How formal is too formal? you ask. Yofuku no Aoyama has the answers.
Maybe you’re starting a new job in Japan. Maybe you’re interviewing for one, or you just have a video conference call with clients in Japan. The questions are the same for all of them: “What do I wear? Should I go full-suit? What does business casual even mean?”
To answer some of your questions, Yofuku no Aoyama, a popular Japanese business wear store in Japan, created a nifty graph of outfit ideas based on your professional situation. Each outfit is rated on a scale of zero to five stars in terms of how formal it is, making it super easy to understand for visual learners.
▼ There are even descriptive notes that tell you the basics of each level of formality.
At the top of the list for women, there are suits with heels, jacket-and-bottoms options, and then some more casual blazers and pants. Level three is likely the “business casual” standard for a lot of Japanese companies.
▼ The further down the list you go, the more colorful it gets.
There are also guidelines for men, because hey, you don’t always need to wear a full-on suit and tie.
▼ Like the women’s style guide, formal menswear is meant to have darker, neutral colors.
▼ But unlike the women’s side, there doesn’t seem to be much color in general.
Yofuku no Aoyama’s guide also has sections to explain the color wheels for each level of formality in more detail, the different types of business wear, and even some bonus outfit ideas for teleworking!
▼ You know, in case you feel like you can’t get away with a dress shirt on top and pajama pants on the bottom.
So if you ever find yourself stressing about what to wear when you’re told to put on something “business casual”, keep this Bookmarked in your browser to use as a reference. With more Japanese companies ditching the traditional suit-and-tie dress codes to get with the times, it will definitely help you out.
Source: Yofuku no Aoyama
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Yofuku no Aoyama
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