The new rules of business dressing

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Let’s get down to business: the boardroom isn’t what it once was; the C-suite has seen sweeter, better days. Gone are the punchy pinstripes, the peak lapels and button-yoke braces of previous well-dressed generations. Double-breasted jackets have, for the most part, left the office building — and pleated trousers have gone the way of the fax machine.

Thankfully (and unlike those fax machines) certain brands are still plugged-in, switched-on and pushing the envelope when it comes to professional dressing. One such label is Émigré, an international team of designers with decades of combined experience and a singular, most commendable mission: to bring businesswear into the modern era.

With roots in Hong Kong, Switzerland, the United States and the UK, Émigré emerged after lockdown, reassessing what professional dressing should look like in a post-pandemic world. For its most recent collection — the first to be made in Italy — the designers turned their attention to the boardroom. It may once have been defined by closed rooms and long tables, but today it’s a movable, ever-shifting concept, and workers need a wardrobe that reflects this.

So Émigré recalibrated. Designed for today’s business travel, comfort and style, ‘The Boardroom’ collection saw the brand partner with leading Italian artisans and fabric houses, translating generations of expertise into a contemporary context. Stitched into every piece, meanwhile, are lessons worth learning: these are the new rules of business dressing.

Rule #1: The shirt is optional

Who says the boardroom needs to be buttoned-up? Émigré certainly doesn’t. At the low-pilling, super-soft heart of the brand’s new business collection is this: a modern men’s turtle neck jumper, woven from fine Merino wool and perfect for layering under even your most trimly tailored suit. A smarter, softer layer, it’s ultra-breathable and, for business travellers, ideal for making that tricky transition from boardroom to boarding lounge.

Speaking of travel, Émigré’s shirt alternatives don’t begin and end with this one nifty knit. The Travel Tee is a lightweight knit T-shirt also designed for jet-setting. Cut from organic cotton and finished with a clean neckline and hems, it’s as sharp as any shirt you might be considering for that big meeting — but considerably more comfortable.

Rule #2: The attaché is over

Rigid, impractical and a little pretentious, the classic attaché case has no place in the modern office. Thankfully, Émigré is on hand, shoulder and back to help, with a collection of boardroom-ready bags that tick every modern menswear box. The best, in our opinion, is The Boardroom Backpack — with leather-trimmed pockets and custom zip pulls, it’s cut from the brand’s distinctive Robic nylon, with luxurious Italian calfskin accents.

There’s also a tote, made from that same robust recycled nylon and featuring both a sleek, minimalist silhouette and chic aluminium buckles. Alternatively, if you’re still attached to your attaché, The C-suite Briefcase will more than fit the boardroom bill — perfect for carrying your documents, devices and daily grab-and-go items, but with a touch of tradition.

Rule #3: Reconsider your jacket

With hybrid working taking hold, so too have the sartorial lines of our work wardrobes begun to blur. Émigré has taken note, and offers several choice alternatives to the classic suit jacket, starting with the Thermal Travel Gilet. Wear it with a shirt. Wear it with a roll neck. Wear it under a blazer. Whichever way you zip up this stylish mid-layer, its sophisticated matte finish will ensure you look every bit the professional part. Plus, its insulation is made from recycled plastic bottles, so it’s also got commendable environmental credentials.

Then comes The Cotton Studio Blazer. This tailored, half-lined menswear masterstroke has impressed us way beyond the boardroom, thanks to a discreet throat latch that manages to transform it into a completely different garment. Cut from midweight Tessuti di Sondrio stretch cotton, it’s a globe-trotting godsend for today’s businessman, carefully considered from its articulated elbow darts to its functional sleeve buttons.

Rule #4: Add texture with your trousers

The Boardroom Collection isn’t short of trousers. There are plenty of pairs in there — from the sleek Cotton Studio Trousers, with quarter-top front, rear welt and discreet zippered side pockets, to the half-lined C-suite All-Season Trousers, tailored in Italy from luxurious Super 120s Virgin Wool spun by the Vitale Barberis Canonico mill.

But the main lesson we’ve learnt from Émigré’s latest selection of strides is a little wider-waled. The Chair Corduroy Trousers walk this royally ridged material confidently into the office environment — and we couldn’t be happier about it. Made in Italy from a classic Duca Visconti Cotton blend fabric, these trousers are anti-wrinkle, boast two-way stretch and a tailored silhouette — all while maintaining the welcome comfort of corduroy.

Rule #5: The classics still work

It’s good to shake up your suiting every now and then — a roll neck here, a gilet there — but the classic jacket-and-tie combo has endured for a reason. And, while Émigré is nothing but deferential to traditional office tailoring, even here the brand has put its own subtle twists on suiting staples.

Take The C-suite Poplin Shirt, for example. It may have a classic point collar and single-button cuffs, but the whole thing is cut from an innovative, highly stretchable Italian cotton blend to minimise creasing. Equally, the new C-suite All-Season Blazer, in inky Nordic Blue, is tailored from lightweight, mono-stretch, non-crease wool and — in an especially handy touch — features a zippered inside pocket. It’s touches such as this that elevate Émigré’s latest collection, proving that ‘The Boardroom’ is where workwear works the hardest.