3-piece suit to business meeting? - Page 7

100% agree. I've never seen a 3 piece that fitted properly, and indeed it ends up just looking like an affected 19th century gimmick. If you absolutely must get one, I'd make damn sure it's top-level bespoke, since you'll be getting twice the attention with it.

That's a good point. Whats the fad with DB? I enjoy slimmer fitting suits and cannot pull of a DB. It's too mature Good point about cufflinks and pocket squares.

Let's hope I dont get too much shit for this. (sigh)....

You guys crack me up...you must be in your 20s...I'm an old guy, almost 60, but I've been wearing nice clothes to the office for thirty-five years without much thought as to what anyone else may think about it. After about one week of being dressed better than anyone else in the office, nobody will even notice it anymore. You shouldn't worry about it so much...nobody ever got fired for dressing nicely, and most people will have respect for your individuality...hell, you may even get other people to second guess their sloppy sartorial choices. At your age, you really should be more concerned about distinguishing yourself from the pack, as opposed to fitting in...if you prove yourself valuable to the company you work for, they really won't care if you're wearing a tuxedo or an oak barrel.

This is very true. I've had the same experience. After several days of people noticing and perceiving me as metro/gay/whatever, everyone not only accepts but they expect it now. After a while, I saw some others dress better. Some women now ask me for advice on how their husbands should dress.

It can be OK - you do not however tell us what trade you are in or what position you hold. If you are a brand new graduate it might be too much, if the senior partner or managing director fine. If you are in IT, no, if a lawyer fine.

I know. I'm in IT :-)

Where the hell do you all work where a two-piece is acceptable but a three-piece is considered "wild and crazy?" If that's true, that sounds like a stultifyingly repressed sort of joint.

BTW, I have friends at white shoe law firms who wear three-piece suits on a regular basis, so I don't think it's just my rather liberal definition of acceptable business attire. (In the ad world where I'm from, a Ramones t-shirt -- provided it has plenty of holes in it -- is considered acceptable for client meetings.)

I know a guy in his 20's who looks amazing in a pinstriped 3-piece. He pulls it off because he looks like Jeremy Piven's twin brother and has a little chutzpah of his own as a stock broker who works as a movie stunt double on the side. And this is actually in Southern California, where you'd think he would be a pariah. Rather than like a leper, he looks enviably cool.

+1000

Quite honestly, I'm surprised at folks here who wear suits in business casual environments. Suits used to be considered conservative and serious outfits - instead, people here wear them as a sign of rebelliousness in the name of upholding sartorial standards. For some SF members, wearing a suit and tie has become the sartorial equivalent of wearing jeans and cutting the tie. It's one thing if you wear a 3 piece suit in an environment where everyone is dressed in a suit and you have leeway to be a little ostentatious. It's another if you wear a 3 piece suit in an environment where everyone wears khakis and polos, or even conservative 2 piece suits. I can only imagine what I would think if a coworker looked costume-y.

Well stated!

The only questions I would have are:

1) Do you have the confidence to pull it off?


2) Would anyone freak out if you wore a sweater vest under a two-piece suit? Then what is wrong with a three-piece?

Without wanting to agree tooo much with a banned member, I agree with sifl. Surely a 3 piece suit requires you are very senior in a company? It's not appropriate wear for say a middle manager? Re an advisor or salesman dressing well, it's a moderate line and what's appropriate for the clientele. If you're wearing splendour and turn up in a high end Bentley, then say "I charge $x per hour", it's likely this will have a very bad effect on middle class people. If your clients are well off and that kind of thing is their level, then no. I've always dressed well at jobs in the last 4 or 5 years and it seems to help me get the job in the first place, people perceive you as very organised and intelligent.... providing you're going in to the job to be dynamic and kick ass, this works well. It's a double edged sword though, male bosses like it because you look how they want the company to look, but they also get jealous too.

amazing how many really good points and how many idiotic points have been made in this thread (on both sides of the fence).

That's very true. I can only imagine that 60 years ago some of us would have been wearing T-shirts and pair of jeans to work in an act of rebellion against the conservativeness of environment. Here comes the suit, a 3 pc in particular which is a sign of rebellion and not complying to common standards in an office of 2011. If you want to look like a rebel and eccentric, then wear it. Otherwise no. That is really a great story of a suit and the symbolism behind it, how indeed it has changed since 1950's. From the kernel of a society to the avant-garde of it.

Funny thing was when I first decided to wear ties everyone asked why I was wearing a tie. After about a week, no one cared anymore. After about a few months when I decided to not wear a tie everyone asked me why I wasn't wearing a tie. Then after another week no one cared anymore.