Whether you are headed out to a business meeting in a completely different city, traveling to another country or state region, or are packing for a short conference trip, knowing what to pack as a business professional is crucial to looking your best. There are a few things that you need to keep in mind while packing up your luggage. The first is where you are headed as the climate that you experience while there will determine what type of clothing you will be able to bring. Once you have determined what the climate will be like, it’s a good idea to get a basic understanding of what type of culture you will be immersed in if you haven’t visited this area before. You want to wear something that makes you look stylish without being insulting in any way. The second thing you will need to consider is how versatile you will need to be with your accessories, shoes, and suit choices. If you have to travel extremely light, you may be required to bring only one or two suits that will have to fit both a business meeting and a casual evening setting.
The Key Elements of a Great Suit
One of the key elements to traveling in style as a business professional is bringing along a versatile suit with you. No matter where you end up, a clean suit with black dress shoes, is almost always more than enough for all professional settings. One thing to keep in mind when picking out your suits is to find one that you are comfortable enough with wearing just the inner jacket. This allows you to pack fewer suits and still get away with both a professional and casual dress code setting. This means that you can head to that business meeting, yet still make that casual client dinner!
If you are headed to a warmer area, choose a summer suit. If headed to a colder region, then bring along a regular business suit and match it with gloves, a scarf, and a non-bulky winter coat.
Choose Your Suit Based on Formality
A suit has several elements to it that determine how formal it appears. When looking through your closet, choose a suit based on how formal the event you are headed to is. If you are just attending a business meeting and nothing else, then a formal suit will work. Here is what you need to know about the formal aspects of suits.
- A sack suit is hallmarked by the fact that it has a shapeless jacket with it and narrow shoulders. It will always hide the shape of the body underneath and will present that “classic” shape you often see with suits.
- A fitted silhouette suit is for men who want to flaunt their body’s shape. These types of suits are tailored, have minimal padding, and armholes are used to enhance posture.
- A structured silhouette suit has the most formal shape to it as the waist is trimmed in, an hourglass appearance is given off, and the shoulders come with padding.
With regards to the lapels, if you need to be at your utmost formal appearance then you want to go for Shawl lapels. These are hallmarked by a continuous curve line and are often seen in full-body tuxedos. If you are going for a casual look, choosing a suit with a Notch lapel is the way to go. These are often found in single-breasted jackets. If you want something in the middle, then choose to go with a suit that has Peak lapels.
Other options that you should be looking at are the pockets of the suit, as Flap and Jetted pockets present the most formal look, while Patch, Ticket, and Angled pockets present a sportier, slimmer, and more casual look. You may also want to take a look at the buttons, as three and four buttons are extremely formal, while one and two are casual.
A suit can say a lot about a person, what does your suit say about you?
Consider The Culture of the Environment You Are Headed To
Although the above aspects are great to take into consideration, they won’t do you much good if you are not aware of the culture you are going to be immersed in. Remember that what is acceptable business attire in one country may be the opposite for another. In some parts of the world, a suit can be considered overkill whereas, other places have strict policies on what is expected at business meetings. If you are unsure of what yo wear, a navy suit that airs on the more professional side and black dress shoes tend to be a good bet.
What to Bring in Terms of Accessories and Essentials
Despite the fact that accessories tend not to take up too much room, don’t get caught up in bringing too many. Choose a white linen pocket square, a few different types of ties, and perhaps one or two solid color pocket squares. In terms of braces, you are going to want to pack elastic ones that are neutral in color. Packing sunglasses is a good idea if you are headed somewhere warmer or don’t want to show off jet-lagged eyes.
With regards to what essentials to pack, you are going to want a versatile dark colored suit, a high-quality leather travel bag, a small shoe shine travel kit, sunglasses, small toiletries, and of course your business accessories. Bring along items like your business cards, a resume, your portfolio, any other important documents, and your confidence. If you are in need of travel services, A1A Limo can transport you and your team to your meeting destination.