Accountants Mercer & Hole is hosting a special event in St Albans in September to help men of all ages navigate changing workplace and social dress codes.
Decoding the Dress Code will take place at REISS in Market Place, St Albans, on Wednesday 16 September from 5.30pm to 7pm. The relaxed evening will be hosted by style expert Margarita Salomó and will look at how men can dress confidently and comfortably for work, business meetings, networking and social events, as well as weddings, weekends and evenings.
The days when a suit, shirt and tie provided men with a straightforward workplace uniform are disappearing especially in recent years with many working from home, leaving many unsure about what they now should be wearing.
The event follows on from a women’s style event previously hosted by Mercer & Hole and reflects the changing expectations around how people dress for work.
Paul Maberly, Joint Managing Partner at Mercer & Hole, whose career in the accountancy profession spans 40 years, said: “When I started my career there really wasn’t much of a decision to make about what you wore to work. A suit, shirt and tie were the uniform for men in the accountancy profession and pretty much every other office-based job.”
“Today it is much less straightforward. Working practices have changed, ties have largely disappeared from everyday office life and there is much more freedom to dress differently. That is undoubtedly a good thing, but it can also leave men wondering what is appropriate for a client meeting, a networking event or even an ordinary day in the office.”
“Men of different generations can also have quite different views about what looking professional means. We thought it would be interesting and useful to explore some of those questions and get some expert advice in an informal environment.”
Recent research illustrates how workplace attitudes have changed. A YouGov poll published in July highlighted 68% of Brits think men and women should be able to wear shorts in the office, a rise from 37% ten years ago. Also 93% of Britons consider it acceptable for men not to wear a tie at work, while attitudes towards other traditionally casual clothing are also changing.
Paul Maberly concludes: “There probably isn’t one correct answer on what to wear anymore. The challenge is understanding the occasion, the people you are meeting and how you want to present yourself. Hopefully this event will help take some of the guesswork out of it.”
To request an invitation contact: Natalie.clare@mercerhole.co.uk
