One hundred years ago all working men from navvies to prime ministers wore a three piece suit. They came in two colours: there was a black for most people and for very creative types there was a deep charcoal grey. These days the choice of suit colours looks like a fabric book from Sofa City. But there is still one golden rule when it comes to suit colours - no one has ever made an impact or cut a dash in a brown suit.

In some industries you don't have to wear a suit at all: in advertising, what you wear in bed is generally more business-like than what you wear in the office. Here, the impression you have to give is that you have been dipped in glue and thrown through a charity shop.

For the vast majority of men who wear the standard dark polyester suit, the only chance they have to express themselves is in their choice tie. Which is why it comes as such a surprise that the message so many choose to express is "I am a tasteless geek from the dark end of the void." If you're worried about the sort of suit you're wearing, count the buttons on the jacket. If there are more than three, then you are wearing some sort of weirdo creative combo and if you travel outside the M25 you run a real risk of having your underpants pulled over your head by unsympathetic builders.

If you liked this article try our take on women's fashion ~ women's office fashion