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.

Comments

I don't like dressing up. I've got the opposite feeling towards dressing up in general. No pockets to carry anything (As a rule, I have my phone, my sunglasses, my wallet, my keys, and my leatherman on me.) and it's generally uncomfortable and annoying. If I'm trying to fix a system that hasn't seen the light of day in 15 years, and it's got enough dust to kill a dog, I want to be climbing back there in something more comfortable than a monkey suit.

Plus, I've got the slightly irrational bias against "empty suits".

I kinda like suits, though I don't often enjoy wearing them. I think the problem is that I need to get a nice tailored suit. You know, one that someone (a tailor, perhaps) fits to me. The problem being that that is a bit out of my price-range for the time being. So I have to make due with the sh*tty suit I have now.

A nice guide for some of those that might not be in the know for how to suit up:

http://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/newbie-fashion-tips-for-grown-up-men.html

I'm corporate guy too, cube farm, powerpoint, spreadsheets. Phrases like "cross functional team" are commonplace. And when I put a suit on instead of my flat-front gray wool pants and blue-button-down-shirt-of-supreme-nondescriptiveness I feel like an impostor. I don't feel powerful. I feel like a guy trying to wear a suit. When I dress my 6-year-old son up for pictures or something in a little boy vest or coat, he's adorably wrong. And so am I in my suit.

I don't need to wear them often, but when I wear my suit I become the Corporate version of Ironman. Its all about results and with the suit on, I get on a roll and things just happen.

Love wearing them occasionally, because then the mojo is there. Where it to often and I fear I would lose the edge the suit gives me.

Kannon wrote:

Plus, I've got the slightly irrational bias against "empty suits".

I love that phrase; it makes me recall one of my favorite scenes from The Wire.

I'm with Wordsmythe: if They were to pay me more, I would gladly dress up for Them. But They don't, so I won't, and it seems unlikely I'll ever achieve a degree of success that justifies wearing such an outfit on a regular basis.

At one place I worked, I got together with some coworkers and informally instituted "dress-up Fridays" where we'd run around wearing nice shirts and ties. Mostly we did it for the absurdity value as a backlash against the "casual Fridays" trend, with the additional benefit of making our bosses nervous that we might be interviewing elsewhere and they'd never know.

I too work in corporate America, but took a job a few years ago that put me more in tech/operations, so no more client interaction on a regular basis.

I don't miss the suit. In fact, I work at home a lot of times wearing tshirts and shorts/sweats.

MannishBoy wrote:

I don't miss the suit. In fact, I work at home a lot of times wearing tshirts and shorts/sweats.

Too far!

Sweatpants, as far as I'm concerned, shouldn't even exist. If it comes to that level of casual and I'm still wearing pants, I vastly prefer flannel pajama pants.

But seriously, let's just stop it with sweatpants.

gore wrote:

I'm with Wordsmythe: if They were to pay me more, I would gladly dress up for Them. But They don't, so I won't, and it seems unlikely I'll ever achieve a degree of success that justifies wearing such an outfit on a regular basis.

I think one of the things you can take home from this article (and the comments) is that you might be mixing up cause and effect.

wordsmythe wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

I don't miss the suit. In fact, I work at home a lot of times wearing tshirts and shorts/sweats.

Too far!

Sweatpants, as far as I'm concerned, shouldn't even exist. If it comes to that level of casual and I'm still wearing pants, I vastly prefer flannel pajama pants.

But seriously, let's just stop it with sweatpants.

They have their uses. I have a pair of sweatpants I use for running outdoors in cold weather, and exercises in my apartment (which is not perfectly climate controlled). Pajamas typically do not have as much give in them, and are usually not thick enough for outdoor wear in cold weather.

But for working at home? Then pajamas, certainly. (Or: pajamas, at most.)

beeporama wrote:
gore wrote:

I'm with Wordsmythe: if They were to pay me more, I would gladly dress up for Them. But They don't, so I won't, and it seems unlikely I'll ever achieve a degree of success that justifies wearing such an outfit on a regular basis.

I think one of the things you can take home from this article (and the comments) is that you might be mixing up cause and effect.

So long as you're permitted to dress better at work. We're the permanent-press army over here, and heaven save the person who wears a tie.

Elysium:

At the end of the day, I guess it all boils down to what one is used to.

Although I don't work a traditional 9-to-5 job, I do have to wear what I call a "monkey suit" of sorts each time I climb into the airplane to fly wealthy and powerful people to where they want to go. Bottom line: It's all an attempt to project an image of what you (or your employer) want someone else to think you are. It may or may not be the reality. As many of us have heard when young, a person's essence is way more than skin (or fancy fashion)-deep.

Personally, I have not researched the origins of the necktie, but I am of the opinion that some sort of poetic justice would have occurred if the person who first conceptualized the necktie was somehow strangled during the course of wearing one.

If you enjoy "suiting up" as a nice change of pace, props to you. I for one would prefer to keep it presentable, yet simple in the workplace. Why the monkey suit when a comfortable pair of slacks and respectable collared polo shirt still looks reasonable and keeps me comfortable at the same time? I will leave the dress-up to my daughter and her Barbie & Ken dolls as much as possible!

Have a nice day!

grobstein wrote:

But for working at home? Then pajamas, certainly. (Or: pajamas, at most.)

I am lucky enough to have a work-at-home job. During the cold months, I wear jeans and a t-shirt or long sleeved shirt (depending on how cold it is). During the hot months, I only wear shorts, no shirt. The company headquarters office is 2,000 miles away, although I've been there twice (one week each time) - first time was late 2008 and second time was earlier this month. It's very casual. Even the CEO wears a "polo" shirt and jeans.

ClockworkHouse wrote:

Wearing a suit makes me feel less powerful, not more. I look good enough in one, but I feel like a sham.

This. The only times in my life that I've worn a full suit was high school prom (tux), weddings, and funerals. I feel completely out of my element in a suit, like an imposter.

My personal preferences for suits and such lie on the opposite side of the spectrum. The more I have to "dress up" the more uncomfortable I get. Now I am all about personal appearance in the sense of grooming and hygiene, but the suit to me feels like a uniform - the corporate version of a black and white striped inmate's attire.

And ties? Don't get me started on those! Wearing something around my neck that could quite literally be used to choke me to death ... no sir, I just don't like it.

If you doubt the suit, look no further than Don Draper.

I dig the tie more than the suit. Most mens' suits tend to be drab, boring, and ill fitting; and the ones that aren't drab are too nice to wear most of the time in this sweat pants wearing society we call America. But a great tie with a nice shirt, maybe an extra layer like a sport coat or sweater, that is a good look that can be worn just about anywhere.

beeporama wrote:
gore wrote:

I'm with Wordsmythe: if They were to pay me more, I would gladly dress up for Them. But They don't, so I won't, and it seems unlikely I'll ever achieve a degree of success that justifies wearing such an outfit on a regular basis.

I think one of the things you can take home from this article (and the comments) is that you might be mixing up cause and effect.

I think your trying to say "dress for the job you want, not the one you have." Which is good advice.

Know what I need to start wearing to work? Denim shirts.

Kojiro wrote:

I think you're trying to say "dress for the job you want, not the one you have." Which is good advice.

wordsmythe wrote:

Know what I need to start wearing to work? Denim shirts.

It's official. Wordy wants to be a bull-rider, instead of a bull-writer.

jonman wrote:

I had to wear a suit and tie to high school.

Me too.

I have to wear a suit to work every day, and not just a suit, but a pinstriped one (it's more a tradition than a requirement of my employer). Thankfully, the rule-of-thumb that it had to be either double-breasted or a three-piece is dying out. I like the looks, but they tend to be very expensive. I hate wearing ties, but always do/ I always insist on wearing cuff links.

When I first started out, I did feel well armoured, but I now drive 60 miles in the suit, wear it for 8 to 10 hours, and then drive another 60 miles. Since my beautiful daughter is always waiting for me with 2 year old sticky fingers when I walk through the door, none of my suits are ever pristine.

As time goes on, I care less and less about the suits. I really need to replace all of them, but I just don't want to spend several hundred pounds on clothes for work. Bearing in mind most defendants come to court in tracksuits, I don't really feel the need to dress up.

I'm just glad that I don't have to dress like this any more (neither of these are me, by the way!):

IMAGE(http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f286/diocirce/england_barristers.jpg)

The wig cost £700, and is profoundly uncomfortable. The gown was £400 (I think) and heavy as hell. The shirts are specially made, as the tabs at the front are removable so that a normal collar can be attached instead. What a load of rubbish.

Where is the FAQ: A suit for every situation. That is totally needed on this site (being with jobs and all)
-X

wordsmythe wrote:

Know what I need to start wearing to work? Denim shirts.

I have.

Man, if I could work from home, I'd never wear pants again.

wordsmythe wrote:
MannishBoy wrote:

I don't miss the suit. In fact, I work at home a lot of times wearing tshirts and shorts/sweats.

Too far!

Sweatpants, as far as I'm concerned, shouldn't even exist. If it comes to that level of casual and I'm still wearing pants, I vastly prefer flannel pajama pants.

But seriously, let's just stop it with sweatpants.

Sweats have their uses. I also lift at home, and sweats protect the shins from getting blooded and bruised on heavy deadlifts. So suck it. :p I never wear them out of the house farther than my mailbox.

You guys can keep your suits and ties; I will happily toil away the rest of my years down here in the trenches fixing all the crap you guys need fixin'. I have never owned a suit in my life, and I don't currently even own a tie.

The happiest times in my life I was working as a printing pressman and wore jeans and a t-shirt daily (usually covered with ink stains); and more recently was working in maintenance at the college I went to, where my uniform was a mechanics shirt over a t-shirt and jeans.

I currently work in an engineering office that does the business casual thing (polo shirt and Dockers), and sitting at a desk all day drives me nuts; I wouldn't work there if I had to dress up in any more than that. I am itching to find a position that allows me to work with my hands again; guess that comes from my father being a mechanic/fabricator.

spider_j wrote:
jonman wrote:

I had to wear a suit and tie to high school.

Me too.

We didn't do suits, but blazers and ties.

I still hate, hate, hate a tie. I like a suit with a nice plain T-shirt.

tie = leash

Down with the Man! Fight the Power!

I teach band, and it is noteworthy how much better discipline is on days when I have to wear a suit for some reason, as opposed to most days when I wear my usual khakis and polo shirt!

That said, I am shocked--shocked!--to learn that one of the founders of GWJ doesn't wear a suit regularly, as the mascot would have me believe.

wordsmythe wrote:

Know what I need to start wearing to work? Denim shorts.

corrected that for ya.

This blog post brought to you by CBS.

Chairman_Mao wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:

Know what I need to start wearing to work? Denim shorts.

corrected that for ya.

Why can't it be both?