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You know, I don't think you have to sally forth to the grocery store looking like Cary Grant, but why do so many men look like complete slobs nowadays? I own two pairs of jeans, and I wouldn't think of wearing them in a professional setting. I mean, hey, if you spend your time on a factory floor or a construction site, that's one thing. But elsewhere? Proceed with caution.
The other thing is that, in a perfect world, people would be evaluated strictly based on who they are as a person. In the real world, however, first impressions matter. And being dressed as if the clothes were tossed onto you with a pitchfork is communicating all the wrong kinds of things.
What's more, a 40-something guy still dressing like he were in his early 20s is kind of depressing. It's almost as if the guys in a state of arrested development, a person with permanent failure-to-launch issues. You can almost picture them hanging out at bars, fiddling with their combovers, and trying to make contact with the twentysomething single girls at the other side after sending the waiter down with complementary drinks. Nearly as bad are people who come to the office wearing giveaway polo shirts emblazoned with some vendors' logo on them. What? You can't afford your own clothes for casual friday at the office? Dude, you can't go wrong with Lands End and it's pretty inexpensive.
But the absolute worst fashion of all are those stupid casual camp shirts that are the loose, billowy cousins of the horrible Hawaiian shirt. Tommy Bahama is the main peddler of those eyesores. They are unflattering and make every man on the planet look like some overgrown frat boy. Last year, I was taking my son clothes shopping and happened past the Tommy Bahama Table. There were three couples standing around it, pawing through the wares. When my son picked up a shirt, I said, "Son, no man in the history of fashion has ever looked good in one of those." A woman across the table from me looked up and laughed. "You're absolutely right!" she said. The only person I know who can actually pull off that look is a guy I know from Hawaii.
Also, I see men in the office, jeans on a wednesday and not even tucking the shirt inside. My boss was once fretting on how men dress horrible even to work these days.
This whole business casual culture needs to go. It's turned many lazy.
You go to the office, you do justice to your job and pay respect to it. How will people take you seriously if you are in jeans and you are in a profession? Worst offenders are IT guys. And they all love how google employees go to work so casually. There's nothing admirable about going to work in casuals
Then I head to the finance and other LOB departments, and they have a mandatory dress code. IT is the worst.
Maybe in New England, where things are a bit "stuffier". But in the West, we're more casual people. I don't know of any man other than an attorney neighbor who wears a tie or full suit to work. What's the point? Suits and ties are expensive and uncomfortable, plus require dry cleaning. I dress business casual, which means dress shoes, dress pants (some of which do require dry cleaning) and long sleeve dress shirts, possibly a sweater over a dress shirt in Winter and polo shirts in the Summer. We have casual Friday which for me means nice jeans, tucked in shirt, and more casual shoes (like a slip on leather shoe, not athletic).
You don't need to be taken seriously if you never talk to anyone. Besides I listen to what ppl are saying and how much sense it makes not what clothes they're wearing.
Guess I am a major offender. Although I wear a dress shirt, dress pants or khaki's and dress shoes to work (and a tie most days), when I leave work I wear the same thing at 52 that I wore at 5; jeans, a tee shirt or pull over jersey, tennis shoes. Arrested development? Perhaps, but I have never been comfortable in ties, sports jackets etc. And I am constantly amused by the double standard of acceptable professional wear for men and women. Men have to have a tie, dress pants, etc. but women can wear virtually anything and it's considered appropriate. Most of the women in my office dress like hookers and no one bats an eye but a man decides not to wear a tie one day and never hears the end of it. So silly.
Maybe in New England, where things are a bit "stuffier". But in the West, we're more casual people. I don't know of any man other than an attorney neighbor who wears a tie or full suit to work. What's the point? Suits and ties are expensive and uncomfortable, plus require dry cleaning. I dress business casual, which means dress shoes, dress pants (some of which do require dry cleaning) and long sleeve dress shirts, possibly a sweater over a dress shirt in Winter and polo shirts in the Summer. We have casual Friday which for me means nice jeans, tucked in shirt, and more casual shoes (like a slip on leather shoe, not athletic).
I used to live in Denver. You probably remember from that board.
Anyway, I took a brief 18 month assignment in the mid-west, and coming from finance and banking, it was a culture shock. I remember the first day I was in a suit Pretty much everyone gave me the look in the eye. But then I was taken to the higher ups and they were quite formal. But I was scheduled to meet them only twice a week. So my boss personally told me to ease up, becoz I make everyone else look bad, it's healthcare, and in fact, looked odd, for the working culture is "different"
Needless to say, the office was full of bums - the only thing which separated them from real bums was that they were clean shaved - but flip-flops, sneakers, jeans... I mean, I understand if IT guys have to go under areas and look up network connectivity and fix up mainframes, but please..... you still don't have to be in sneakers, at least. Whatever happened to business ethic and the professional spirit? There's a reason they say it's the office, it's not an appliance store.
But..... one of my happiest jobs, the best of people, I still love them. Don't think I was ever unhappy. But I merely dropped the tie and the blazer and still went to work with a dress shirt and proper dress pants, and dress shoes.
And the best part - they recruited a second guy, and he came from Europe for the job. And you know, European folks are dressier, and he was like WOW
Boyfriend also in IT....required suit and tie. No short sleeve dress shirts, no vneck/wife beater undertees (crew only), no colors beyond : black, grey, brown, navy blue. No "wacky" ties. No gaudy cuff-links, jewlery or watches...lol
Socks must match the shoes/suit and be dress stocks. Shoes may be black or brown. Same with belts.
No visible tattoos or piercings. No beards beyond a certain length. Hair colors/cuts must be conservative and natural.
They are hardcore.LOL
Weekends he us usually in jeans and some sort of shirt: t, thermal, button down, sweater(rare)
He still always looks better in his suit. Any guy does. I don't know why more guys don't take advantage of dressing better that crumpley casual. I suggest to try it for an experiment and see how different your day goes. Make sure you car matches though. Guys in suits getting out of beaters...welll...they will just think you are a hitman...which may also be cool in a twisted way.
You don't need to be taken seriously if you never talk to anyone. Besides I listen to what ppl are saying and how much sense it makes not what clothes they're wearing.
Exactly. My husband works with lots of other guys. His co-workers wear cargo shorts. He doesn't wear shorts to work, so I guess he does draw the line somewhere. lol
They do a lot of teleconferencing and videoconferencing, too. So when they have "meetings" they are only seen from the waist up.
We're also in the PNW... generally people out here really don't give a hoot what clothes you are wearing. People out here judge you more based on your manners, abilities, intelligence, how you speak, how respectful you are. It's really nice. I think the weather has something to do with it. Most people dress to be warm and dry, modest and comfortable.
When we see guys in suits or they look dressed up, we tend to assume they are either California developers or the Mormons that go door-to-door - and regardless of which we sort of giggle and try to avoid them without being too impolite about it.
I'm out here in SoCal and along with the Bay area, Seattle, we're probably the biggest offenders on dressing up. I've seen guys who look like unkempt hobos & bums step out of Maserati's and Bentley's. In fact on the Westside of town where entertainment & tech startups dominate, dressing up in anything other than jeans & sneaks is considerered un-hip, as if your career isn't as valuable or esteemed as some slob who does creative or coding projects. It's quite ironic in a non-hipster un-mustachioed way.
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