Career tips : Suit/Tie vs. Jeans T Shirt.

I want to know why in the work force do you need to dress up? I’ve heard that there are statistics saying that if you dress up then you’re more productive. I think that’s a bunch of bull. We have to work 4 out of the 5 days dressed up and dress down Friday. I tracked how much work I get done on a day dressed up compared to a dress down day and I do about 15% more on the dress down Friday. I have yet to find dress up clothes that are comfortable. It seems like men always have to have a high collar. I hate things touching my neck and it drives me up the wall to wear dress shirts. I’ve been told that I will get used to it. Well I’ve been in the work force for 3 years now and I have not gotten used to it. Are there any types of clothes that are professional for men that do not have the collar? I’ve been in weddings and actually a Tux is more comfortable than suits are. Plus you do not have the maneuverability with suits either. I’ve noticed that when I have my shirt tucked in and nice, and when I reach to get files out of that are my eyes sight or a little higher my shirt just rises up and looks bad. Why bother if to do my job it just comes undone anyways. I don’t know but maybe the younger generation is different from the past generations. To me going to work is torture with the type of clothes I have to wear. It’s not so much the actual work it’s how I have to dress. I think that People that think you need to dress for success are stereotyping candidates. If you have someone who wears flip flops and jeans (stuff your not supposed to wear) but you know all the in’s and outs of the job and can run all the software and know what’s going on. I would pick that person over the one who dresses for success but really is a fake and a suck up who doesn’t know as much or makes a lot more mistakes. To me it’s no different than saying oh that persons black he’s not a hard worker. That’s not true and either is thought that the person who isn’t dress up isn’t professional.

I once asked my father what the best changes in work have been in his 30+ career, and he replied, "Working in a place you don't have to wear a suit and tie."

Also, there's so much dry cleaning involved with formal clothes...unless it's polyester you can't throw it into the wash. And as a woman...pantyhose...enough said!

I still think formal clothes in a professional setting has its place, however. Like it or not, appearances matter. I would want my lawyer in court to wear a suit. I want my senator to wear a suit.

Formal clothes shouldn't be uncomfortable if they fit right and worn properly. That's a big myth (watch "What Not to Wear" on TLC for examples). You could also try high-quality materials...there's a big difference between a cotton-poly shirt and a tasteful silk. Sometimes, admittedly, some people are super-sensitive to certain types of clothes (some people hate hats, are driven crazy by tags, etc.) but very often, a subtle change helps.

The title of this post caught my eye. I assumed before I saw it, someone was going to criticize the things I've said before about wearing partially ripped jeans on job interviews with average stripped shirt and ties.

But after having read your post, it sounds exactly like something I would write to a T. The only instance in which formal wear seems appropriate ( at least to me anyway ) is if your going to what you mentioned, a wedding, a business forum ( like the one I worked two weeks ago, in Massachsuetts, my state ) a political function or other such high profile enviorments.

I found myself somewhat acclimated to dress shirts and slacks working six years as a security guard, before I didn't care for it much. The first responder was right, maybe you need more time to get comfortable and break the clothes in ( if they're new ).

The professional enviorment isn't going to change anytime soon so, although it's not what you want to hear, I understand, but we all have to get used to it if we want to be in it.

Ah well the problem with clothing and changes in attitudes. It is a generation thing. When I was young jeans were not worn by my mother - just wasn't done. Women were barely wearing pants except to garden!

Then my generation came along. When I entered middle school girls couldn't wear pants to school. My class marched on the School Board and staged a sit in. We signed petitions. We got the rules changed. We could wear pants and shorts to school. We could wear Levis as a matter of fact.

At the same time, every day my father got up and put on a suit and tie to go to work at Boeing as an engineer. This was 1968 by the way. By 1972 the rules had been relaxed and he didn't have to wear a suit jacket, although ties were still expected for managers. By the 80's it was business casual in most Boeing offices for the engineering staff.

Even "business casual" demands a certain level of care in personal appearance and presentation. If you are working in a professional environment then you must present yourself as a professional. If there is any chance that you will encounter a customer in your work environment then you "represent" the company and your appearance does indeed matter. This is not to say that you must be in a $2,000 suit, however you must not be in flip flops and shorts either. While content and capability matter a great deal; so does presentation.

So there are standards. They are there for a reason. Appearance does matter, it shows that you care for yourself and take pride in yourself. Looking like s slob is not acceptable in a professional environment, no matter what you might think. A well fitting pair of slacks (Khakis work) pulled up properly (no one wants to see the color of your shorts) with clean polo shirts or button downs are appropriate business casual with appropriate shoes!

When you have your own business or have succeeded to the extend that you run a business then you can set the standard. Believe or not by that time you will have grown up enough to realize that appearance and presentation matter.

Hey,LVal,

Which plant did your Father work at in the '80's? Boeing was one of the first to go casual.

When I was in HS, you got two swats if you didn't wear a belt. That was the same penalty as for TP'ing a teacher's house. The TP party was more fun.

I don't get the complaint about the shirt collar. I'm wearing a short sleeve button down collar shirt right now, it's quite comfortable. I like cotton better than silk for comfort. I have found that tropical weight wool dress pants are really comfortable, they're like 'jammies. They are dry clean only. Much more comfortable than jeans. I wear a blazer or sport coat once in a while.

I live in penny loafers, I have both oxblood and black. I wear tassel loafers with a suit. I never wear my shoes at my desk.

I only wear a suit and tie for big meetings. I have navy blue, charcoal grey and glen plaid, what else is there? We're pretty casual, even the 'members' wear BDU's or flight suits instead of blues, since we're at war.

As far as formal wear, that's black tie evening wear, never appropriate for work.

Dad worked in Renton mostly. But we also lived overseas.

It depends on the industry. Like any financial job would still require 'formal' clothing. Like in banks the tellers behind the counter or even a few customer service worker sitting behind the desk wear pollo shirts and Khakis with the bank's name on it. There are also people running around with suits and ties who are the 'managers' or executives or the ones who handle the larger accounts. So, in banks clothing has become a kind of ranking like stripes in the military. At McDonalds the managers are required to wear ties, while the non-manager worker wears the pollos shirt and no tie. At Best Buy they all wear the blue pollo shirts and tan Khakis. But sometimes, even in Best Buys I'll see someone walking around in a suit and tie - when I see that I know it's a high ranking manager or executive. You would not wear a suit and tie if you do manual work or construction or plumbing work, that's for sure. It all depends .

Career Tips

Suit/Tie vs. Jeans T Shirt.