Kevinbacon

Sales Manager

The BEST biz casual clothing brands?

Been stuck in an office for several years and haven't had to "dress up" for work for awhile.

Looking for pants that look like pants, but feel like sweatpants and shoes that look like nice dress shoes but fit like slippers and shirts that never need to be ironed and feel like I have nothing on while simultaneously leaving me looking like a young kevin bacon. You catch my drift.

What are the most comfortable/breathable/non wrinkle/slim and athletic fit business casual clothes out there? Anyone try bird dogs?

also feel free to drop reccomendations for any other essential products (sunglasses, laptop bags etc)

🧠 Advice

💡 Education/Resources

😃 Fun

87 comments

Sort by:

CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

I do:
Shirts - state and liberty
pants - lululemon ABC or the slacks
Shoes - Cole Haan
Undershirts (if needed) - Tommy John

User1234567

Politicker

User1234567

lululemon is great but very pricey

CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

True, but they last forever and are insanely comfortable. I will never go back.

RaymundoFlex

Opinionated

Once you go ABC on an airplane you’ll never not do it again. You feel like you’re sitting in first class while the bathroom door hits your armrest

CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

Big facts. Plus, on trips you have to go straight to the meeting from the airport, the ABCs don’t wrinkle as much so it doesn’t make it look like you woke up in a ditch like some slacks do. My old ones looked like I found them in the bottom of a GoodWill bin by the time I got off the plane.

RaymundoFlex

Opinionated

best part is, i did wake up in a ditch

CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

It happens to the best of us. I did an Oklahoma drill with my boss in a muddy alley once at 3am the night before a 7am meeting - only had one pair of pants…

headhunterextraordinaire

Contributor

Consultant Partner

Can confirm on the Cole Haan. I feel like I can go running in my oxfords

CuriousFox

WR Officer

🦊

I always feel for you guys in the summer time, especially in the south where the heat is that nasty wet humid ruin your life in the first 5 minutes you step outside kinda weather.

User1234567

Politicker

User1234567

Completely agree girls have it so much easier as they can wear a dress, shorts, and tanks while guys have to sometimes wear the full blazer, long sleeves, etc.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Unless you’re heavily tattooed. Then it’s much worse.

onemorezero

Account Executive

I see your blazer and I'll raise you a bra.

corgilover

Executive

Territory Manager

that part - plus heels

onemorezero

Account Executive

Word. My fav part of wfh is i’ve not worn heels for almost 2 years now!

MrMotivation

Politicker

Sales

Maybe not the cheapest, but Mizzen and Main makes the best button up shirts if you are looking for comfort, quality, and convenience. They are 4 way stretch, wrinkle free, and washing machine safe. Can't really beat that at all. And if you have a more athletic frame, they actually fit correctly.

For pants, either ABC pants from Lulu, or the Peter Millar Wayfare 5 pocket pant. The Peter Millar pants are perfect for the business casual look.

tonysoprano

Big Shot

Sr. AE

I like birddogs pants a lot, little cheaper than Lulu and super comfortable

CoorsKing

WR Officer

Retired King of the Coors Knights

Birddogs has pants?! Shoot I need to change my vote. I have some of their shorts and they are life changing.

tonysoprano

Big Shot

Sr. AE

haha yeah dude their pants are amazing

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

I like Columbia, it’s comfortable, it’s great on hot days, it doesn't stick when you sweat, and looks casual but not informal.

Stratifyz

Big Shot

Account Executive

Columbia / Under Armor = my go to!

Kinonez

Celebrated Contributor

War Room Enthusiast

Oh yeah, Under Amor the rock's collection for the gym!!

Stratifyz

Big Shot

Account Executive

For the gym, yeah. But dude, they have some dope + comfortable polos.

funcoupons

WR Officer

👑

Banana Republic has some good options for bizcas for men.

CaneWolf

Politicker

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

Their quality has realllllly gone downhill in the last 5 or so years. I went from buying all of my shit from them in the early days of my career to wondering what happened.

funcoupons

WR Officer

👑

The women's clothes are hit/miss for me...I have some items that are beautiful quality and are holding up really well, but have also received garments that I sent right back due to the shitty construction and poor quality. It's also overpriced so I only buy at the 50-60% off sales.

CaneWolf

Politicker

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

Definitely a great point on the sales. You never buy anything from any of those brands without there being a massive sale.

uncorpse

Politicker

Sales Development

Those shirts got really good fabric!

softserve

Politicker

Team Lead - Enterprise Sales

H&M has some decent 'golf style' tees. But 100% agree with BigMeech on the Lululemon front. Nothing like rocking a pair of ABC's with a dress shirt and being the comfiest one in the office.

User1234567

Politicker

-2

User1234567

H&M had great quality and very reasonable prices

SaaStityBelt

Valued Contributor

SDR

I personally like Untuckit for shirts as far as shoes and pants go I agree with Meech.

corgilover

Executive

Territory Manager

hubby swears by untuckit

User1234567

Politicker

User1234567

second vote for Untuckit

User1234567

Politicker

User1234567

Loft
Gap
Banana Republic
Nordstrom

CharmingSalesGal

Politicker

Account Executive

Piggy backing off this, HEAR ME OUT: Old Navy. Same quality as Gap (same parent company) and similar styles but half the price. Always running good deals & have $10 off $25 purchase sales allllll of the time.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Heard you. Still ugly cheap. Gap is also in this category.

Nairobi

Politicker

Zara. I don’t how it is for guys but for girls, it’s great

Beercules

Politicker

SDR

The men's options seem to all be very slim fit - as a wider guy I have to stay away from Zara. My friend's love it though for cheap/classy looks

PhillySales

Opinionated

Director of Inside Sales

I didn't see anyone say Uniqlo, they are super cheap basics and have a wide range of button ups that go on sale for $19.90 pretty often. I dry clean them so they stay fresh, I'm not sure how well they would hold up to laundry. I also love a fresh pressed shirt, so the weekly cost is worth it to me anyway. Everyone already said it, but Cole Haan for work shoes - comfort, look, durability, cost - all spot on.

KingofGIF

Politicker

I am a uniqlo man. They have great-looking shirts and polos!

CaneWolf

Politicker

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

They have stretch dress pants for guys as well. I cannot emphasize enough how excellent those things are and you cannot tell the difference.

takapuna

Opinionated

Account Executive

Shirt - Ice breaker Merino tech lite polo. Don't have to iron and smell fine should decide to wear back to back

halfpastsaas

Bonobos is great. Especially as a larger lad, they have a lot of sizing options and their jeans are top shelf. JCrew is my go to for more formal button downs and Rhone is super underrated.

DrunkenArt

Politicker

Sales Representative

Banana Republic for sure. They have some really nice of the iron-free dress shirts and they're always on sale. For pants, you'd probably want a golf pant, Bonobos, Izod and Lulu are pretty sold, depending on your budget.

HappyGilmore

Politicker

Account Executive

Banana Republic is solid, Cole Haan is perfect for shoes, and Lululemon makes some the best pants on the market.

eds

Opinionated

Salesy

Golf polo shirts (dryfit fabrics) and microfiber boxers.

GDO

Politicker

BDM

I really need some good non-iron shirts.

Buying pants is just a nightmare for me too.

Ozz

Politicker

Account Executive

Yeah, pants are though because I'm shorter on the side and everything needs to be hemmed which sucks. Hate buying clothes because of this.

Telehealth_2the_Moon

Notable Contributor

Director of Business Development

Shirts - Nordstrom's Mens Shop for button ups, Proof for more casual stuff

Pants - Lululemon is good but you can often see that they are "tech" pants rather than a more traditional 5 pocket cut. Proof's meridian pants are great. Also Flint & Tinder's 365 pants are pretty awesome

Shoes - Cole Haan or bust. Variety ranging from casual to fancy with some nice inbetweens (leather tops with the cushioned sole FTW!) Additionally they have some pretty massive sales on their site at times and they are probably one of the only brands that seems to actually be almost always consistent regarding their sizing. That's a game changer for me since it makes buying them online way smoother than other brands.

Undies - Tommy John. You'll have sticker shock, and then you'll put them on and be like "ohhh I get it now"

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Thanks for the men’s undies rec! I like to spoil my partner and have no idea what I’m buying

Telehealth_2the_Moon

Notable Contributor

Director of Business Development

Haha no problem at all.

I went on an adventure to find some underwear that I could completely fill my drawer with. I knew Tommy Johns was great but the price scared me off from this task. I tried a number of brands and found out underwear is one of those things that you get what you pay for.

Meaning I found a few brands I really liked but none of them were any bit cheaper than Tommy John... I like to think I failed successfully.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Oh. Lolz . I think I already bought him some for Christmas. With the extra “pouch”, right?

Telehealth_2the_Moon

Notable Contributor

Director of Business Development

Oh yeah, he will love the complement that comes along with that

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Well, he’s got a porn sized dick so 🤷‍♀️

A lady needs to protect her investments

ppg

Catalyst

All around good guy

LOL!!!!

SalesPharaoh

Big Shot

Senior Account Executive

Well when i can afford or find it, I buy Saccor for pants and tops.
Shoes depends really im flexible on the brand, cole haan, clarks, cristiano ronaldo

Ozz

Politicker

Account Executive

I'm a fan of brooks brothers.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

My partner is too. They have decent jackets/slacks for good prices.

Ozz

Politicker

Account Executive

Yeah, too bad it went BK a while back. Haven't bought from them in a while because all the local stores are closed around me.

bamageorge

Celebrated Contributor

International Sales Director

Banana Republic, Brooks Bros & H&M.

Incognito

WR Officer

Master of Disaster

Luluelemon 4eva 🤘

But for real - I get 99% of my work clothes second hand.

Beercules

Politicker

SDR

I have been enjoying my untuckit short sleeves. Most them are wrinkle free and they have multiple fit options as well! Tons of fun floral prints

SADNES5

Politicker

down voters are marketing spies

Shirts... Whatever is on sale at any fast fashion. Under 20 bucks I'm in. Think RW&CO, American Eagle etc. Plenty of cheap clothing that'll last a year, by then it won't be trendy anyway. No point dropping $60+ on a dress shirt that'll be "out" next conference season. You can really shop decent sales.

Pants. No joke drop the coin on the lulu ABC pants... They should be a commission reward. They look like great dress slacks, move and feel fantastic.

Blazers and suit jackets, don't fall prey to expensive. Head to your Moore's, tip top, whatever rack tailor and ask what's on clearance. Usually you'll be able to grab 1-2 full suits for under $200.

Shoes, I go cheap here too. Fast fashion again. Such a trendy thing.

Duchess

Co-Founder & CEO

[Polos]: Lululemon
[Dress Shirts]: J Crew, Uniqlo, Bespoke/Custom
[Pants]: Levi's Jeans (I'm from The Bay), Travis Mathew, Lululemon
[Suits/Blazers]: Bespoke/Custom, Hugo Boss, J Crew
[Shoes]: Cole Haan (Oxfords & Chelsea Boots), Wolverine 1000 Mile Boots, Allen Edmonds (not as comfortable as Cole Haans, save your money), and Ultraboosts or Yeezys (on occasion).

CaneWolf

Politicker

Call me what you want, just sign the damn contract

Original Penguin didn't get any love here for polos so I'll throw it down there.

It's hard to find stuff that fits me off the rack so I try to find custom places that are affordable (MySuit in NYC is a great example for suits) when I can.

And for guys who aren't as tall, PeterManningnyc.com and Under510.com are excellent options.

DarkRose

Contributor

SDR

Duer no sweat pant, built for bike commuters so very stretchy, yet maintain a nice look.

Seth2507

VP Sales

Nike!

LukeF

Politicker

Client Executive

Lulu for the win!

Chitownguy09

Fire Starter

Sales Development Rep

I've had a lot success at Express, especially for pants. They seem to have pretty good sales all the time too

Bravado is a community of trusted sales professionals endorsed by their customers.

Products

The War Room Jobs Salary Guide Tech Sales U

Company

About Us How It Works Blog Bug Bounty

Contact

Press Careers

If you are hired as a contract sales rep by a Bravado customer, we may ask you to prove access to the employee email account provided to you by that customer. This data will be shared with customers to track your sales productivity; customers can use this data to confirm you meet the minimum activity requirements to pay out your ramp stipend and commission.

Kevinbacon

The BEST biz casual clothing brands?

87 comments

Related posts

Dress Code related to weather

Do You Have Range With Your Work Dress Code?

Is business casual dying?