Who cares about the boardroom?

[ENfield3-8303]

I have a theory about style. That is that people who don't have it can still perceive it in others – but they perceive it as something other than style. "He looks different somehow. I don't get him. I'm not comfortable with him. I don't trust him. I don't want to work or do business with him."

I have to agree with you on this; while it's all well and good to "dress for yourself" it can be detrimental to your future with many mainstream companies if you step over the line. And this line isn't always spelled out in the company handbook.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

I have to agree with you on this; while it's all well and good to "dress for yourself" it can be detrimental to your future with many mainstream companies if you step over the line. And this line isn't always spelled out in the company handbook.

And that job with the mainstream company is what pays for my outside interests...so its in my best interest to continue to receive my paycheck.....no matter if that means wearing something different then I would on my own time.....

 

[Lionheart]

Hear, hear! I work in a bank serving institutional clients. For client meetings I do need to don my least interesting of suits, but cannot give up my bow tie and pocket scarf, and do wear my fedora whenever it is below fourty degrees outside.

I much prefer my tweeds, blazers and wool trousers, with an occasional very casual foray in my corduroys. Generally I wear a bow tie, but as an attempt to be more casual I have been wearing open collars and ascots.

That said, I dress for me first and, on certain occasions, for friends and loved ones.

Exactly.:eusa_clap

 

[Fletch]

And that job with the mainstream company is what pays for my outside interests...so its in my best interest to continue to receive my paycheck.....no matter if that means wearing something different then I would on my own time.....

If I found myself in a suit & tie office again (not likely), I would seriously invest in tailoring. 3 button unvented suits that roll very subtly to the top and hang from slightly above the waistline, slightly longer pointed collars (slightly), quiet-patterned taper cut ties. If done right, the difference in look could all be laid to my body type.

 

[Miss Neecerie]

If I found myself in a suit & tie office again (not likely), I would seriously invest in tailoring. 3 button unvented suits that roll very subtly to the top and hang from slightly above the waistline, slightly longer pointed collars (slightly), quiet-patterned taper cut ties. If done right, the difference in look could all be laid to my body type.

Oh agreed...I am not advocating wearing 'ugly on a person' clothes...merely saying there is a place for 'self expression' and that place is usually not work. Within the rules there....hey...look as good and as 'like yourself' as you can.

 

[flat-top]

I work in retail, and although I started out in "funky" chain stores, I now find myself an executive in a conservative department store. I still believe in individuality however, and I seriously attribute my part of my advancement to my style of dress. I deal with clothing and merchandising, and my superiors think I "know something"! People in the upper echelon who I met 5 years ago still remember me.
Actually, when I wear an off the rack suit, I'm usually asked "What happened?"

 

[GoldLeaf]

... What I learned from the Lower East Side punk scene is, it is not what you wear that makes you an indivdual but why you wear it.

::nods:: While I went to college in Plattsburgh on the other end of I-87, I too was a part of the punk movement. That was the philosophy I had about my participation in the scene. The reasons I do and wear what I do are my own, and what goes on inside my head is beyond the judgement of others I learned to be proud of that, being a punk was quite an empowering choice for me

I wear what I must at work, but I am lucky that my office is a bit more relaxed. Working for the government is unique, particularly a job where I may have to go tramp around a muddy field. I always look nice, and you can tell I work here and am not a person walking in off the street. When I have to do presentations to the Board of Commissioners or the Planning Board, the formal skirt suit comes out. Many days a sweet blouse with a cardigan and a skirt (like today) is plenty formal.

 

[Fletch]

At one point I was the only vintage nut I knew who was not an ex-punker. I got straight into the swing music at age ten and by fourteen had my first old clothes.

 

[griffer]

Jovan! I see skin, dark socks and tennis shoes! Uh-oh! Tut-tut!

Sorry, but everyone dresses to project an image, communicae somehting about themselves. Even dropouts that profess to NO CARE are still communicating that message throught inaction.

I attempt to project an image of a classic, well dressed man. Not trendy, and not conformist. I pick elements - ex. bow ties, hats - that reflect this sentiment.

I dress up to go out with my wife; I dress smartly for work.

I have had bosses criticize me for wearing bow ties, and I have told them that that is none of their business, and eventually they respected my stand.

A frind of mine that used to work at the local video store has told me to leave his store for "being way to nicely dressed", sarcastically.

I have to walk the line though between 'nice, class and smart' versus 'ostentatious and pretentious'. There is a southern dandy/fop in me that I only allow out in limited doses.

 

[GoldLeaf]

At one point I was the only vintage nut I knew who was not an ex-punker. I got straight into the swing music at age ten and by fourteen had my first old clothes.

How cool! I had an odd upbringing with my dad in the army. I lived in Germany for 4 years during the mid 80's where the european flair was very strongly evidenced in the punk clothing and hair styles. And of course having only one radio and tv station in English made branching out difficult.

We saw and heard exactally what the US Military wanted us to. In many ways I lived in a strange little microcosm. When we moved to New York in 1989 at age 12, I had no idea who NKOTB were - talk about being unpopular lol

I am finding my way slowly over the years. I tend to be very deliberate about my choices and the things I like. Alot of research happens before I change anything about my wardrobe, music, or opinions

 

[Twitch]

Dressing for yourself goes only as far as the principals in your corporate environment allow. You will be on the carpet if you are not appropriately dressed for certain functions. Since this topic is about the boardroom we need to relate to what is favored by the upper echelon in the corporate world not the emerging small business owner who manages by wandering around the facility dressed as he likes.

This has nothing to do with vintage clothing really. A nice vintage double breasted and vintage-style 2 tone shoes could be OK at times in these environments on an irregular basis around the office. But if you are going to mix with the top echelon from other companies in the business world your antique suit will not be the uniform of the day and will detract from the visual image of what you company is attempting to project.

How would anyone feel if a head of a multi-million dollar comapny showed up for a business meeting at their company with a golf shirt and slacks or even a visibly cheap synthetic fabric suit? Once when the management of our company had pictures taken for a business publication my boss mentioned he didn't smile because he was projecting an image of seriousness about business to potential customers.

Appropriate business dress in the boardroom is like pornography- sometimes hard to define but you know it when you see it.

 

[griffer]

...Appropriate business dress in the boardroom is like pornography- sometimes hard to define but you know it when you see it.

I love it when threads come back to pornography.

It must be a corollary to Godwin's law.

 

[Haversack]

In regard to appropriate business dress in the boardroom, there is some leeway for different professions. While the financial professions tend to be among the most conservative, the "creative" professions are allowed and even expected to demonstrate some sartorial individualism in their boardroom, (or rather, meeting with the client's boardroom), attire. You are still playing by the rules, but with a larger palette. For example, bow ties, peak lapels, brown or olive suitings.

Haversack.