How to stop overdressing

[Philby]

It is with a heavy heart that I admit that I may have been overdressing.

I live in a major European capital and work in a fairly informal sector. I find that I am less and less able to get away with what used to be my go-to assembly of blazers and tweed coats, shetland jumpers, oxford shirts, flannels, and suede shoes.
While I realise that this is, by the standards of this forum, a fairly informal baseline, it simply no longer is in my surroundings. As dress codes are shifting, I am constantly outdressing my peers and am drawing unwanted attention of the wrong kind, being read as stuck-up and conservative rather than simply well-dressed.

Naturally, the question is now: what is to be done?

Giving up entirely and retreating into business-casual (or just casual really) obviously is no option. Instead I have been trying to take style cues from different directions:

• 80s/90s yuppie style: thinking Giorgio Armani and New York, with fairly formal clothes mixed in such a way as to modernise them (trainers) and interesting silhoutes making outfits less conservative.
• The mysterious French ivy: hard to characterise. Also mixing different formality levels (jeans!) and utilising clashing colours (black shoes, bright jumpers).

Any more ideas? Visual inspiration welcome.

I remember reading some related discussion here (was it in the informal 'wearing Oxfords casually' that someone gave the interesting advice to always mix one more informal item into one's outfit?), but don't know of a single place where such thoughts are compiled. Hoping that this thread can serve as such. I might be posting some images if I have the time.

 

[mak1277]

What do your peers typically wear?

Easiest step to take is to lose the sport coats. You can downshift to chores or overshirts if you want to keep a third layer.

 

[notdos]

Everyone else can pound sand. Be the solution.

 

[mebiuspower]

I live in a major European capital

All the reason to overdress. Or just do sprezzatura.

 

[double00]

Everyone else can pound sand. Be the solution.

couldn't agree more ...

what are you even trading your hard-earned steez for ? an aesthetic you don't understand or like for the sake of people who can't look beyond the most facile fashion and see the human wearing the clothes ? i vote no .

 

[double00]

so much for fAsHiOn Is A sOcIaL lAnGuAgE !

 

[Thin White Duke]

What do your peers typically wear?

Easiest step to take is to lose the sport coats. You can downshift to chores or overshirts if you want to keep a third layer.

Respectfully disagree.
Blazers have served us well for a century. There’s nothing wrong with them. They can dress up or down and are eminently versatile. I despise chore costs and teba coats as it’s just one more unnecessary step in casualising everything. The top half equivalent of draw string pants.

As a kid they always portrayed men of the future wearing one piece silver jump suits. The reality is hoodies, sweat pants, crocs and uggs. I don’t want to live in this version of the future.

Be the change you want to see in the world.

 

[mak1277]

Respectfully disagree.
Blazers have served us well for a century. There’s nothing wrong with them. They can dress up or down and are eminently versatile. I despise chore costs and teba coats as it’s just one more unnecessary step in casualising everything

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with blazers either. But if someone’s goal is to dress more casually, that’s the obvious place to start. Jeans with a sport coat is still going to be considered “dressed up” by normies (as sad as it may be). I’m not saying dressing more casually is my choice, but if OP wants to do it I feel like he is entitled to some advice.

 

[JFWR]

If you want to dress like a slob to fit in, then just dress like a slob and fit in. There isn't going to be a way to do this stylishly. If anything stylish - whatever style it is - is going to be "too dressed up", then just go buy the crocs and give up on life.

If "wearing a blazer with suede shoes" is too conservative for this crowd, you're pretty much screwed with anything you choose.

"A sports coat with jeans is too formal!".

Or you could grow some sartorial balls. Maybe they need to mind their business about what you wear.

 

[TimothyF]

I don't know your industry, but one constructive suggestion would be to replace the tailored jacket with a zipper vest. If you despise synthetics a la Patagonia/Arcteryx, there are some makers of cotton fleece vests, cotton moleskin, etc. Just google for them

Slacks + dress shirt + vest is a more winning combo than without vest, because a vest will hide your waistband: that dividing line across your midsection. Since it is more likely the color of your vest is closer to your pants, it will have the visually pleasing effect of lengthening and slimming your figure


For god's sake don't get chore coats or tebas thinking they are a washed down blazer. Most "normies" have little idea what the heck they are, they end up looking odd, and you might stick out like a sore thumb in your office, for the wrong reasons

 

[LJ1891]

As dress codes are shifting, I am constantly outdressing my peers and am drawing unwanted attention of the wrong kind, being read as stuck-up and conservative rather than simply well-dressed.

Do you see any examples of others who are “simply well-dressed”? What are they wearing? Are you willing to look like them?

 

[DorianGreen]

I can only say: wear what you like and what you are comfortable with, expressing your genuine taste and personality. This will make you confident and most likely will also be noticed and appreciated by your entourage.

 

[Son Of Saphir]

Wear a sportscoat and trousers and make no apologies for it.
Maybe lose the tie for the moment.

 

[Kingstonian]

Respectfully disagree.
Blazers have served us well for a century. There’s nothing wrong with them. They can dress up or down and are eminently versatile. I despise chore costs and teba coats as it’s just one more unnecessary step in casualising everything. The top half equivalent of draw string pants.

Chore coats like that twat Monty Don, the gardener. They have no inside pockets unlike a sports jacket. They have the sort of shapelessness often seen in Uniqlo clothes and elsewhere nowadays.

Tebas are fine if you are Spanish. Nehru coats are fine if you are Indian.

You either put up with a stuck-up conservative image or, if it is financially damaging, wear a shirt and decent trousers and quality shoes that are not flashy at work.

You can wear a decent overcoat coming and going. Maybe a decent jacket too that sits on a hanger for most of the day.

 

[Thin White Duke]

I’ve mentioned a few times that I had a recent layover in ATL the busiest airport in the world. On a midweek day people watching for a few hours I didn’t see a single other person in a suit and tie.
Same when I recently did jury duty. We were a long way from the fellas in ‘Twelve Angry Men’!
Maybe some people noticed me ‘suited and booted’ and imagined me to be stuck up and aloof. I couldn’t give a ****. But when dressed up like that I rarely get through the day without several unsolicited compliments thrown my way by passers by. On the odd occasion I wear a brimmed hat they come more frequently.

Maybe secretly there are a lot of people out there who really admire those who maintain the effort even if they themselves don’t have the time / money / knowledge / inclination to step up their own game?

Sorry this is not much use in the way of advice to the OP other than to try to encourage you to stick to your guns and not join the race to the bottom.

What’s that quote about “in a world of conformity wearing a suit is an act of rebellion” 😀