7 responses so far ↓

• 1 imissjerry // Nov 2, 2008 at 7:21 pm

  I do not own a suit and hope to never own one. When I die, bury me in shorts and a t-shirt.

• 2 richard // Nov 2, 2008 at 7:58 pm

  I own one and reserve it for weddings and funerals but I’m with you, Jerry.

  “Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes.” – Henry Thoreau
  

• 3 Heather // Nov 3, 2008 at 8:15 am

  Some quotes from the article:

  “Dress like a professional businessman and you’re more likely to act like a professional businessman.”

  This works for some actors – dress the part and you can feel more like the part. When I wear well-made items, whether they be dressy or not, I do feel more confident. I am very glad I don’t work in a place where I have to be strangled by “professional” clothes all day – it’s not for me. However, there are times it is important to dress a bit more professionally and I do so when required.

  “Well dressed people are given a leg up in many respects – they are often perceived as being smarter, funnier, and more enjoyable to be around. ”

  I don’t really agree with the above statement. When I see a person in a suit, the last thing I think is “funnier.” Also, I think that WHERE you see this person has an impact on your impression of them. Some guys take it too far. I used to know a guy who was dressy even at the company beach picnic. He looked and was snobby and had a very high opinion of himself.

  We aren’t supposed to “judge a book by it’s cover” and we’re supposed to try not to judge at all. Of course having impressions about a person based on their grooming and clothing is not judging. Professional appearance is hygiene first. If you go to a doctor or a baker, you want to see clean fingernails! If you go to a mechanic, well, not so important! It’s all about context. I think dressing up in snazzy suits can make some not -so-nice impressions about a person depending on context.

  And I leave you with this:

  Clean shirt, new shoes
  And I dont know where I am goin to.
  Silk suit, black tie,
  I dont need a reason why.
  They come runnin just as fast as they can
  Coz every girl crazy bout a sharp dressed man.

  Gold watch, diamond ring,
  I aint missin a single thing.
  And cufflinks, stick pin,
  When I step out Im gonna do you in.
  They come runnin just as fast as they can
  Coz every girl crazy bout a sharp dressed man.

  Top coat, top hat,
  I dont worry coz my wallets fat.
  Black shades, white gloves,
  Lookin sharp and lookin for love.
  They come runnin just as fast as they can
  Coz every girl grazy bout a sharp dressed man.

  - billy gibbons, dusty hill & frank beard -ZZ Top

• 4 Tracy // Nov 3, 2008 at 8:45 am

  I once wore a tan suit to a business meeting in London. I was obviously dressed incorrectly and I looked like a country bumpkin among the business-savy. My appearance did nothing to inspire confidence in my abilities among the other attendees, and inspiring confidence was why I was there.

  Having said that, a colleague of mine has been visiting these same business people in London for nearly 20 years, and she recently decided to wear a bright, floral-printed jacket with pink shoes to our meetings. Her point was that she had proven herself a long time ago, and she was going to dress as she would for our office in the US. There were many comments about her attire, but no one dared to question her decision.

  One more observation (as if anyone is still reading this) – when our British business colleagues visit us in the US, they dress down and wear business casual because they know that is our office’s dress code. If they came in their formal London suits, they would look stuffy and out of touch when they are trying to show that they understand us and can meet our business needs.

  In my opinion, you dress for the part.

• 5 Heather // Nov 3, 2008 at 8:52 am

  Your last sentence sums it up pretty well!

  Are you going to buy a more dressed-up suit for your next trip, or do you feel comfortable in the more casual brown one, even if you don’t feel it inspires a lot of confidence?

• 6 Tracy // Nov 3, 2008 at 8:55 am

  I made the tan suit mistake years ago, and I have worn only black, gray or navy ever since. For what I do, I need these people to think that I reason like them, understand what they want and know what I’m doing. I don’t see any floral jackets in my future.

• 7 Marie // Nov 3, 2008 at 1:25 pm

  I like to see a well-dressed person, but I can’t stand a snazzy dresser who thinks that makes him/her intelligent or likeable.

  Had a college professor who – the first day of class – some of the young women thought was really cool. Turtleneck, leather patches on the elbows of his tweed jacket, longish steel gray hair, and a chiseled handsome face…a little like Richard Gere. They all re-thought their opinion when 1) he wore the same outfit every day and 2) the class featured some bizarre foreign-language films that seemed (just from the images…) to suggest “creepy.” Nothing blatant, but the kind of thing where we’d all be looking at each other uncomfortably and saying, “What the…?”

  Encountered a female lawyer in La Plata wearing a loud floral print dress, with chipped/picked at red painted fingernails…as she was leaving court. YICK!

  So I think it’s true: we do make decisions about people within the first 3 seconds of meeting them, then spend the next however long trying to confirm those impressions. Sometimes we’re very wrong (but I still wouldn’t hire the floral print lawyer… )

  I agree with Heather – what one wears does have an impact on how one feels about oneself. Further, it doesn’t have to be expensive or high-style: I love to dress up, but even when I’m in jeans and a shirt, I feel cheerier (I guess that’s the word) when my jeans are clean and my shirt is pressed. Polished shoes are nice, too.

You must log in to post a comment.