[UPDATE: There have been incredibly good and information-packed contributions in the comments to this post - go check them out!]

You signed your contract, you hopefully took a good vacation, maybe you even moved to a new town – now you are getting ready to become a consultant. Awesome!

Of course, by now, you have the consultants’ lifestyle all figured out… and you decide it’s time to go shopping to get the right gear for your newly found life on the road. This post and the next one should give you some input on what to get, what to spend money on, and what you can safely put on your “someday/maybe” list. Let’s start it off with clothing.

Clothing
I am so sorry, but this is written from a man’s perspective, so I’ll talk about ties and stuff… if any consultant girls are up to add some female touch here, let me know in the comments! Being dressed well is part of the job, so you should pay attention to your wardrobe. When starting out, it’s all about the basics - you can still go fancy later on. The general aim is to be well-dressed, but still blending in within all sorts of corporate environments.

• Suits:
  Go for darker colors, though it does not need to be all black. Dark grey works always, dark blue most of the time. Pinstripes? Might work. No patterned stuff, no shiny red-carpet tux… you get the idea? Plus, single colored dark suits work with the widest variety of shirts. Two suits are minimum, three are better. Don’t be guided by the brand – no one can see that, anyway – but rather look for the best fitting suits that you can find. Honestly: The most expensive suit is worth nothing if it does not sit on your shoulders right. Go for wool, avoid linen and synthetic fabrics like the plague. The former wrinkles like hell, the latter looks cheap and gets smelly faster than you can draw that last-minute waterfall chart.
• Shirts:
  Plain colors preferred. White is a no-brainer, light blues are a charm as well. Stripes are alright, but they narrow down your choice of Suit-Shirt-Tie combinations drastically. Go for collars that sit comfortably, especially if you are not used to wearing a shirt for extended periods of time. Those of you who had the pleasure of a “the collar is so tight I almost choke myself when swallowing” day at work know what I mean. Go for pure cotton. Iron-free shirts aren’t really, anyway, and most often you buy that label with a high percentage of synthetic fiber, which most of the time makes the fabric harsher against the skin. Again, brand names do not really matter, though shirts from H&M, Zara etc. tend to wear out rather quickly. But so does BOSS, for that matter… No button-downs, that might be too casual in a few places. When it comes to the cuffs, the opinions are split. Of course, the traditional cuff with cufflinks does look swell… but they always, always, always rattle on your laptop when you are chewing away on the PowerpExcel. Simple buttoned cuffs don’t. Your choice. Get at least 7 shirts, 10 are better, and chances are you already have a few that are suitable anyway.
• Shoes:
  Simple and black gets you the furthest. Leather, obviously. I do wear brown shoes at work, as well, but that doesn’t fly with some clients (or employers)… so black is your safest bet. Go for classic cuts – you’ll be wearing them a lot, and you don’t want to be known as “Mr. Fancyfeet”, right? Get some shoes that are comfortable to walk in. If possible, get two pairs and change them daily. It will make them last a lot longer. Plus, especially with shoes, learn to take good care of them (see also “treat your ties and shoes with respect”).
• Ties:
  Silk ties are the preferred option. For me personally, the tie is where I can get some color in the game, but you shouldn’t go too flashy. Simple stripes and patterns or plain colors – god forbid you wear that Micky-Mouse tie to work that you got as a christmas gift when you were 12! I know, you love it… but this is not the place. When you keep your suits and shirts in plain colors each, matching a tie to your outfit is really easy. My personal role is to have two parts striped, max – but it might be better to go with the “1 striped part max” rule. I mean… you know what they say about men in general and their sense for fashion? Just play it safe, that’s all I’m saying.
• Socks:
  Black black black black black black black. No patterns. Did I mention BLACK? OK, you got it. If you want to decrease stress, buy them in bulk, so that you can put together any two black socks you get out of the washing machine. Some might argue that only calf-high socks are the real deal…if you are comfortable in them, go ahead. They should, in any case, be long enough to avoid showing pale consultant-skin when the pants rise up.
• Belt:
  Matching the shoes. Simple buckle. This is not the time to wear a fashion statement around your waist (or slogans, for that matter. Which reminds me, I should wear my “use your brain” belt this weekend ). ‘Nuff said.
• Underwear:
  Are you kidding me? C’mon!

In the next post, I’ll cover some essential gear that will make your life on the road a whole lot easier.

This is the second post in the “Consulting 101″ series, dedicated to give an overview of the first steps into consulting – from having scored an offer to the first time on the job. You can find the first post, “You got the offer, now what?” here.

Originally written by: Killer Consultant