After receiving mucho positive feedback for February’s “Business Casual with Style featuring Marwan Helal”, we decided to make it a seasonal feature.

As I explained last time, Marwan and I share the opinion that business casual is all about treading the line between looking presentably conservative and expressively stylish. It’s a term that is thrown around often, and has a number of different meanings from one office to the next. Therefore, it’s very important to understand the expectations of your superiors, the strictness of appearance in your office and the overall culture of your place of business.

“These looks are acceptable in my office, which leans slightly toward the more laid-back side of “business casual”. However, with some minor tweaks I think each of these looks could also be appropriate in an environment with a more strict  business dress code – by adding socks or changing to a more formal shoe, for example. As Dan always says, you shouldn’t be copying the looks, but using them for inspiration for how you can make it work for you.”

Here, we followed Marwan for a week in my hometown of Windsor Ontario to see how he handles his business in style during the Spring/Summer season. This time accompanied by a fellow stylish business casual regular, as well as a fellow reader, the beautiful Pearl White.

Monday

“I like to wear a tie on Mondays, it helps me get into work mode after a nice Spring weekend”

Bonus Tip: ”The secret here is that this is a short sleeve shirt. It’s cooler, more comfortable and perfect for an early morning commute.”

Bonus Tip II: ”I go sockless for most of the Spring and Summer. It’s just my preference. I find it more comfortable, and I have no problem getting away with it at my office.”

Bonus Tip III: ”This is probably my most versatile shirt. Get a white and blue simple mini check shirt – there won’t be too many pieces in your closet that won’t work with it”