Is the suit relevant in your life?

[tonypaj]

I deal with multimillion contracts/projects, can wear what I want, suits, jeans, sneakers, whatever. However, the thing that changed my way of looking at things was one line from Senator Jack:

"God, if lived in such a boring, conservative, safe, do-it-by-the-numbers world, I surely would have blown my brains out already."

This was (obviously) a reference to suits and the way people dress. I used to dress more "not to offend" the colleagues, clients, etc. This in my environment means casual to very very casual. These days, partially due to the above quote, it's suits, leather jackets, jeans, hats, caps, all possible accessories, anything possible, all depending on how I feel in the morning.

So yes, suits have a meaning, but out of preference on any given day, not out of necessity or need.

 

[Slim Portly]

I have absolutely no requirement to ever wear a suit. I was going to add, ".. except for the occasional wedding or funeral," but I have been to enough of those to see how little the average man bows to convention for a suit to be considered a requirement even for those solemn occasions.

I work for the government in a position where I deal with and assist the public, and our dress code is a disgrace. The only time I have ever seen anyone sent home for dressing inappropriately, they were told that they looked as if they were planning on spending a day at the beach. So dressing slightly better than for a day at the beach is apparently considered appropriate for a government worker who is in the public eye.

All of that being said, I wear a suit, tie, and hat every day to the office.

 

[KeyGrip]

For the proverbial 95% of the time, I do not need a suit. But for the other 5%, they are indispensable. Weddings, funerals, fancy dinners, dances, job interviews, and finals are but a few of the situations. I don't look good very often, but when I do I want to be sharp enough to cut somebody if they look at me long enough. Suits are relevant to me.

 

[Edward]

I work in legal academia. It's a relaxed environment. Not as much so as some parts of academia - we're less likely to turn up in some wild hippy garb than, say, the staff of the drama department lol - but certainly if I appeared in jeans it wouldn't be an issue. Tidy casual is quite acceptable. That said, there are penty of us who are suit and tie guys, and while I do dress how I do out of choice, I'm certainly well aware that my growing reputation as 'one of the best dressed academics around' (simply off the bakc of knowing how to put together a suit and tie combo, and work a pocket square and hat) certainly won't do me any harm when it comes to getting on, career-wise.

Other than that, there are n't many places I suppose I would be socially with any regularity that would require a suit as a matter of strict dress code. I do tend to dress up for Church out of pure choice. There is such a spectrum of dress among our congregation, from traditional suit and tie to full-on traditional African robes by way of jeans and T shirt that (within reason!) I could turn up in anything and noone would bat an eyelid. I have gone in jeans and leather jacket often enough. There are time, though, when I feel that a suit is not so much a matter of what I choose to wear, but the appropriate thing: when I'm reading, or fulfilling my duties as a communion steward, I am representing the church so I feel that I would be letting the sided down by being too casual. Again, though, within reason I doubt anyone else would mind.

In general, I find that society is becoming more and more casual as time goes on. Back in smalltown Ireland where I grew up you would have worn a suit or been stared at as some sort of heathen in Church, and in general people would dress up more often. since the 90s, though, it seems to me that this is fast changing. I go to a fair few events on the burlesque and vintage club circuit nowadays, and even there I see that if there is no dress code enforced, very few seem even to bother dressing for a night out. This is particularly true of men; the girls even if they are completely casual seem to have made a bit more effort with it. I suspect, though, that fashion will change eventually. Dressing down has been 'in' for a long time - that has to change soon, surely.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Mr. Deckard this is an interesting question and the answers are also interesting. I am glad that some people still have professions where they feel they have a need to wear a suit. I think it is sad that dress has slipped to such a degree. (Thank you to all of you who continue to dress so well.)

Okay, here is the point of my post - I feel that having so little standard for dress in our modern society makes every day and every situation more of a trial than it needs to be. When there was a standard and etiquette for dress it made it easy to know how to dress for different situations. Now when one goes out of the house to whatever event, typically I find I have a great deal of distress over what I should wear.

"Will it be too much if I wear that lovely skirt suit to that interview?" "Should I wear slacks, because maybe the interviewer will feel that a skirt is inappropriate for this position?" "What kind of restaurant is it, will my jeans make me feel tacky?" "What do you think others will wear to the wedding - do you think no one will talk to us because we are dressed weird (see: properly in my book.)" Oddly, having been out of a job I find myself searching for a job where I would at least not seem strange when I "dress up."

If we didn't think etiquette was such a bore perhaps we wouldn't spend our lives second guessing ourselves. Though truly I am not a stickler for rules - I still think that etiquette serves to facilitate interaction between people. Oh well, sorry to go on sooo long - maybe I am hopelessly old fashioned.

 

[Orgetorix]

For me, it's easy. I sell suits, so I have to wear them.

 

[mannySpaghetti]

Definately relevant

My pop always told me that every man should have at least one nice suit when I was a kid for such things as Church, a job interview or just a nice night out on the town. Though today's world has gone to casual attire for the most part, I still find it necessary as my father did to always look my best as well as trying to look better than the next guy. I can't remember how many times I've gone to job interviews and saw candidates showing up in jeans and a pull-over or khaki's with some half wrinkled long sleeve with a funky tie. I beat 'em out everytime and though it wasn't just because of how sharp I looked, I know it helped to show how serious I was. Even going out a few days ago for a business meeting in Boston, I got quite a few looks; especially from the ladies(must've been my Dobbs "Fifteen" ). Like my wife said that day at lunch to one of her friends that joined us, "Manny always sticks out like a sore thumb!". My reply, "That's because most guys don't look as good as I do". Except here at the Lounge of course.

 

[Matt Deckard]

maybe I am hopelessly old fashioned.

not old fashioned, just fashion minded.

 

[Brian Sheridan]

When I work on TV, I usually need to be in suit especially if I am anchoring. As for my full time job as a college prof, I don't wear suits hardly at all. I try to dress in odd coats and dress shirts. There are days though when I do the jeans and polo shirt look. Either way, I still look over dressed in comparison to my students who look like unmade beds.

Of course, I still enjoy dressing up for dinner at a good restaurant.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Why? A church is the last place that formality should required for your god.

Nobody said that it was required. But it's also a sign of respect - if not then for the people around you, at least yourself. Like weddings, funerals and various other ocassions, I've said it before an I'll say it again - it's not a matter of what you're most comfortable wearing, it's about dressing appropriately.

 

[Nighthawk]

Either way, I still look over dressed in comparison to my students who look like unmade beds.

That's me.

With eight ayems five days a week, I'm lucky to make it to class, much less look nice.

NH

 

[SteveS]

I started working in the business world 10 years ago (prior I was in construction) so I only know a buisness world in which the only people who wear suits are the executives or sales people.

Two years ago I started a new postition in the company and moved into a salary position working with a higher level of people, professionals, and decided to change my work wardrobe to be, what I thought would be appropriate attire: shirt, tie, wool pants, a suit on occasion. Wow was I suprised on my first day when most everyone was in Dockers and polo style shirts or button down shirts, basically business casual.

Well I didn't let that deter me I continued to wear my shirts, ties, and slacks and people would ask me why I'm so dressed up all the time? I even had a senior manager tell me that she didn't want to see me in a tie anymore. So I politely said I am really comfortable in a tie, and she looked a little taken back as if to say thats odd, who is comfortable in a tie? So she said well ok, so I continued to wear it.

Now I'm only in the office 2x a week so I don't wear a tie as often but the funny thing is people actually ask why I don't have a tie on. I think there are those out there that like to see a man in a shirt and tie (or suit) even though they themselves may choose not dress like that. As for the women, all of them like a sharp dressed man.

 

[Akubra Man]

I am an entrepreneur and have never worked in the corporate world other than at a local Mcdonalds restaurant as a fry cook when I was 15. Over the last quarter century I have built a large client base. In the new millennium I stopped wearing a suit and tie when the business casual look started to creep into the business world as a casual Friday thing and have not worn a suit and tie since. The difference for me is that I turned it into a casual 7 day thing. I keep a dark navy suit on hand for funerals but have not otherwise felt a need to don the old uniform. Business is up and I have not felt a twinge of desire to put it on again.

 

[Matt Crunk]

Funny thing is I have a closet full of suits, and am constantly looking/planning for more, but I hardly ever have an occasion to wear one. I make my living these days as a tattoo artist & shop owner, where my typical work uniform is a solid color t-shirt (usually black) and classic Dickies workpants (usually khaki) or chinos, worn with Converse Hi-top Chucks. On days when I feel like dressing up a little bit I may wear a retro style bowling shirt as a smock and saddle oxfords.

I find it quite ironic that my income is now five times greater than when I regularly wore a suit and tie as corporate art director/illustrator.

Maybe the reason I like suits so well is because I don't HAVE to wear them. But I'm usually the best dressed person at any funeral or wedding I attend, save maybe for the funeral director or the groom.

 

[vitanola]

Since selling my business fifteen years ago I have probably had but one or two occasions in any given year when wearing a suit was a necessity (funerals, mostly).

I still wear suits (or sports coats with trousers and perhaps a knitted vest) in winter time, though, for a very practical reason.

We live in a 5000+ square-foot Victorian house.

Whilst the home has modern insulation and 3 modern heating plants, if I were to keep the temperature set at a uniform 72 or 73 degrees throughout the house my monthly gas bill would be somewhere between $1,900.00 and $2,400.00.

I leave my heating plants turned "off" for most of the winter, only heating the entire home when we have guests staying, and make use of coal and gas fireplaces, and zone heaters (for example, each of our 5 bathrooms has a small built-in electric or radiant gas heater) to keep the house comfortable.

By wearing appropriate clothing in winter-time, and excercising moderate discipline, I am able to keep my monthly heating bill down in the $250.00-$300.00 range. By not overheating the house, I also do not dry out our sinuses, and we seldom catch colds in wintertime.

The Brits were right, when they complained that American homes were over-heated.

 

[Mrs. Merl]

Vitanola - you make some very good points!

 

[vitanola]

I suspect that suits began to lose their relevance for the general mass of men just about the same time that they ceased to serve a practical purpose, that of comfort.

In a time of expensive and scarce energy, they may once again find a relevance, or perhaps worm clothing will take on a new form yet unknown.

 

[Dr Doran]

i'm a Graduate Student Instructor at Berkeley. Lately it has been very hot, in the 80s, so no jacket, but when it's not painfully hot I wear a suit. No, I do not need to and am not expected to, and the professors almost never even wear ties, much less suits. But I have always appreciated a well-dressed professor on the rare occasions when I see one. It shows me that they think what they are doing is interesting and they are serious about it. I'm serious about what I teach (Latin and various aspects of ancient history such as Ancient Greek Religion, Roman History, etc.) and I try to dress up to show that.

As for dressing up for church. I'm a stone-cold diehard atheist, but if I did believe in invisible beings, ESPECIALLY an omnipotent omniscient eternal one, you better believe I'd dress as well as I possibly could when I went to worship it. That would be my way of showing it respect. The highest respect. The same reason why I dress up for funerals and weddings and explaining to people what happened during the Peloponnesian War AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT. To show my respectful attention, to show that I think it is worthwhile to focus on this couple/historical story/invisible being with every fiber of my own being and with every fiber that I am wearing.

 

[Widebrim]

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

As for dressing up for church. I'm a stone-cold diehard atheist, but if I did believe in invisible beings, ESPECIALLY an omnipotent omniscient eternal one, you better believe I'd dress as well as I possibly could when I went to worship it. That would be my way of showing it respect. The highest respect. The same reason why I dress up for funerals and weddings and explaining to people what happened during the Peloponnesian War AND WHY IT IS IMPORTANT. To show my respectful attention, to show that I think it is worthwhile to focus on this couple/historical story/invisible being with every fiber of my own being and with every fiber that I am wearing.

Regarding dress for worship service: I became a Christian at age 26, greatly due to the fufilled prophecies contained in the Bible. At first, I wore a dress shirt and slacks, then later dressed more casual, but now I usually wear a dress shirt and necktie (and sometimes a suit). I don't believe that God requires His people to wear their best during worship; I doubt that the early Christians worried about what to wear for their meetings, especially since many of them were poor and/or of the slave class. However, I agree with your rationale: Respect. And since I teach in the congregation, dressing up shows that I (like you) care about what I teach, and the people to whom I teach it. In my "secular" life, I am also a teacher, and often wear suits/sport coats, or at least a dress shirt and tie. Out of all the male classroom teachers, I am the only one to dress up, although our computer teacher and one of our secretaries sometimes wear ties. I have become known as a real "odd bird," by some, but the mothers of our students often compliment me on my attire (especially if I wear a fedora). As you wrote, it is a matter of respect, as well as pleasing yourself.

 

[Dr Doran]

I doubt that the early Christians worried about what to wear for their meetings, especially since many of them were poor and/or of the slave class.

The two best books I have read about the early Christian movement in the first 4 or so centuries AD (of course) conclude that after the initial very earliest wave of fishermen and fishwives and such, the spread of Christianity occurred amongst the not-so-humble strata of Mediterranean society. Rodney Stark the sociologist wrote a marvelous book called The Rise of Christianity, 1996, which I recommend highly. Wayne Meeks' The First Urban Christians, 1983, is very good also and came to similar conclusions but Stark's very interesting methodology which derives from his study of conversion in 20th century religious movements made his book more interesting to me; also, it's delightfully short.

I don't believe that God requires His people to wear their best during worship ... However, I agree with your rationale: Respect.

My thoughts, EXACTLY.
If that entity exists, we cannot know what it (It?) wants us to wear; I'd dress up to show that I personally was serious about giving my respect to it (It?), though.