Is the suit relevant in your life?

[mike]

Nope! The general work dress code is slacks, a dress shirt and maybe a tie. A full suit is definitely considered overdressed. It's a very fine line though. I've spent the last few years trying to fit in just right so I don't become a spectacle but rather am known as being a good worker. I'm not very good at fitting in. I'm really trying I swear! lol

Vintage suits I wear on my days off when I'm not doing laundry or cleaning up the house. I often just look for excuses to head into Manhattan and walk around Central Park so to have a reason and place to go in my suits. If you see a guy in a 30's suit and fedora walking around in large looping circles trying to make it seem like he has somewhere to go... say hello!

I guess there is little to no relevance for me to have a closet of vintage items as I can only wear one or two a week and often with nowhere to wear them to. And yet I am drawn to them and view them in some cases as one of a kind works of art from a bygone era. I just like em

 

[univibe88]

This is a very interesting thread. In general my career, high tech sales, does not require a suit. Most tech sales reps wear khakis and polos - maybe an open collared button down with a sport coat.

However my current employer requires that we wear suit and tie. I don't think most of my co-workers like it, but I really enjoy it. I like wearing a suit. I like looking nice. I like the way my wife looks at me when I leave for the office in the morning. I like that my father taught me how to dress well, so I look good and feel comfortable in a suit (unlike a lot of my co-workers who look like they are going to their first high school formal.)

 

[Hat Head]

I'm in outside sales in the financial services industry, so I wear a suit and tie everyday on the job. I could probably get away with a sportcoat and tie on occasions, but I actually prefer to wear a suit.

This works well for me, as I prefer to wear suits and ties as opposed to "professional casual".

 

[maff2k]

Work provide my uniform which is a lovely bottle green shirt trouser thing for the ambulance service. I won't scare you with pictures!

Thankfully I get to wear a proper suit at least twice a month at lodge and once a month I get to wear my tux to lodge and have now gone back to a proper tie bowtie -thanks to YouTube showing me how!

I like to spend a decent amount of time pressing my shirt and trousers to get creases in all the right places and have invested in spray starch to ensure crispness!

 

[ortega76]

I love suits, but I don't wear one to work. I wear one for special occasions- weddings, nights out. One of the things I dislike about my job is wearing a uniform of company tee and shorts or khaki pants.

 

[Doctor Whom?]

I'm a graduate student in Industrial/Organizational Psychology. I teach, do research, and intern for the state government. When teaching, we have no actual dress code, I typically go for polo/chinos and chukka boots (I've never liked loafers, boots are the way I go for casual). Rarely do I wear more than a sports coat with odd trousers, still usually with the boots!

My research requires me to meet with representatives of various businesses and work organizations. I work with the police a lot. I always wear a suit for first meetings, and at least navy blazer/gray trousers for subsequent meetings.

The dress code for the agency I intern with is very business casual (slacks and a collared shirt, no real stipulation on shoes). We wear jackets and ties for meetings with outside representatives, and I wear a suit if I'm making a presentation to outside vendors/clients.

I attend at least two academic conferences a year, one in psychology and the other is in management. The general dress code for both is suit-and-tie, but there are wide variations.

When I did my preliminary defense a couple of weeks ago, I was in a charcoal suit, white shirt, silver silk tie, but with brogues for a dose of less formality.

Suits are a necessity, though relatively infrequently worn. As an academic, I really like the tweed sports coat look. As a quasi g-man, I like a plain, dark suit.

 

[Chasseur]

No, not for me. Though I wish it were otherwise.

But its a function of my location, Hawaii. Its warm and its a VERY casual place. Wearing a suit, or more likely a coat and tie here is the equivalent of wearing black tie on the mainland. Happens maybe 2-3 year and, most times I could get by with only a jacket or sports coat. But I wear one of my suits "just because". With the exception of (1) some politicians; (2) some lawyers; and (3) some sales people in high end stores suits are a rarity here. I might add that I live on the "most formal island."

When I taught at institutions back on the mainland most wore at least a sportscoat, if not jacket and tie.

 

[Maguire]

I wouldn't say anyone needs a suit to work at a pharmacy unless they're working as pharmacists or as CEOs, but as photo techs we get the labcoats so i think coming in a shirt and tie makes sense. As for a full suit, it depends on the occasion but i guess one could say i overdress.

 

[MisterGrey]

I'm the president of my campus' Student Honors organization, as well as an officer in several other campus organizations, and so for purposes of interaction with the faculty (and sometimes the public) "proper dress" is encouraged; two organizations even offer free lapel pins/brooches to officers to encourage it. I certainly wouldn't be reprimanded or ousted from office if I started showing up to meetings and functions in jeans and a Hawaiian shirt, but my standing in the eyes of the faculty (on whom we're reliant for support and to act as intermediaries to the President) would sharply drop off.

 

[ortega76]

Update.

Having lost my job at the athletic shoe retailers, I moved back to the Chicago Area. I started a new sales gig with a graphic design and printing company. I wear a lot of suits and sportcoats, with "casual days" consisting of dark denim jeans with a shirt and sportcoat.

 

[Lamplight]

I work in a warehouse. Needless to say, it would be quite a shame for me to wear a suit to work, because it would be damaged rather quickly. I do own a suit and a handful of ties, mostly for funerals and weddings of course. I really don't have any other opportunities to dress up, unfortunately.

 

[flat-top]

I wear suits every day to work. Unfortunately, they have to be black suits, so it gets a bit boring.

 

[Lou]

The typical male attire at my work is chinos and a polo or button-down. I dress that way four days a week, and one day I wear a suit with an open collar or turtleneck. A suit and tie would definitely be overdressed. I could get away with a sport coat and knit tie, which I should throw into the mix.

 

[carter]

Not at all.

 

[avedwards]

Underdressed

My brother started a new job at a London insurance company a few years ago. On his first day he wore a shirt, tie, trousers and blazer. Usually this would be considered too smart. At the company he was considered far too informal as he wore a blazer rather than a suit. For the three years he worked there his collegues still thought of him as informal, although he wore a suit for the rest of his time there.

This shows that London businesses are still formal and that first impressions count.

 

[univibe88]

My brother started a new job at a London insurance company a few years ago. On his first day he wore a shirt, tie, trousers and blazer. Usually this would be considered too smart. At the company he was considered far too informal as he wore a blazer rather than a suit. For the three years he worked there his collegues still thought of him as informal, although he wore a suit for the rest of his time there.

This shows that London businesses are still formal and that first impressions count.

At my first interview at my current employer I wore a shirt, tie, trousers and blazer. At the end I did well enough to schedule the next round, but the interview (my now boss) said "you do own a suit right?"

All I could do was muster "yessir." I wore a suit for my next 48 rounds of interviews!

 

[just_me]

I always wear a suit when I go on an interview. Several years back I was interviewing at a .com and the HR person told me specifically NOT to wear a suit. I went in slacks and a blouse, but I felt totally uncomfortable. I'm normally a very casual dresser, but interviews...

 

[ortega76]

I wore a suit to my first interview at my current employer. Charcoal grey with a white shirt and red tie. Black cap-toe Allen Edmunds. I was the last guy they interviewed and I saw another interviewee leaving. He was wearing jeans and a buttondown, like the owners of the place. Guess what- I was the first guy hired. Sure, I wear jeans in the office (with a jacket and tie) but I suit up when I have clients to meet.

 

[kools]

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.

I've been teaching high school students for 13 years. The last male to wear a suit in this school retired 10 years ago...I wear one 4 days a week, with the occassional coat/tie combo thrown in. Not because I need to, because I choose to. I also am the "odd bird." Teachers here feel free to wear ANYTHING. Although I'm tired of seeing the hairy legs & feet of my shorts & sandaled colleagues (yes, even in MIlwaukee's winters), the freedom of choice also gives me the freedom to put my collection of 30+ suits to daily use; I could not work in a setting were compant t-shirts/polos/khakis were required.

 

[imoldfashioned]

I agree with many of the other respondents that it's becoming quite rare to see suits in the workplace, and mores the pity. It's odd that wearing a suit has become a way to stand out from the crowd.

I wore one of my vintage suits to a job interview at a design firm a couple months ago. It was overtly vintage—1940s with beaded lapels, turned back cuffs, etc.--rather than a style of vintage that could pass as modern. After I began work I was told by many people that my attire was one of the things that made them want to hire me. They liked the mix of respect I showed by dressing up and the “out of the box” thinking (their words, not mine!) shown by choosing vintage. Vintage suits and dresses have become my signature here and it's great to be working with people who appreciate the style.