:

• White collar work environments
  • Offices
• Places of worship
• Graduations
• Festive holidays
  • Thanksgiving
  • National day
  • Birthdays and birthday parties
• Bar and Bat Mitzvahs
• Visiting parties
• Family gatherings
  • Get-togethers with visiting in-laws
• Visiting upscale restaurants, or any restaurant in the evening
• Sometimes in lieu of traditional formal wear for more formal events like:
  • Weddings
  • Funerals
  • Christmas
  • Easter

Man and woman in common business attire

In the United States, wearing a suit to work daily is often an indication of managerial or professional status. However, when on a job interview or attending business meetings, many men who do not otherwise wear suits will dutifully wear them as a mark of respect and formality. Many how-to books for men recommend wearing a conservatively styled suit to an employment interview even when the man does not expect to ever wear a suit on the job.[4]

In the 1990s, Internet businesses flourished and so did the relaxed dress standards enjoyed by unconventional dot-com businesspeople. A new form of attire had arisen, business casual, which consists of nice trousers, often chinos or khakis, and a polo shirt or short-sleeved shirt. Today this is acceptable and common attire at technically oriented business meetings and in semiprofessional settings, and is continuing to gain ground over traditional business attire.

The standard for women is also in flux. In the 1970s, women aspiring to managerial or professional status were advised to "dress for success" by wearing clothing that imitated the male business suit: jacket and matching skirt, worn with a plain blouse and discreet accessories. The plain blouse is designated as a long sleeve button down shirt tucked properly into the skirt at the waist. Some women wore pantsuits, substituting pants for the skirt, but in doing so, they risked the displeasure of many who felt that women should not wear pants.

Now even conservative Western workplaces are more accepting of pants on female employees. However, they may still expect female employees to exhibit the formality of men's suits. Women in "creative" professions, such as advertising, web design, or fashion, can usually dress with more color and flair.

Male business attire is also nuanced. Choice of clothing and accessories proclaims social and financial status. An inexpensive ready-to-wear suit will lack the cachet of a bespoke suit fashioned by a famous tailor. Custom shirts, hand-made leather shoes, fine cuff links and expensive watches may indicate wealth, and in certain professions may effectively amount to a "dress code" (e.g., in investment banking).

Western business wear is standard in many workplaces around the globe, even in countries where the usual daily wear may be a distinctive national clothing.

Some non-Western business-people will wear national clothing nonetheless. A Saudi Arabian sheikh may wear the traditional robes and headdress to an international conference; United Arab Emirates diplomats in particular are noted for attending conventions of the United Nations General Assembly in full keffiyeh and thawb. Diplomats of the People's Republic of China are similarly noted for wearing the Mao suit to international events; Indian leaders often wear Nehru jackets, with Manmohan Singh wearing a suit-like combination including such a jacket with his Sikh turban. Wearing national clothing in such contexts can proclaim national pride, or just extremely high status which allows the wearer to defy convention. Sometimes an element of the national attire such as a hat is combined with a Western business suit; for instance, Yasser Arafat was noted for wearing the aforementioned kaffiyeh with a Western-style military uniform, a derivative of the suit.

The aloha shirt, while considered casual attire in the mainland United States, is considered acceptable business wear in Hawaii, where it is well-suited to that state's warm and humid climate. Similarly, Kariyushi style attire is encouraged in Japan, especially southern locales of Japan, to allow more comfort in the workplace, and to encourage dress that conforms with Cool Biz guidelines. Akihiko Higa, a researcher of Kaiho Soken who has worked on a Kariyushi style project for an Okinawan clothing manufacturer, said, “It (the Kariyushi shirt) is easy-to-wear and highly functional for wearing either in an office situation or in a resort."