Dress for Stress: Men's Office Wear Built for Your Work Week

You probably already know that dressing better can improve your confidence and success at work.

But no matter how great your work outfit looks in the morning, there’s no telling what the stressful, chaotic day will throw at you.

It might start with your commute:

What seems like an eternity crammed into a steamy subway or bus….or trapped in your car while the highway becomes a parking lot…your blood pressure slowly rising.

This post was made possible by Ministry of Supply, which designs and builds menswear with better fit, functional details, and simplified care through technology.

Then when you finally get to the office, you realize you’re late for an important meeting. You run like a banshee…

And what’s your reward for scrambling with superhuman speed and not even getting a chance to grab coffee? You get to squeeze into a packed conference room where apparently the breathable air was exhausted hours ago…along with the last pastry.

You made it. But now you’re distinctly aware of the rivers of sweat dripping down your sides and back. Down below, there’s a swampy sensation: you’re not positive, but you’re pretty sure you could steam wontons in your pants.

It’s not much past 9:30AM and already your shirt looks like you ran a 5k. One things for sure, your pants don’t like it when you run. Their passive-aggressive chafing is almost laughable.

How’s that work outfit looking now? Still feel confident that you’re dressed sharp?

Dressing for the Stress of the Work Day

Beyond the logistical scrambles of your work day, there’s no doubt that the psychological stresses—your 200 unread emails, that big project that’s now a month late, your unhappy client—can have a physical effect on you throughout the week.

With all your body goes through in this supposedly “non-physical” office job, it almost seems like you’d be better off wearing athletic gear to work.

But what choice do you really have? The tradeoffs are clear:

Dress up and look sharp (until mid-morning if you’re lucky)….or slum it and be comfortable.

Until now…

High-Tech Research Is Improving Men’s Office Wear

For the past few years, a company called Ministry of Supply has been tackling this very problem.

In short, they develop smart-looking men’s office wear that’s engineered to withstand the physical realities of your day.

Their clothing is designed using special technology that allows each garment to work with your body during the stressful work week.

So you look good all day. But more importantly, you feel good as well—that way you can focus on your job, not your outfit.

Dress Shirts Designed With NASA Spacesuit Materials

Ministry of Supply’s flagship dress shirt, appropriately dubbed “Apollo,” integrates NASA-engineered Phase Change Material into a stretchy knit blend to regulate your body temperature in any climate.

The no-iron fabric resists wrinkles and wicks away sweat, even when worn without an undershirt.

So, from the time you’re in the steamy subway to the moment you step into the icy air conditioning, the shirt is working to stabilize your body temperature.

Using high-tech “strain analysis” to learn how clothing moves with the body, Ministry of Supply also designed the fabric to stretch in all 4 directions—to mimic the way skin stretches during movement. That means you can maintain a fitted profile without feeling restricted.

Along with these advancements, small touches like simple care instructions and thermolaminated collars that stay crisp make the Apollo virtually a no-brainer for everyday office wear.

Chinos That Withstand Worst-Case Work Scenarios

Just as much care and thoughtfulness has gone into the design of Ministry of Supply’s Aviator Chinos.

Moisture-wicking nylon resists rain and spills, and it wicks sweat to keep things light and cool, while breathable pocket linings promote air circulation as you move.

A urethane band around the waist keeps your shirt from creeping out of your pants when you bend, twist or sit. So, you look put-together even when you’ve just hopped off a red eye to head directly to a client meeting.

Like the Apollo shirt, Aviator Chinos feature 4-way stretch material that allows you to wear a slimmer size without restricting your movement. And they never require chemical dry cleaning, pressing, or ironing. That means they still look crisp when you’ve pulled them out of a suitcase or your gym bag.

Coffee-Infused Athletic Socks With An Office-Ready Aesthetic

Like most office wear, with dress socks you typically have to choose between looking good and feeling comfortable.

This reality was not lost on Ministry of Supply co-founder Aman Advani. Working as a consultant after college, he was no stranger to long days and hectic travel.

To meet his personal need for a comfortable yet stylish dress sock, Advani literally cut the soles out of his favorite athletic socks and sewed them to his dress socks.

That DIY fix was the inspiration for Ministry of Supply’s Atlas socks, which marry the comfort and performance of an athletic sock with an office-ready aesthetic.

In a final innovative twist, Atlas socks include reclaimed coffee grounds infused into the fabric to help eliminate unwanted smells. So even if your sweaty toes have been crammed into your shoes all day, no one else needs to find out.

Conclusion

Even if you think of yourself as having a “sedentary office job,” your weekly grind takes more of a physical toll than you realize.

If you want to look and feel your best at work, you’re far better off choosing clothes that work with your body—clothes that can stand up to everything your stressful work week throws at you.

Now, with these new innovations in men’s office attire, you no longer have to choose between looking good and feeling comfortable during the work week.