What to wear to a client meeting

The old advice was a dark suit, full stop. The real advice is: know the room. A bank in Frankfurt, a startup in Lisbon and an agency in Milan are three different uniforms, and the winning move in each is the client's own level of formality, turned up one notch.

One notch signals respect and preparation. Three notches signals you don't meet clients often. If in doubt, tailoring in a softer colour splits the difference: a blush or stone blazer reads considered without the armour of charcoal.

Matched separates: a blazer and trousers in the same tone look intentional and travel well between formal and creative rooms. Blush, stone, olive and navy all work harder than black.

One texture: a tie-neck blouse, a knit under the blazer, something that keeps the outfit from looking flat under office light.

Nothing that needs managing: no straps to adjust, no hem to watch. Your attention belongs to the meeting.

Meetings recur; your best meeting looks should too. Sleqk keeps every rendered look in your style journal, so the combination that landed well in March is one tap away in June, and the stylist can build variations of it for the next city and season.

Add the meeting to your planner, tell it where, and review your options rendered on your own photo the night before. Walk in thinking about the deal, not the outfit.