Dress code for business attire in SD (San Diego: sales, real estate)

[NoWhere2GoButUp]

Do professionals and business people wear neckties? I somehow can't imagine that they do in your climate. Is it anything goes or dressy casual?

[skeke]

My ex-husband wore a suit and necktie to work everyday when he lived and worked in San Diego. That was in the seventies, eighties and early nineties. Now that he is retired in Montana he is in jeans and on a horse or skis most of the time. I know when i worked with the local prosecutors (I was in criminal justice) they all wore suits and ties. This isn't the tropics.

[AADAD]

All of the doctors I work with wear ties. I would think it would depend on your industry. Nothing like a smart clean pressed shirt and a snappy tie imho

[NoWhere2GoButUp]

About 20 years ago I did business with a company in LA that sold stuff to Home Depot. I remember them saying that when you go in to visit one of the buyers, if you wore a neck tie they would cut it off! Yeah, I guess it does depend on the industry.

[AADAD]

In Alaska the only people who show up in ties are the FBI

[futbol]

Originally Posted by AADAD

All of the doctors I work with wear ties. I would think it would depend on your industry. Nothing like a smart clean pressed shirt and a snappy tie imho

[for men]

In the tech industry if someone is wearing a tie it usually means they are in sales or a sales support role travelling, or a foreign customer.

Almost nobody else wears a tie. It is business casual for day-to-day work, which for us means jeans or slacks, clean shoes (clean, new sneakers are ok if in the lab or office), shirt with collar, although some wear sweaters or nice T-shirts and that is ok.

Slippers are ok, too, if it is the Summer and they are the nice leather strapped ones.

Some people in my office really dress down, but it does not reflect well on them, IMHO.

Women have a different standard, which I don't understand 100%. Just don't dress like you are going to the club or the beach.

[NoWhere2GoButUp]

futbol,

Thanks for this. That sums it up pretty well. In Japan, the men used to wear neckties in the sweltering heat for decades. As such, they always had the air conditioning full blast in office buildings. This was fine for the men but cold for the women who, wearing skirts, had to wear small blankets on their knees when working at desks. Then the Japanese government figured out that if men did not have to wear ties in summer, they could use air conditioning more conservatively and save billions on energy. So, off came they neckties in summer - happily ever after for both the men and the women.

[futbol]

Originally Posted by NoWhere2GoButUp

futbol,

Thanks for this. That sums it up pretty well. In Japan, the men used to wear neckties in the sweltering heat for decades. As such, they always had the air conditioning full blast in office buildings. This was fine for the men but cold for the women who, wearing skirts, had to wear small blankets on their knees when working at desks. Then the Japanese government figured out that if men did not have to wear ties in summer, they could use air conditioning more conservatively and save billions on energy. So, off came they neckties in summer - happily ever after for both the men and the women.

They are now both more comfortable and happy... and conserving energy.

[USDefault]

Originally Posted by futbol

Some people in my office really dress down, but it does not reflect well on them, IMHO.

Never understood this line of thinking. At all. Dress has nothing to do with performance. And those that seek to enforce strict dress codes, usually were those who had the least skills and did little to contribute to the bottom line. In fact it's one of the reasons we started our own business. Rule number one, ultra-casual dress. Give me someone who's smart, capable, and on-time; I'll pay you to keep the suit and tie. Now we've got great employees, work is much more comfortable, and we are making bank.

Bernie Madoff wore nicely tailored suits and silk ties. That sure made a difference to his investing clients when they got zeroed out, didn't it? Look at any major real estate or mortgage fraud, accounting fraud, Ponzi scheme, or corporate securities fraud, and I'll show you scores of impeccably well-dressed scumbags, tailored to the nines, who pillaged their clients for every cent they could get their hands on. I see these Hermes and Armani dopes all the time when I'm in New York -- untrustworthy to the core, especially when you read their internal communications.

In fact, the nicer and more expensive the attire, the more on guard you should be. Fifteen years of banker, real estate, and Wall Street experience confirms it.

[AADAD]

I for one believe that very well groomed and crisp shirt/pants trumps an expensive suit any day.