Office wardrobe

You’re half asleep. You’re running out the door. You’re late for a meeting. Probably not the time you want to be perfecting your look. But remember: that’s the outfit you’ll be wearing when you ask for a pay rise. Plus if the worst happens, that’s what you’ll be wearing as you leave the office when you’re fired – and you’ll want to go out in style.

Trousers: It’s tempting to go for black as the safe option, but do it too often and you’ll look like you’re off to a funeral. You’re safe with dark blue and brown trousers in most seasons; plus a lot of the big brands are betting on camel as a good summer colour along with light blue and grey. If you’re feeling daring get on-trend with a gingham check or a thin pinstripe – check out Zegna’s pairing of charcoal and blue stripes.

Ties: If ties are the done thing at your workplace, it’s not a case of mix and match and cross your fingers. Buy your shirts and ties together and try picking two shades of the same colour. To really turn some heads take celebrated British designer Paul Smith’s advice and add a polka dot or stripe.

Shirts: Although trousers and jackets cost more, don’t splurge on them and skimp on shirts, since on tough days you’ll definitely be down to your shirtsleeves and that’s not a time to look sloppy. Stick to white on formal occasions, but a light blue or grey will look better when you’re without a jacket.

The big day: When you need to don a jacket for an important meeting, double breasted may be tempting to hide your paunch but can also look retro (and not in a good way). Use sparingly and stick to slim single-breasted suits to impress your seniors (See this year’s D&G collection for inspiration).

If you want to get promoted, you need to look like you’re moving up the ladder today. So even though a more casual wardrobe might be tolerated in the job you’re in now, you’ll need to smarten up your act in order to fall in line with those giving you the orders. Just try to avoid wearing exactly the same outfit as the boss, because no one likes a copycat.