You've finally landed a job interview. Now you have to decide what to wear. They answer isn't as buttoned down as in years past, say trend watchers.

At New York's Rebecca & Drew, a small fashion brand specializing in fitted button-down shirts, the “corporate culture” is hardly buttoned up. A suit would look out of place, even on a prospective new hire.

Here, as with many of the small businesses that the federal government sees as a potential bright spot in a difficult job market, the best interview “suit” wouldn't be a suit at all.

Still, say style experts, the freedom for a man to skip the tie or a woman to trade the jacket and skirt for a dress and cardigan is not an excuse for poor grooming or expressive clothes.

“You start with high-quality basics and then it's easy to look pulled together and professional, but without the crutch of a suit,” says Rebecca & Drew co-founder Rebecca Matchett, who also serves as an adviser to Dress for Success, a nonprofit organization that helps outfit women as they re-enter the workforce.

The smaller the business you are interviewing at, the more important it is to find someone who knows its culture, advises Pamela Fiori, editor in chief of Town & Country magazine. With a large company — like her own parent company, Hearst Corp. — you can usually visit headquarters or mingle outside just to get a sense of how people dress, she says. That's much harder at smaller places.

In many cases, it's OK to ask about dress code when scheduling the interview, says Brandi Britton, regional vice president of the administrative staffing service OfficeTeam, based in Menlo Park, Calif. “Usually people are not put off by that.”

One-upping your potential boss by wearing expensive or flashy clothes, however, could leave a bad taste.

“I'm not saying go cheap — you should wear quality — but do it discerningly,” says Nick Sullivan, fashion director at Esquire magazine. “The extra stuff — pocket squares, cufflinks — looks like too much icing on the cake.”

He'd also say no to bold stripe shirts, and Fiori would leave any obvious designer items at home.

The same goes for anything that falls into high-fashion trends.

“At a small company, making a big fashion statement might seem too aggressive,” said Matchett. “It's important in a small environment to fit in personality-wise.”

You probably have the makings of an appropriate interview outfit already in your wardrobe, said stylist Lloyd Boston, host of the Fine Living Network's new “Closet Cases.”

He suggests taking elements of suits and mixing and matching them as separates — say, pinstripe gray trousers or skirt with a black jacket. In a creative field, dark denim trousers paired with a jacket also might work.

Boston also likes a monochromatic look on top, especially in black, which gives a hint of modernity.

Pay attention to fit and fabric, seeking cotton-Lycra blends that will hold their shape and reduce wrinkles.

Women wearing button-down shirts should avoid a boxy shape and find one with contoured seaming or darts, said Boston. A man should have a strong collar that stands above the jacket or sweater, he said.

In most cases, a V-neck sweater would do under a jacket as a more casual stand-in for a tie, he said. A sweater-and-tie combo could replace a jacket.

If you end up overdressed, take your jacket off in the reception area, but it's better to be overdressed than underdressed.