Business as Usual: Poszetka Team

The end of the holiday season, the return to the normal business pace, and the excitement of the upcoming autumn wardrobe are not just relevant to you and our collection, but also to our team. While in summer, when temperatures soar, we allow ourselves to relax and dress more casually, come September and the first cool days, we eagerly reach for jackets, button up our collars, and tie our ties!

For this annual occasion, we invited the Katowice showroom team (along with guests from our creative crew) to showcase their favorite garments, styled in a broadly understood "business" theme. We also asked them to share their perspectives on contemporary businesswear and its role in their lives – read on to discover what Michał, Paweł, Beniamin, Tomek, and Mateusz have to say.

Most outfits featured in the photos are based on MTM commissions – a tailoring service available in person at our Katowice showroom. For those based abroad or unable to visit Katowice, we offer an MTO option with some degree of personalization - read about it here

Paweł, Store Manager, Katowice

Paweł:

For me, business style is all about professionalism: everything should be understated, almost neutral. Grays, navies, blues, and whites are the colors that should dominate this style.

His choice, however, is far from boring – the navy blazer in the photos is not just navy. The colorful dots on its surface are a characteristic of the "Knickerbocker Tweed" fabric by the Italian mill Bottoli, a lighter, unmistakably Italian alternative to the heavy Irish Donegal Tweed.

I commissioned it as an alternative to my Japanese hopsack blazer, with the winter season in mind. The fabric is unique, yet it can be easily paired with a wide spectrum of colors. A blazer with a twist, you might say!

I'm not reinventing the wheel with this outfit – after all, it's a blazer with gray trousers – but thanks to the subtle nuances, you can tell it's the choice of an enthusiast, not someone rigidly following a corporate dress code.

Paweł also showed us a second outfit, based around a classic navy suit:

I wanted to showcase something that our clients frequently choose and what I can recommend to anyone without hesitation – both for business and a classic-style wedding. A navy grenadine tie, black suspenders, and black oxfords. Simple, effective, timeless.

Michał, Client Advisor, Katowice

At first glance, it's clear that Michał approached the topic a bit differently:

Can a cotton suit in such an unorthodox color be considered a business suit? Well, I'll venture to say yes – although certainly not for everyone.

Today's business world is always on the move, so what could be better than an ultra-comfortable suit which – with drape in all the right places – thanks to its construction, unlike casual clothes, properly shapes the figure, giving it almost uniform-like proportions?

This is a double-breasted suit, but made from cotton; it's blue, yet in an unusual shade – as Michał put it: I saw a swatch of this fabric by Duca Visconti and decided that I simply had to have a suit like this. It's an absolutely unique color, part blue, part violet.

However, there's a caveat – a suit like this will have a very strong expression, something to keep in mind. If you work in a field where making a strong impression or standing out is not a problem and/or can help your results, then go for it, such a set could be a great choice! – if you were wondering whether it's worth commissioning something similar, you now have the answer from an experienced wearer. ;)

Beniamin, Marketing Manager, Katowice

Paraphrasing a classic, business doesn't always mean the same thing. You can dress this way out of necessity or out of passion. Beniamin:

I practically no longer have any situations where I need to follow a strict dress code. If I feel that the meeting I'm attending has slightly more professional undertones, I dress a little more elegantly than usual while sticking to my personal style.

This is probably the most striking piece in my wardrobe – a tobacco-colored cotton suit. Theoretically, it's casual, but in most cases, I use it to create slightly more elegant outfits, just for such occasions.

Most often, as in the photo, I pair it with a light blue striped shirt, a regimental (or wool challis) tie, and black loafers, matched with a 1" belt. I repeat this scheme often, and I really like it – it's "businessy" but in my way. I don't feel too formal, but I look the part!

Tomek, CEO, Katowice

For a year now, I've had black on my mind – so recently I ordered an MTM suit in hopsack from Fratelli Tallia Delfino; I've never had a black suit!

I don't regret the decision. I feel great in black; it gives me confidence, highlights my maturity, and complements the gray hairs appearing here and there. Contrary to what you might think, it's a versatile color, easy to deconstruct. It's a pity I didn't take any pictures without a jacket, wearing just a white t-shirt and trousers – it looked just as good.

How does such a set fit into the "business" theme?

I would describe business style as mature, tasteful, and refined. Subdued: details like pocket squares or ties should be just accessories, not dominate the whole outfit. Above all, it should be well-kept, because we want to show our professionalism to the business environment.

Nothing prevents you from incorporating black into this look, though it depends on your profession – as Tomek emphasizes: Business in the fashion industry is not the same as business in banking! I feel like I could easily wear this to a meeting with a manufacturer, a trade fair, or a networking event. I think architects, graphic designers, and directors in creative agencies could also pull off this less conservative, tie-free, yet still elegant (in a way) business look.

And for contrast – a set for a true fashion conservative. Tomek:

This, in turn, is my vision of a "classic business outfit," an idea of how a well-dressed lawyer/senior manager/CEO should look. Gray suit, white shirt, muted tie (ancient madder silk) – a safe but effective choice.

Mateusz, Creative Director, Warsaw/Katowice

Like Beniamin and Tomek, I don't need to dress in business attire every day – in fact, I rarely have to look elegant at all! – but sometimes I just want to. I usually play with convention on these occasions; I like to look "serious" without taking it too seriously.

He often does this when visiting us in Katowice: I treat meetings with the rest of the team as an opportunity to make an effort and break out of the everyday rhythm of safe, repeatable, and simple sets. I reach for the same pieces but compose different outfits out of them. I try to fit into a certain convention because I treat it like a serious meeting – at least "business-adjacent" if not outright "business."

A pinstripe suit? I usually wear it with a t-shirt and sneakers; I think I even showed it that way on the blog. OCBD shirt? I like it very much, but usually in a casual, often oversized version. "Croco" belt with gold hardware, burgundy tassel loafers, gold-plated watch inherited from my grandfather? I usually only reach for one of these items at a time as that's enough to add a strong accent.

And here? Everything at once, additionally tied together with a serious tie. Part Wall Street (the movie), part greedy corporate executive – that's how I imagine business, "busine$$" even. Only my posture reveals there's an element of play... and those who know me know that behind the serious look, there's always a smile.

However, there's also an element of practicality – not just fun. Mateusz:

Honestly, I can imagine someone working in a more serious environment dressing in this exact outfit and looking great, without any irony. The colors work, the fabrics work, the proportions work. These are just very classic items that can fit into even a conservative dress code!