Is the world under dressed or am I just an old fart?

[Scott R]

17 Years with IBM, 12 in a suit, I'm still business casual every day and I keep a sport coat hanging on my office door with a spare tie for special meetings. Most of the millennial's I work with are pretty sharp dressers these days too so it seems to be shifting back at least where I work, they ear khakis and collared shirts every day at the minimum, very good grooming habits.

[A930Rocket]

I’m in the home building business. I wear nice khakis shorts and a polo type shirt every day. Georgia Giant boots.

When it gets cold, I wear jeans 95% of the time and a polo type shirt. Georgia Giant boots again.

When I’m not working, I wear nice khakis shorts and polo type shirt. And I wear Topsiders.

[Craig T]

Originally Posted by Baz

Beautiful pic, Craig! Especially the young lady and Avo trees! Not sure about the old guy though!

Baz, I think we'd have to go to Zimbabwa to find a plant or tree you can recognize with just one leaf. Unbelieveable. Our resident botanist.

[930addict]

Originally Posted by legion

The only people that I regularly see wear suits are people that have low-paying/high-stress jobs and/or are 100% on commission. Used car salesmen wear suits. New car salesmen wear dealership polo shirts. Door-to-door salesmen. Bottom line, they are trying to sell me that something that I don't want.

I work in IT. We have a culture that basically says the more slovenly you dress, it must be because you have the skills to get away with it. I wear polo shirts and jeans with tennis shoes most days.

Executives also wear suits. I don't see them often. Politicians often wear suits. They are often trying to sell me something that I don't want.

Ha! My thoughts exactly! I'm also in IT. I wear black slacks, shoes and belt and either a nice black or maroon polo shirt every day. I could wear jeans but I'm more comfortable in slacks.

There's another guy at the company that dresses super sharp. Three piece suits - the whole 9 yards. He even has a pocket watch. By the looks you would think he was a Wall Street banker but he's an administrative assistant.

Back in the day there was a company called Chips and Technologies. Their Chief Engineer would come to work in pajamas and slippers, had an office just off to the side of the reception area, and drove a beautiful Cobalt Blue 911 turbo.

[stealthn]

I wear a suit everyday (no tie) even though I don’t have to. I like it plus you only get one chance at a first impression with clients. What I find now in business is it’s women who don’t try anymore, even with dress codes. Saddles with shorts and sleeveless shirts, see it all the time....I miss summer dresses...

[NY65912]

When I was a kid even the butcher wore a tie! We wore ties every day in grammar school.

Things changed in '66 when I entered middle school, then only once a week for assembly.

[Grimm]

I've been debating with myself about posting in this thread because I'm clearly in the minority, but here goes.

My wife and I love dressing up and jump at every opportunity. And, although I'm in IT, I also always wear tailored slacks and a jacket to work. And, about a half dozen times a year I need to wear a suit/tie.

My wife would never consider leaving the house unless she looks her best and she wouldn't be caught dead wearing sweats or anything similarly dowdy. She'll occasionally wear jeans, but generally she has on a dress or skirt. I can't recall a single time during the 42 years we've been together that she went without makeup and fully done hair.

We also seek out occasions that call for full formal wear. I have my own tux that I've been using for over 30 years, and my wife loves going all out in a beautiful gown.

I retire in a few months and one of the first things I'm going to do is go to NY and order a new custom-tailored suit that I'm sure will get plenty of use.

Now that I'm in my 60's I don't see any of this changing. Here we are a few weeks ago after going out to dinner.

[wdfifteen]

In my engineering days no one wore a tie in the lab, but we would have meetings about once a month where we were required to wear a tie. We all kept a tie in our desks, and competed to see who could come up with the ugliest tie. One guy had one that was a photo of a pile of vomit.

[berettafan]

Grimm you are a handsome couple indeed!

Some of us are just wired differently I suppose.

[GH85Carrera]

I used to work at a professional photo lab. I kept a spare set of grungy clothes at work for working on the processors there. I lived just one mile away so changing was easy even if I had to run home.

Anyway the Kodak equipment was sometimes only repairable by their tech guys. They HAD to wear a coat and tie while on premises of a customer. I had to pull the big electrical disconnect and do an emergency shutdown on on processor that had grabbed a tech rep by the tie and was pulling him down. I tried not to laugh. He was rather upset. We had to cut his tie off and take apart the rollers to get the "foreign debris" out of the rollers. He left with a mutilated tie but otherwise he was fine. He had to have the machine on, to service it. He said after that, he would remove his tie and risk getting fired rather than get hung by a processor.

[RANDY P]

Day to day work: Nice casual button down shirt, jeans, expensive shoes. Maybe slacks. Semi formal meetings- Everything but neckties. In face to face meetings with clients, I have the option of dressing down (corporate casual) but:

1)- Although you may technically be OK, IMHO especially around others who don't know you, it puts out that unprofessional vibe,- I'm not saying dress up with a full suit and cufflinks like you're trying to sell a car or summon Jesus, but least traditionally appropriate to the situation- If you were deciding on spending millions on project work between two vendors, one guy comes in with a wrinkled polo shirt with a coffee stain, the other in a nice tailored blazer, all things being equal who would you go with? Better safe than sorry, until they really know who you are.

2)- I just feel more awake if I took the effort to dress up - blazer slacks, shirt. The one problem with dressing at work the same way you would doing yardwork is your habits slip, you feel like well, you stepped into work to do something but you should be doing yardwork and your mind isn't in gear. Dressing up is like a pause from reality-dress up, game time. Look the part feel the part.

If you don't dress up and change up, after awhile the days and nights all run together...Being shabby becomes what you are.

3)- Most people dress like schlubs these days- it's the 'in' thing. Just, no thank you. Looks like ****. Ain't having it. I'm not dressing like a college dropout who never left home..

4)- Cheap clothes are just that- cheap. Don't last very long. I got stuff in my wardrobe over 20 years old (sport coats and a few shirts) that still look current today. Yes, I probably paid 7 -8 x what most guys spend on one, but they last and look good. Can't tell which decade it's from.

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by Grimm

Nice. What I'm talking about. I'm of the same mindset you are about clothes- these days, most people just look unkept- undignified.

PS- I have a Peter Millar blazer I got for next to nothing that looks almost exactly like the one you're wearing. Double digit price, too good to pass up.

rjp

[RANDY P]

One last thing, I know a manager for GE in WA state, his office is in his home. Get this-

-every morning, he gets up, showers, dresses up, puts on a shirt and necktie.
-walks from his bedroom, across the hallway to his office.

Every. Single. Day.

I once asked him if he ever skipped putting on pants during a Skype call, he said 'no'. After all, he's an engineer. I'd be tempted to try it at least, once, :P

rjp

[RANDY P]

Originally Posted by peteremsley

Agreed. They look fantastic for a night out.

Peter Millar blazer for < $100? Sounds like a score! I've got a pair of Millar swim shorts that were more than that

Still has tags Rock bottom closeout. 2 button- Going to tailor for alterations this weekend .

rjp

[speeder]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I used to work at a professional photo lab. I kept a spare set of grungy clothes at work for working on the processors there. I lived just one mile away so changing was easy even if I had to run home.

Anyway the Kodak equipment was sometimes only repairable by their tech guys. They HAD to wear a coat and tie while on premises of a customer. I had to pull the big electrical disconnect and do an emergency shutdown on on processor that had grabbed a tech rep by the tie and was pulling him down. I tried not to laugh. He was rather upset. We had to cut his tie off and take apart the rollers to get the "foreign debris" out of the rollers. He left with a mutilated tie but otherwise he was fine. He had to have the machine on, to service it. He said after that, he would remove his tie and risk getting fired rather than get hung by a processor.

It's too bad that he did not have the basic sense to tuck his tie into the middle of his shirt between the buttons like men have been doing for over 100 years when they needed it not to hang. Pretty simple, just unbutton one button high on your chest, tuck tie in and re-button.

It begs credulity that someone could work on machines w rollers for a living and lean over them without knowing this or that it was the first time he knew of someone's tie going in the rollers if not.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

I used to work at a professional photo lab. I kept a spare set of grungy clothes at work for working on the processors there. I lived just one mile away so changing was easy even if I had to run home.

Anyway the Kodak equipment was sometimes only repairable by their tech guys. They HAD to wear a coat and tie while on premises of a customer. I had to pull the big electrical disconnect and do an emergency shutdown on on processor that had grabbed a tech rep by the tie and was pulling him down. I tried not to laugh. He was rather upset. We had to cut his tie off and take apart the rollers to get the "foreign debris" out of the rollers. He left with a mutilated tie but otherwise he was fine. He had to have the machine on, to service it. He said after that, he would remove his tie and risk getting fired rather than get hung by a processor.

All that guy needed was a good tie clip and he should have had one. He also could have tucked his tie in between a couple of buttons on his shirt. He was careless, that's all there is to it.

However, and that having been said, Kodak is really the one at fault. The techs should certainly have had the freedom to remove their jackets and roll their sleeves up, not to mention restricting the tie. OSAH would nowadays see to that. Or, he could have brought a lab coat. Still in compliance with that on.

The right clothing in the right place.

[flatbutt]

Before I retired the 20 somethings were coming into our office wearing just about anything other than "professional" garb. Way back when I worked for J&J I owned 7 suites, was mandated to travel in a suite and couldn't even leave my laboratory without my jacket. Even as a bench chemist a proper shirt and tie was required. Heck, I once got gigged for carrying a canvas knapsack instead of a briefcase!

I don't miss those days but slovenly is no way to come into an office.

[RANDY P]

OK, which one of you guys would wear this to a meeting?

[Zeke]

[fintstone]

I wear a solid color suit and tie to work (with a white, long sleeve shirt). Black shoes and belt. I do not wear a blazer or mixed pants/jacket. It is probably just me, but... the blazer, tie and khakis looks like what the old dudes with no game wore when I was a kid (insurance sales, used car guy or the bag boy at the grocery with the short sleeved shirt and mangled tie). Looks funny to me (like a mullet). "business up front and party in the back". The guys my mom used to work with used that as a uniform...but they were pretty bottom rung...so maybe just a phobia on my part.

While I suspect that wearing a nice suit to work, church, etc. seems out of place to many now, I sorta like it as almost everyone seems to appreciate it. At work, superiors, subordinates, etc. all seem to treat me better when I am dressed better. Even if i go to rich or stop at a store or restaurant...same thing. Much better treatment than when I go to the same places in jeans or shorts. Women (of all ages) really seem to like a well dressed man...just like the song. I imagine if one was carrying an extra 100 lbs...it just would not help.