This is not an Emily Post moment. It’s exactly the advice we put in the Frause Employee Handbook. You have to dress like a member of the community to be part of that community. If you want to hang out with lawyers, you have to dress like a lawyer. If you want to join a group of public policy analysts, it’s a good idea to consider their style of dress. Unfortunately, there is no “one look fits all” business suit that is appropriate for all occasions.

Nothing brings up the concept of appropriate dress like attending an event. Each event has its own personality. The people attending each event can be vastly different. And, this can pose a problem if you are attending more than one event, or business meeting, a day.

This past Thursday, I spent my morning at the Downtown Seattle Association’s State of Downtown Breakfast at the Sheraton in the midst of blue and black suits. Later that day, I was in the same ballroom for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington luncheon where most attendees were in more casual attire. Luckily, what I was wearing that day fit both occasions, but only by a slim margin.

That evening, I reminded myself of a few key business attire tips to guide me moving forward:

1. Calendar check. The night before a work day, take a quick look at your calendar for the next day and locate the events that might require differing attire.

2. Have back-up. Always have an extra set of business dress clothes at the office and keep them handy for the unexpected meeting that requires more formal wear.

3. Ask the question. It never hurts to ask an event host or organizer what fellow guests might be wearing. A few good categories to remember are: business (suit or dress), business casual (slacks), or casual (khakis or jeans).

4. Consider black. I have long favored black for everything when it comes to work clothes. Black business dress is the best because it makes it easy to customize your clothes while moving from event to event, without having to worry about the audience. Even adding a different piece of jewelry can make all the difference.

5. Buy quality over quantity. For anyone concerned that it is too expensive to buy a closet full of nice business clothes, take a hint from stylist Audrey Beaulac who has always advised the value of buying one really nice suit and then wearing it with different shirts and accessories throughout the week.

This week, I’m heading to Portland and, luckily, it’s all business. So, the choice of dress is black all the way. This made packing this morning easy!

-Erika Schmidt