Decent Dressing--All But Dead?

[JLibourel]

About seven months ago, the company I work for moved into new quarters, a tall office building immediately adjacent to Angel Stadium. It houses a bank and a couple of other financial institutions on the ground floor. One other publishing company occupies two floors in the building. I don't know anything about other tenants.

Today we had a fire drill, and the building emptied out. I was surprised how few people there were. Much of the building must be unoccupied. I was also surprised how few men were even remotely decently dressed. I was in coat and tie--my Chan blue herringbone shetland tweed, a pink Robert Talbott shirt and a blue Canali tie with some gray slacks and A-E Hancocks in brown. One man was wearing a business suit. (I didn't get close enough to really assess it.) About half-a-dozen were in shirt and tie sans coat. I don't know if they had abandoned their coats to the [imaginary] flames, or if that is they way they came to work. All the rest of the men were in sportswear or streetwear, many of them in T-shirts and jeans. It really does make one wonder if dressing decently (or making the effort to) has really become nothing more than an offbeat, eccentric hobby at least in Slovenly California and you're not under the constraint of necessity.

 

[Don Carlos]

California is definitely more casual than most places, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any workplace these days where people are wearing their suit jackets throughout the day. Most people hang the jackets up and go through the day in shirt sleeves and tie -- especially if it's really hot outside.

As for dressing super-casually (streetwear) to the office, that's an unfortunate sign of our times. The casual workplace is the one relic of the dotcom era that survived the crash. Well, that and the perpetual tendency to hype tech startup companies without any semblance of a business plan ("monetization" plan in today's parlance).

 

[JLibourel]

Originally Posted by Arrogant Bastard

California is definitely more casual than most places, but I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any workplace these days where people are wearing their suit jackets throughout the day. Most people hang the jackets up and go through the day in shirt sleeves and tie -- especially if it's really hot outside.

That would be plausible were it not for the fact they keep the air conditioning at a subarctic chill.

 

[Night Owl]

yeah its dead, do you ever tire of singing this song? second verse same as the first?

 

[BareSolid]

It'll come back, in some other form. I expect men to be wearing some sort of legging-like breeches and long stockings at some point this century, as the culmination of the slim-fitting trend. Waistcoats are coming back in, jackets will be long and heavily tailored around the body, perhaps a sort of frilly cravat will replace the tie.

Who knows.

 

[acidboy]

In some parts of the world (like here) its been looong dead.

 

[Kentishman]

Originally Posted by BareSolid

I expect men to be wearing some sort of legging-like breeches...

Some appear to be doing that already!

 

[LabelKing]

I also feel that personal hygiene has gone down as well.

One often sees people that in former days one wouldn't even mistake for a vagabond, and they're coming out of a BMW or the like.

 

[Dakota rube]

Originally Posted by Night Owl

yeah its dead, do you ever tire of singing this song? second verse same as the first?

you realize jlib is quite proficient with firearms, don't you?

 

[Tarmac]

I don't understand why people on SF demand or want that other people dress like them. I want the exact opposite.

 

[Droog]

A colleague asked me today if I was wearing new shoes.

I replied no, I just keep them shined.

 

[ColeFieldHouse]

Originally Posted by JLibourel

About seven months ago, the company I work for moved into new quarters, a tall office building immediately adjacent to Angel Stadium....
Someone who didn't know you better might think you new to Southern California. I'd be surprised if the majority of people in an Orange County office simply were wearing pants.

 

[Svenn]

Go to any courthouse and you'll find what you're looking for. The law field is really the only one left that requires fulls suits, except for maybe high-rolling companies in the big cities. Most lawyers I talk to end up having very picky personal styles, even if they look terrible and like they didn't even try. Other than that, go to Tokyo and you'll be up against some real competition for dressing nice... the janitor in his full suit on the subway will look more put together than the average american ceo.

 

[viator]

Originally Posted by Svenn

Go to any courthouse and you'll find what you're looking for. The law field is really the only one left that requires fulls suits, except for maybe high-rolling companies in the big cities. Most lawyers I talk to end up having very picky personal styles, even if they look terrible and like they didn't even try. Other than that, go to Tokyo and you'll be up against some real competition for dressing nice... the janitor in his full suit on the subway will look more put together than the average american ceo.
Lawyers may wear suits for court and client meetings, but at least at the big firms, it's dress pants, nice shoes, and a dress shirt for everyday wear. I believe the same goes for accounting firms.

 

[bluemagic]

That's why I don't want to return to LA. Where I am, I'm often surprised at how WELL I see people dressed.