Israel: Business Dress
From ExecutivePlanet.com
Business Dress
Business dress in Israel is in general Euro-American and usually classified as casual. Non-religious Israelis will tend to be very tolerant and indifferent to attire gaffes. Israeli stores and boutiques carry all the well known American and European clothing brands and Israel is well known for its globally recognized designers and fashion brands. Having said that, Israelis expect foreign guests to dress in higher quality, visibly branded items that reflect their own country’s standards for high-end business-casual attire.
In the banking, financial, legal and political sectors, day to day men’s wear is mainly jackets, open collared long sleeve shirts and slacks. Dress for formal events in this environment is mostly jacket and tie and suits are reserved for the most official and high-level venues. Female executives regularly wear designer dresses and pant suits.
In most Israeli business environments outside the above, business attire is much more casual – jackets and ties are reserved for the most formal events. Most Israeli men will wear polo shirts, short or long-sleeved fabric shirts and cotton trousers, and women, dresses and blouse-pant combinations.
Although geographically small, Israel has significant weather variations and visitors should consider where in the country they will be staying and working. Winter weather in the northern and mountainous areas can be cold and blustery and requires coats, sweaters and wool clothing. Sweaters and lighter coats are fine for the milder winters along the coast. Desert nights year round can be cold. Summers along the coast are hot and humid and dictate light business casual attire. Summers in the north and mountains are typically very hot during daytime and rather cool at night – so some heavier wear is required for evening wear.
Foreign visitors who will be interfacing with Israel’s religious population should invest time in researching their host’s dress codes. Women in the traditional/religious communities typically wear modest non-revealing clothing with elbow length sleeves and dresses that must extend past knees or even ankles. Men frequently wear dark jackets, white, open-collared long-sleeved shirts, dark slacks and black shoes.
Guests invited to weekend or family oriented events should follow their own leisure-time dress codes. For sightseeing day trips jeans and tennis shoes are fine.
