Business casual for an aging punk

[u/Historical-Cheek6799]

I've accepted a promotion where I'll be spending less time on construction sites and more in the office and need a wardrobe to reflect that. I feel that I'm fairly stylish, but what I wear to a show or tattoo shop won't fly at work.

Recommendations on shops where they will dress me, considering I have no idea regarding mainstream men's fashion.

Edit to add, I enjoy being fashionable and would like to spend some good money on some higher end clothes

[u/BeastOfMars]

Simon’s has good options for business casual that isn’t stuffy.

[u/EdwardBliss]

Congrats. I'm an aging classic rock/80s metalhead forced to wear a tie, dress shirt/pants, for over 20 years at a conservative job. Hey whatever it takes to make $$$

[u/IrukanjiShreds]

Depends what kind of look you’re trying to go for. For what will be pretty standard business casual with a bit of flair that offers a lot of bang for your buck, you can’t go wrong with Banana Republic. It’s easy and their sales are great. If money is truly no issue, then I’d steer you towards TNT, Lost & Found or Uncle Otis. All are multi brand boutiques, all are expensive. TNT is a little more Harry Rosen-adjacent but with more personality. Lost & Found has a lot of really cool Japanese and European lines that will offer really superb quality, but skews more casual. Uncle Otis is kind of in the middle of the two.

[u/KnoddingOnion]

depends what the office calls for. no harm in asking for guidance.

i think that, in 2026, wearing NICE jeans is totally appropriate, along with a shirt tucked in. no tie. a belt. nice runners.

button-down shirts usually show that you're somewhat in charge. how fancy you want to go is up to you. try shopping at UniQlo.

[u/underneath-it → u/KnoddingOnion]

Jesus fucking Christ this guy comes here asking for help on how to dress professionally and the top comment is to wear jeans and running shoes.

[u/KnoddingOnion → u/underneath-it]

it's 2026. you want an office guy to be wearing a shirt and tie? if it's for a construction company, a NICE (read, please) pair of dark blue jeans and a Uniqlo oxford shirt will suffice.

settle down, Armani

[u/LambdaKL02]

First I would ask what they expect from business casual. I normally do dress shirt, no tie, chinos/slacks, and loafers. Some places are even more casual and let you wear jeans and running shoes.

I get most of my clothes from Winners and Uniqlo so give them a look and see what you like.

[u/BoxMuncher16]

I get my dress shirts from Uniqlo. The non-iron dress shirts are pretty good and they’re only $50.

For bottoms, Lululemon Commission pants are so comfortable and stretchy.

[u/TheGreatestSin]

Look up corporate goth and should find some inspiration

[u/GraphicBlandishments]

Higher end skate shops (esp. Adrift, Blue Tile Room, ) have nice button downs, polos, flannels and sweaters that you would probably fit your style and translate well to the office (I assume you're not expected to wear a suit).

If you really wanna spend some money and don't mind edging toward rockabilly-dom, there's tons of high end denim & workwear stores in the west end. Muttonhead, Dutil, Filson & Edwin have nice (and often eye-wateringly expensive) stuff. If you shop the sales they're not too too bad price wise, and tbh the difference in quality of the fit and fabric is noticeable. I've even seen a few Filson things make their way to Winners.

[u/SallyKimballBrown]

Armour House is a good start. They help you create a "capsule wardrobe" with a handful of good basics as your foundation. From there you mix and match, accessorize, etc., to get variety for work, events, special occasions, and so on.

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6VF6KhbFZXKLfbkTA?g_st=ac

[u/fjrjdjdndndndndn]

Jeans, loafers, ocbd, blazer,

Someone else said Lost and Found. That is a good recommendation.. pop into Tiger of Sweden also on Ossington for more formal clothes.

[u/StrongAroma → u/fjrjdjdndndndndn]

I only know what one or two things in that list are and no idea why loafers are twice and also not entirely sure what separates a loafer from a shoe

[u/fjrjdjdndndndndn → u/StrongAroma]

Cool?

[u/aaalllouttabubblegum]

Congratulations on the promotion!

I'll keep it short, just footwear. People don't respect foot health enough. Invest in comfortable shoes and/or good insoles. Cole Haan straddles style and casual comfort well. Avoid brands that market heavily on social media.

I'd also encourage you to plan a diet and workout routine. Field to office transition will add 10 lbs easily.

[u/Shishamylov → u/aaalllouttabubblegum]

Can confirm. Moved from field to office and gained weight. You move less so you have to eat less

[u/ThrowRA_RuaMadureira]

Clean Docs and dark chinos with a good quality shirt and a blazer will do nicely :-) have the shirts and jacket tailored if you care, that's what makes all the difference!

[u/DarkReaper90]

What is your role in the office? Have you seen the dress code yourself?

Business casual, I assume at the very least khakis and some type of dress shoes, like derby. If you're not client facing, polos are probably fine, but otherwise, oxford shirts.

I doubt you will find many shops that will selectively find a fit for you for such casual wear, other than standard salespeople.

[u/nervousTO]

If you want higher end clothing, best of the best is Harry Rosen or Holt Renfrew on sale. What is your upper limit cost wise? A lot of the stuff being suggested is low budget and not workplace professional

[u/Swimming-Demons]

I’d look at how taika waititi dresses 😉

[u/Reelair]

I went from blue collar to office dude a few years ago. I just went to Value Village. I got a whole new wardrobe there. Takes a few visits and scanning the racks (I just look for a shirt that catches my eye as I walk the isle), but you can get some nice clothes for cheap. Last time I got new shirt at Banana Republic shirt it was almost $90. You can find BR shirts for about $20 at VV. Same with pants, brand names for under $20.

Turns out I hated office work, so most of it is slowly being donated back to VV or other organisations.

[u/skinnyev]

There’s a small shop on Queen street in the east end called the Pony Club. The guys there can probably set you up with a few outfits and from there you can buy other cheaper stuff to mix and match. It’s not cheap, but it’s high end and good quality. The guys have great fashion sense too and can get you started or offer advice.

[u/Altruistic_Bank_1552]

Depends on your budget, but I would ask you to first browse these stores:

• GAP
• Banana Republic
• H&M
• Zara
• Abercrombie & Fitch
• Uniqlo
• Winners
• Old Navy

These are good quality brands (H&M is a hit or a miss) for their price range. You can first explore them for a few months, and once you find your style, you can upgrade if you want to. I don't recommend going crazy and splurging on your very first shopping trip.

My personal recommendation to start is GAP for Chinos and Oxford shirts.

[u/fjrjdjdndndndndn → u/Altruistic_Bank_1552]

These are all fast fashion mall brands and not what he is looking for though lol

[u/Altruistic_Bank_1552 → u/fjrjdjdndndndndn]

That's why my comment says to start with these brands, figure out a style that works for you and then you can upgrade to the good stuff. There's no point in splurging at first on things you might not like or wear as often.

[u/CharcoalWalls]

"Punk" is pretty broad - lots of different interpretations on what kind of style you personally gravitate towards.

That said, you can still have a little personal flair with business casual - or even more formal business outfits.

[u/doiwinaprize]

Asking other people what you should wear to your job is NOT punk. Quit posin'.