4 style tips for people who travel 100 days a year

If you're a regular business traveler, you can probably pack your bag blindfolded, have access to expedited security screening and business lounges, and maybe haven't checked a bag in years. But how would you rate your style while on the road? Do you want to improve it? Dressing sharp can have a positive impact on your business success and feeling confident in your clothing, traveling or not, is definitely a good thing.

So, without having to pack a larger suitcase, how can you dress sharp for your meetings and still be prepared for those impromptu dinners out with prospective clients?

Here are four tips that I think you'll find useful. Is this an exhaustive list? Certainly not. Your work environment, personal preferences, and travel needs will all dictate what goes into your bag and what doesn't. But if you want to dress a little more stylishly this year while traveling, here's what I suggest:

1. Focus on monochromatic outfits: For example, tones of grey or charcoal, or even navy, tend to work well during the day, but when happy hour turns into dinner with your colleagues, your moderately dark blazer or dress shirt will do just fine in a restaurant setting. Remember, darker colors tend to work best under dressy circumstances or at night, whereas lighter colors like grays and tans should be your go-to daytime attire.

Example: Navy suit or blazer with a light blue dress shirt. Pair with a striped tie for business hours, but lose it for dinner and unbutton the first button or two on your shirt for an open-collar look.

1. Dark brown lace-up dress shoes: As a frequent traveler in the expedited screening lanes, you probably aren't having to remove your shoes as often as you had to just a couple years back. So leave the loafers at home and wear your lace-up Oxfords again. Acceptable for pretty much any business occasion, a lace-up dress shoe is always going to look better than a loafer. Don't get me wrong, loafers are awesome, but they are inherently casual. And a dark brown shoe will work with most suits. [Exception: if you wear dark suits, like something in a dark charcoal or black, stick to black dress shoes.]
2. Steam your jacket and pant while you shower (or buy a super small steamer): This is a common travel hack that's worth repeating. Especially since all suit jackets and woolen pants will wrinkle a little after some time on a plane or packed in your bag. So as soon as you check into your hotel, hang up your clothes and put the next day's outfit on a hanger in the bathroom. Close the door when you shower for a simple steam job. Or, buy a small steamer and get all those wrinkles out! This $20 steamer on Amazon is only 8 inches tall and works great (it's what we have in the BE office).
3. Pack a pocket square (just in case): If you follow my work here on LinkedIn you'll know that my life's work is to show guys just how awesome pocket squares can be. Given that a pocket square takes up almost no room in your bag, there's no reason not to bring one or two, right?! Pack a square folded and pressed white pocket square for your big presentation and a colored one for a dinner out. It's a subtle touch to your personal style, but a great way for people to remember you.

Further reading:

In case you missed it, here's my article on how to pack a suit for travel.

I founded the menswear brand, Bespoke Edge, and the fitness blog, Motus Fitness. I invite you to follow my work here on LinkedIn and Instagram (@bespokeedge) and be sure to sign up for my twice-monthly newsletter on my business page: Colorado's best source for practical men's style.