Suit Up!

I look good in a suit.

Now, there are a lot of points on which I am willing to cede ground, but this is not one of them, so it was with more than a little joy that I went all Barney Stinson for an off-site client meeting this week and appropriately suited up.

My day job is in Corporate America, so you wouldn’t think it particularly noteworthy that an individual in a professional organization would actually get snazzed up for a day, but down in the land of personal cube space and shared fluorescent lighting I might as well have been an invader from the Planet of the MBAs. Apparently the only reasons to wear a suit are if you are attending a funeral or a job interview.

It is a little disheartening to realize that in most cases dressing up has become as simple as wearing a pair of wrinkled Dockers and a golf shirt with faded pizza sauce stains.

I am a writer, and an occasional writer of video games at that, so I realize the bar of professional appearance is not exactly astronomic. People seem generally satisfied that I arrive at most functions without a family of possums living in my tangled hair. But, when I wear my suit of single breasted armor I just feel different, like maybe I should be watching sports while complaining to strangers about diversifying my portfolio.

Am I the only one who feels different wearing a suit? I slip on the jacket over a crisply pressed shirt, choke up that tie and this confidence washes over me. A guy like me, wearing an outfit like that, is clearly going places. I am stuck in traffic with gusto! I am ordering lunch like a man! I am totally owning this elevator ride to the sixth floor! See that penny there? You can have it, because a man like me wearing a suit like this don’t need no stinking, lucky floor-penny.

And, it’s odd because even as I was an overdressed anomaly at work, it seemed that I was also a defacto source of dependable information on topics I was not equipped to address. I understand now how people in suits becoming spouting mouthpieces of nonsense, because there is a strange synergy (Suit Word!) between the unrealistic confidence the wearer has in his own omnipotence matched only by everyone else’s desire to pass the buck.

It is thoroughly addicting. Even now as I am back in the team uniform of low level employees (jeans and a buttoned shirt) I miss the allure, the power of the suit. I start thinking nonsense like, “maybe I could rock the sport coat and jeans look?”

What am I, a sports reporter from a late-80s baseball movie?

No, it is an armor too powerful and too corrupting to wear everyday. It would be just weeks until I was figuring out how I could leverage my home equity for a BMW loan and cheating at business school entrance exams. I would wile away the hours between spreadsheets and Powerpoint presentations watching internet videos on how to improve the distance on my nine-iron. I would finger gun and fist bump.

And yet, it calls to me.

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Perhaps adding an evil lab coat & goggles ensemble to the rotation would balance things out?

I love to wear suits and play dress up. I get my Johnny Cash going, with all black. Sassy.

Elysium wrote:

Apparently the only reasons to wear a suit are if you are attending a funeral or a job interview.

My boss always looks at me a bit funny if I get a wild hair and come to work all dressed up, for this exact reason.

I'll see you in hell... you handsome rogue!

Perhaps adding an evil lab coat & goggles ensemble to the rotation would balance things out?

I'd really have to practice my laugh first. It's about standards.

Wearing a suit makes me feel less powerful, not more. I look good enough in one, but I feel like a sham. I know that I don't belong in suit world, and I'm convinced that everyone who sees me in one immediately knows this, too.

DIVERSIFY MY PORTFOLIO, PEASANT!

I wear a suit to weddings, special occassions and funerals. Aside from that, I will never, ever have a job where I am required to wear a shirt and tie. And I'm a "white collar" professional (engineer). Today I am wearing a flannel, a t-shirt, and jeans. Do I think this makes me more unprofessional? Absolutely not. By being comfortable in my clothes and my job, I am able to focus more on getting things done than worrying about the image I am projecting to those around me.

It is interesting how things have changed from my father's generation where a suit was worn to ball games, let alone to work.

I love the way I look in a suit, with the proviso that it has to fit properly. If it's the wrong size, it's worse than not dressing up at all, both physically and emotionally.

I'm in the technical services end of a university library, so I can get away with t-shirt and jeans, but I'm slowly diversifying my clothing portfolio. I posted my snazzy new pocketwatch on a different thread, and I've picked up a couple of vests from Sears on clearance. Next up, I'll need some nicer button-down shirts, maybe some chinos, and eventually a blazer or two.

Unfortunately, I don't have a pressing need for the clothes, or a large budget, so their acquisition is proceeding very slowly. I've got the evil laugh down pat, though.

I have never worn a suit in my life. Sounds like I should try it someday.

Sean Sands, I could not agree with you more. We should have a Gamers with Suits get together.
It would be legen-
wait for it!
- DARY!

Is it bad that NPH and a good HIMYM quote is all it takes to get me to read a front page article?

Elysium wrote:
Perhaps adding an evil lab coat & goggles ensemble to the rotation would balance things out?

I'd really have to practice my laugh first. It's about standards.

I know a vocal coach that could help you out with that.

I wear a suit most days, though lately I feel less and less compelled to wear a tie. On some days, I do rock the sport coat & jeans look. With boots no less. I don't think much of it anymore--it's like my job's version of a uniform. If I were to come to work wearing a t-shirt and shorts, it'd feel like one of those dreams you had back in junior high of showing up to school naked.

It would be legen-
wait for it!
- DARY!

Internet high five!

I'm with you, Elysium. Suits just feel great. I'm picking up an old Fedora in a short while to complement the ensemble. We may see the pendulum swing back this direction, as well, thanks to the economy. I wouldn't mind; as of right now, I'm always overdressed for the entertainment industry — of course, the mere fact that I shaved this morning puts me ahead of 90% of the entertainment industry.

I'm a big fan of the Art of Manliness blog, and their dress and grooming section has a ton of great articles to get anyone started, if they're interested.

Big fan of Blazers or sport jackets. The sport coat and jeans is great, and I do feel I command a little more respect when dressed as such. It's hard for people to take you seriously when you show up wearing your Halo 2 "Finish the Fight" shirt. :p

Wait, did you guys have a Tuxedo Day and didn't invite me?

I've had friends who wore suits in order to encourage a more serious mindset, for studying and exams in college, for example.

For my part, the feeling of power and formality of wearing a suit makes me act even more cocky and simultaneously even less formal, to balance out the formality of the suit. Really, there's just no winning for me.

Nothing better than a good suit to make a man feel more badass...

And don't forget to accessorize! Throw a nice watch, some well polished Kenny Coles, cuff links, a full length overcoat, and some good smellum juice on the neck bone and WATCH OUT NOW!

Every time I wear a suit and tie to a function, I spend 10 minutes imitating James Brown in front of the mirror, just to get the funk flowin'.

Apparently the only reasons to wear a suit are if you are attending a funeral or a job interview.

I'm in IT, and I can safely strike the latter occasion from the list. In fact, I'm pretty sure wearing a suit to a tech startup would be a mark against me.

You did forget weddings, though.

I do like the look of a properly tailored suit, since it is optimally designed to shield the rest of the world from the truth of my bloated and misshapen body. I occasionally watch "What not to Wear," and it's amazing the machinations that women must go through to create a similar illusion. Whereas they seem to have some arcane set of rituals that varies from person to person, we've got a single ultimate weapon that has been passed down for generations.

In practice, though, I just can't be bothered to wear the thing more than is mandated.

For almost a decade, I wore almost nothing but suits and ties, weekends included. I was a perfect dresser; I always wore a full windsor knot, I never lacked a pocket square, and my shoes always had a perfect military shine. At one point, for a number of years I did not own a pair of jeans.

Now, I only wear a suit when I am in court or meeting with a client. In court it is generally unacceptable to not have a suit and tie on, although I have noticed in the past few years women have begun really pushing the boundary there. 15 minutes after I am done, I am back to jeans. Judges and clerks who know me see how many times I change clothes a day and laugh.

Also, among the rich folk I know and can only aspire to move amongst, the wristwatch is as/more important than the suit. I have found that the really rich wear sportcoats, no ties, and watches worth more than my car. But oddly enough, few of them have fancy cars.

Elysium wrote:

I am stuck in traffic with gusto! I am ordering lunch like a man! I am totally owning this elevator ride to the sixth floor! See that penny there? You can have it, because a man like me wearing a suit like this don’t need no stinking, lucky floor-penny.

Oh, my. You just made my morning. And probably the rest of the day, too.
Did you smirk as you caught your slick reflection mid-strut? It's one of life's little joys that comes highly recommended.

I used to stand like a fashion model at the bus stop downtown after the days I had to meet with clients. It feels good to wear power.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Wearing a suit makes me feel less powerful, not more. I look good enough in one, but I feel like a sham. I know that I don't belong in suit world, and I'm convinced that everyone who sees me in one immediately knows this, too.

I am so there with you. Even though I've been working in one office or another for most of my adult life, I still feel completely ill-at-ease wearing a full suit. I can't even stand wearing a tie and have based some job decisions on whether I'd have to wear one every day or not.

That said, I still look damned good in one.

Today I am wearing a flannel, a t-shirt, and jeans.

Do you also wear combat boots while listening to Nirvana? Apparently you work in the 90s. Don't mind me, I'm a bit jealous.

I like to avoid responsibility; wearing a suit seems to be antithetical to that.

These days, I end up wearing my tuxedo more than I do a suit. While I like the way I look in a suit, I love the way I look in my tux. I've been to three black-tie events in the past year, and it's all been looking good and lots of fun.

I wear business casual to work. I'd actually prefer to dress a little more formally (suit pants and dress shirts), but I don't care to put the time into ironing that many sets of pants and shirts, or taking all of that mess to the dry cleaners. It works out easier for me to wear khakis and knits because I can just hang them up straight from the dryer and they look presentable.

I am right there beside you. When I put on a suit, confidence rises. It's also a fairly commonly recognized phenomenon that other people pay better/more attention to you. Which leads to the axiom: always dress for the job you want, not the one you have. Unless you want to be a pizza delivery guy or a hobo.

However, the years of having to keep my uniform (military) at dress level, and then later working for an org where ties were mandatory, I have since consciously slipped comfortably into my shorts, fleece jacket, fivefingers attire. Now when I don something classier the first thing everyone asks is "who are you interviewing with?"

I wear cargo-shorts or clam-diggers and T-shirts to work.

I am however starting up a new coffee shop that will require slightly more formal attire. Long pants and button up shirts, for me this is formal. But the few times I have worn a suit I alternate between feeling extremely bad-ass and like a total impostor.

I could geek out on fashion a million ways here, but just to address your main points: people treat you differently when you dress differently. It is not always consciously that they do so. It is not necessarily fair.

Making one digression, a suit that fits well is more important than a more expensive suit. It is almost a must that you get your suit tailored (unless you are really lucky sizewise). Although more expensive suits do look better in small ways that untrained eyes can't quickly distinguish. This is also not necessarily fair. Because of this, I do not even own a current suit (because my work does not require one), although with sufficient money I'd wear them regularly. They are flattering to pretty much every man.

Fantastic, sir. You've done Barney proud. High Five!

I own two suits. One is great. One is kind of atrocious. I dress at the neat end of business casual for work, and suits are really only needed for formal occasions and certain client meetings. But I, too, love wearing a suit, and am looking into improving my formal wardrobe and wearing them more often.

I'm going to go ahead and quote Kanye West, just to be a dick.

Dressed smart like a London Bloke.
Before he speak his suit bespoke.
And you thought he was cute before.
Look at this Pea Coat, Tell me he’s broke.

I actually DO want a good Pea Coat some day. I can do without the suits, though. It's mostly the tie that weirds me out, I can never shake the feeling that it wants to kill me.

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