At 26 years old, am I too young to pull off the sport coat?

citizenshame · Aug 5, 2010

This is sort of an extension of my other thread regarding suit wear.

I am at my desk in a suit every day, and I'm concerned about wearing all my suits out before I can replace them. Since I'm always sitting, most of the wear is in the pants, and now I'm considering buying sport coats as a solution to my problem. But at 26, am I too young to pull of the sport coat look at a law office? Any tips for sport coat attire that is age appropriate? Pics? I'm not trying to look trendy, I'd just like to avoid looking like I'm dressing like my dad.

KObalto · Aug 5, 2010

I don't know what the culture is where you're working, but I believe lawyers should generally wear suits to work and always to court. I might wear a sport coat to work every 10 days tops. That said, no you're not too young.

jmoody15 · Aug 5, 2010

I'm 26, and I wear a sportcoat about 2x per week at my law firm. I see no problems with it.

edit: I only do so when I'll be stuck in the office all day, or have informal meetings to attend. I would never wear one to the courthouse.

AntiHero84 · Aug 5, 2010

I don't work in a lawfirm, but when the weather is just right, I almost always wear a sportcoat. I'm 25.

archetypal_yuppie · Aug 5, 2010

Dude chill out and wear your suits. You are over thinking this.

Italian Cut · Aug 5, 2010

I dont know about lawfirm etiquette from experience, but what I do know is that the suit sets the standard for professional attire.

That said, I understand your problem completely, about the suits wearing out, that is. Since I tend to go for the lighter fabrics, this has become somewhat of a problem for me as well. But, as we are slaves to fashion, I would say once every ten work days max would be just fine.

Just remember, as younger guys we can get away with a lot more as far as fashion, it seems, than the older guys, so dont feel like you have the sportcoat as your only other option for wearing something different every once in a while.

teddieriley · Aug 5, 2010

SCs are versatile, and even in the law firm environment which has devolved into business casual in most markets, SCs are entirely appropriate for most work days you are not going to court or meeting clients (absent a strict requirement to wear suits everyday). I recommend mixing it up - suits a majority (or at least 1/2) of the time, and SCs anywhere from 1-3 times a week.

And no, you are not too young to wear a SC. It shows you know how to dress.

OttoSkadelig · Aug 5, 2010

no. but keep wearing your suits. by the time they "wear out", your tastes will almost certainly have evolved and you will want better / different suits anyway. it's a sunk cost, so ride out your investment rather than putting something in mothballs.

also, if you are in an environment that is generally suit-y, a sportcoat is not really a viable substitute. maybe when you're 40, but not when you're 25 -- at this age you're a price taker, not a price setter.

ndw · Aug 5, 2010

Originally Posted by teddieriley

SCs are versatile, and even in the law firm environment which has devolved into business casual in most markets, SCs are entirely appropriate for most work days you are not going to court or meeting clients (absent a strict requirement to wear suits everyday). I recommend mixing it up - suits a majority (or at least 1/2) of the time, and SCs anywhere from 1-3 times a week.

And no, you are not too young to wear a SC. It shows you know how to dress.

^ This.

I wear a SC much more regularly than I wear a suit to the office and have never had an issue (even during court appearances or meeting with clients). I guess it depends on the market/office you work in, but unless you keep your coat on all day (which would be strange in my office), as long as you have nice well tailored trousers this shouldn't be an issue IMO.

citizenshame · Aug 5, 2010

The responses so far are probably along the lines of what I should have expected. The frustrating thing about my firm is that only one other attorney in my office makes any effort to dress well. Most attorneys here wear a tie and NO jacket to the office, leading to the phone salesman look. This has probably made me a bit self-conscious of the type of jacket/suit I wear to work because I don't want to appear snobish.

viator · Aug 5, 2010

I'm a lawyer in NY and the office is business casual. What this means is that you see people in a very wide range of dress from suit/tie to no jacket or tie at all. I'd say wear a sportcoat if that's what you like. I wear one once or twice a week, just to step it up a bit from the no jacket/tie look.

GBR · Aug 5, 2010

Age is utterly irrelevant - it is the custom of your office that will judge this.

jmoody15 · Aug 5, 2010

Originally Posted by citizenshame

The frustrating thing about my firm is that only one other attorney in my office makes any effort to dress well. Most attorneys here wear a tie and NO jacket to the office, leading to the phone salesman look.

I'm there with you. I work with 4 other attorneys at a small firm, and I see a tie MAYBE twice a week from all four combined. I wear a tie daily, and a sportcoat on casual days. But its mostly suits.

If you're in a similar area, then your office reflects the dress of attorneys in your city, so you could easily wear sportcoats at least once per week

teddieriley · Aug 5, 2010

I see guys wearing cotton khakis, polo shirts or BD sport shirts passing off as business casual. Don't get me started on shoes. Embrace the sport coat, man. Ditch the tie every so often if you feel like it. I usually keep the tie, because for some reason, I feel naked without one when I have a jacket on...

dv_indian · Aug 5, 2010

Buying an extra pair of pants with each suit might be another solution.

At 26 years old, am I too young to pull off the sport coat?

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