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What, exactly, is "appropriate" business attire? That's sort of like asking, "How long is a piece of string?" It's not a "one size fits all" proposition. It depends on your line of work, your corporate culture, and your audience. If you have strong skills and you get the business attire right, the "sky's the limit" in your field. But if you fumble on the dress code-even if you're technically competent-your climb will slow considerably, if not stall completely. How you look will open (or close) the door to opportunity; what you know will keep you in the room. Here are the basic things you need to consider when putting together the best business attire for you:
Your Line of Work 
Traditional businesses like law, banking, finance, accounting, high-level corporate, etc., require traditional business attire. The message: authoritative, conservative, and competent.
If you're interviewing with a company and don't know the dress code, you
can't go wrong with traditional business attire. 
People businesses like teaching, real
estate, sales, medicine, social work, etc., call for business attire that
both conveys expertise but is non-threatening. The message: trustworthy,
approachable, and knowledgeable. 
Artistic businesses like advertising, art, fashion, writing, entertainment, decorating, etc., call for-or dare I say it?-expect a more expressive mode of business attire. The message: creative, unique, and contemporary.
Your Corporate Culture The next thing you have to look at is your
corporate culture. While one company may have a very strict business attire
code, another company in the same field may be much more relaxed. If you adapt
your wardrobe to "fit in" with your company, you'll succeed much
faster (in terms of promotions and/or getting staff compliance) than if you
simply resign yourself to the notion that everyone is either over- or underdressed,
in your opinion, and you're going to march to your own drum.
Your Audience Who is your audience? The people who most influence your
paycheck: your clients, potential clients, management, colleagues, staff,
students, etc. You're dressing to:
If you intimidate your clients, embarrass your manager, or have people look you over from head to toe in disbelief, you probably haven't dressed for your audience. You also aren't going to get very far. You need to dress how they'll feel most comfortable doing business with you.
Okay, that's an extreme example, but it's told to drive the point home: to get what YOU want, you have to give people what THEY want. And what they want, at least initially, is someone they can relate to or someone who fits the perceived image of the role. If you pass that test, then they'll go to the next level of learning more about you. If you don't, the ball stops there. In a lot of ways, it's almost like dating: if someone catches your eye, you might want to know more about him/her; if not, you pass right over. So the next time you're standing in your closet trying to figure out the most appropriate business attire for a given situation, think about with whom you're going to interact that day, and dress for your most important client.
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Diana Pemberton-Sikes is a wardrobe and image consultant and author of "Wardrobe Magic," an ebook that shows women how to transform their unruly closets into workable, wearable wardrobes. Visit her online at www.fashionforrealwomen.com .
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