How to stop overdressing

[Concordia]

There are some garments that, even if they fit a category, will stand out because they are too stiff or cut for someone else. There was a time on this and a rival board where some members would sneer at the ‘security guard’ look. Some navy blazers always seem to make you look like a little kid trying to be a grown up.

In that case, finding fabrics that don’t look out of place or call attention to themselves is key. Perhaps a sport coat instead of a worsted blazer with bright brass buttons. Or a suit that has a texture and a subtle pattern, that you could wear every day without being “dressed up”.

 

[dougc33]

As someone who works in a place that's often considered the pinnacle of the t-shirt and hoodie office uniform and owns full morning suit, this is an interesting dilemma I think about frequently. I know the "standing out" thing puts a lot of pressure on people who like to dress more formally, and admittedly, I've moved more towards the casual/Informale/OCBD and jeans part of the spectrum, but I do think you should dress as you like and are comfortable. I came to this conclusion when I went into the cafeteria for lunch one day and someone was wearing what I can only describe as a Jedi robe, with a hood. On a random weekday in June.

I figured if this person could weather the judgemental looks from almost every single person in the room about wearing one of the oddest things I have ever seen on anyone not-on-Halloween, I'd survive the occasional comments on a sports coat. Truth is, after a while, my co-workers got so accustomed to the way I dress that a couple of weeks ago I came into work in a rugby shirt on a Friday and someone commented about how "dressed down" I looked.

Keep wearing what you're wearing and don't be stuck up or a stick-in-the-mud. Your co-workers will eventually get accustomed to who you are, and who knows, they may even start dressing more smartly.

Chalan 100% Vicuna Men's Poncho

-

www.alpacacollections.com

Maybe it was 100% Vicuna and he was secretly punking you?

 

[Krausewitz]

The OP knows exactly what to do: dress for the occasion. You don’t go for breakfast in black tie, so don’t overdress for your office. If it’s super important to you then eventually consider changing jobs.

Personally, I’m extremely lucky. I work in an environment with extremely broad senses of dress (from borderline pyjamas to three piece suits) that is not hierarchy based. Anyone can dress how they want, and people generally don’t get comments (I occasionally get a “you look very nice!”, but that’s about it). So, I get wanting that sort of freedom.

 

[mark e]

pfffft....i feel overdressed anytime i go out in public wearing anything other than sweatpants and a hoodie (my 'out-of-the-house-pajamas')...the last time i went to my hairstylist, i was wearing black dockers pants, plain black loafers, a pinstripe oxford, and a black cafe-racer type lambskin jacket...easy and casual, right?...she complemented me on looking good, but asked why so dressed up? 🤷🏼‍♂️ 😂
wear what makes you feel and look good, and is appropriate for any given situation (e.g., i wouldnt wear a 3-piece suit to a hockey game)....the rest will take care of itself

 

[joorinainen]

It takes great amount of skill and large wardrobe to always dress appropriate to the occasion.

 

[Harwid]

I feel a bit sorry for the OP here.

The questions asked are interesting and a lot of people working in more casual environments face the same type of problems. It absolutely has nothing to do with self-confidence and I don’t even know why the discussion took that direction in the first place.

I work in a super casual environment as well and sometimes like to dress up a bit. In terms of shirting, I think that an OCBD was always and will always be super versatile. It can be dressed up, dressed down, worn with a tie, without a tie and with 2 or even 3 buttons open, the sleeves can be rolled up depending on the weather/temperature, etc. If even an OCBD is “too much”, long-sleeves cotton pique polos can be a good alternative. The only problem is that most polos have collars that are quite tiny and tend to “collapse” during the day but some brands offer interesting products in that regard. During the wintertime and in terms of trousers, something that works quite well are corduroy trousers or even 5 pocket trousers. The material looks nice, is soft and super comfortable and if it’s not too shiny, can be super versatile. In terms of shoes, a pair of casual derbies are always nice. I have a pair of Paraboot Michael (other brands offer tyrolean shoes as well) that are nice quality wise, look good and still are pretty casual without being boring white sneakers…

Just my 2 cents, hope this helps

Like many people on this forum I expect to be better dressed than the people I work with.

I have only had one button down collar shirt in the last 45 years. And no oxford cloth shirts. Armani had a very short, interesting button down collared white shirt in maybe the 90s. I have no use for the old preppy look.

I did purchase dark gray, blue and green cords this last week.

Jeff

 

[Beadhead]

Those are both in the ivy/workwear section of the stylewheel though. Since the OP said he doesn't like jeans, I was trying to point him to more contemporary looks.

For a contemporary look, how about Boglioli? Nice chinos and unlined (except for sleeves) and unstructured sports jackets with a Neapolitan cut and thin fabrics that wear like sweaters. In winter they can be paired with cords and thin merino long sleeve polos, crew necks or turtle necks. In summer they can wear with short sleeve polos, cotton shirts or colourful tees. Boglioli also makes some very casual, comfortable, unstructured cotton suits that don't have a formal thread in their body. The key, I think, is to find a manufacturer with stylish clothes that appeal and that are comfortable to wear. Casual wear is all about comfort.

 

[smittycl]

For a contemporary look, how about Boglioli? Nice chinos and unlined (except for sleeves) and unstructured sports jackets with a Neapolitan cut and thin fabrics that wear like sweaters. In winter they can be paired with cords and thin merino long sleeve polos, crew necks or turtle necks. In summer they can wear with short sleeve polos, cotton shirts or colourful tees. Boglioli also makes some very casual, comfortable, unstructured cotton suits that don't have a formal thread in their body. The key, I think, is to find a manufacturer with stylish clothes that appeal and that are comfortable to wear. Casual wear is all about comfort.

I bought one of these in white linen from Top Shelf Apparel. Been wearing it since early Summer.

Boglioli Navy Blue Linen 'Hemingway Jacket' 42R (Eu 52) Sport Coat NWT | eBay

Boglioli Pure Linen Blazer. Boglioli Hemingway jacket. Solid washed navy blue extrafine linen fabric. 100% linen. Casual hybrid field jacket styling. Fine woven hand. Mid-light weight. Three-button front closure.

www.ebay.com

 

[TomTom]

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.

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.

They are the problem not you! In the these days of complete casual wear and uniform drone wear under the guise of individualism, being well dresses is an act of anti-culture. Own it, or conform and loose all individuality.

 

[TomTom]

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

Back in the day my father and my grandfather wore chore coats..to work outside or in their workshop with dirty tools, covered in grime, oil and sawdust. Who ever convinced men that a chore coat must cost hundreds of pounds and is something you can wear out to a restaurant or even to a park deserves a Nobel prize for propaganda.

 

[EricAlex]

Back in the day my father and my grandfather wore chore coats..to work outside or in their workshop with dirty tools, covered in grime, oil and sawdust. Who ever convinced men that a chore coat must cost hundreds of pounds and is something you can wear out to a restaurant or even to a park deserves a Nobel prize for propaganda.

That is a good point and I chuckled. However, I think there's plenty of clothing pieces in history that started off as casual wear / workwear and later were adopted as staples to variety of occasions and even more formal wear. Of course there are many fleeting trends, but natural evolution of menswear does happen historically. Also, if your grandfather used to wear chore jackets to the workshops, nowadays for younger people the attire would more likely consist of technical and brightly colored working gear or battered old sweats. Where does that leave chore jackets or historical workwear?

Are chore jackets natural evolution and have they become a staple, or is it just a trend? Who knows. Chore jacket isn't a sport jacket, but a chore jacket (or something similar) can easily be worn in place of sport jacket in a more casual setting, where sport jacket might feel too dressy. It is not a replacement, but a possible alternative in certain situations. It still looks a lot better than a hoodie or something similar and it can be dressed up or down. Personally I just like the easiness and comfiness of chore jackets. I'd rather wear a chore jacket instead of a sport coat regularly (as of now at least).

 

[TomTom]

I am in your same position. My boss's boss wears gym shorts to work sometimes and even the C suite is hardly seen in a tie. I just go with an ivy-ish style without the jackets or neckwear and its just nice enough to not call too much negative attention while still letting me feel good about my style.

You have to be situationally aware and not alienate people in corporate environments. That's just a fact of life. If you have an attitude of "ill wear what I like and others can deal with it" while suiting up around dudes in super casual wear you're lacking a basic understanding of corporate life and how to navigate a career imo. It's the same as wearing shorts in a very dressed up formal environment.

If your boss wears gym shorts to work, your boss, unless he works in a gym is a clown. End off, or a 12 year old.

 

[TomTom]

What I always find quite amusing in these threads :

"The people judging me because I dress well are stupid", but...

"In my opinion, people that don't dress well are slobs"...

Some "gentlemen" here on SF

I reserve my contempt and pity for every adult man who wears the same clothes as a toddler out of choice.

 

[Simon Chambers]

That is a good point and I chuckled. However, I think there's plenty of clothing pieces in history that started off as casual wear / workwear and later were adopted as staples to variety of occasions and even more formal wear. Of course there are many fleeting trends, but natural evolution of menswear does happen historically. Also, if your grandfather used to wear chore jackets to the workshops, nowadays for younger people the attire would more likely consist of technical and brightly colored working gear or battered old sweats. Where does that leave chore jackets or historical workwear?

This point of men's style changing gradually over time is very true. Sports coats were actually worn for doing sports 100 or so years ago, and the suit evolved as a more casual version of what men were wearing in the day, that eventually got adopted. Even black tie used to be considered much less formal (thus its actually being named as "semi-formal" wear). In what I've learned about men's style, it seems that there is a trend for less formality over the generations as what one generation considered casual wear becomes office wear for a generation or two later.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of sweat pants and crocs as outdoor clothes, but I do empathize with those who are looking at the reality of the world we live in and looking at how to adjust what we wear to be appropriate for the circumstances we are in!

 

[EricAlex]

This point of men's style changing gradually over time is very true. Sports coats were actually worn for doing sports 100 or so years ago, and the suit evolved as a more casual version of what men were wearing in the day, that eventually got adopted. Even black tie used to be considered much less formal (thus its actually being named as "semi-formal" wear). In what I've learned about men's style, it seems that there is a trend for less formality over the generations as what one generation considered casual wear becomes office wear for a generation or two later.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not a fan of sweat pants and crocs as outdoor clothes, but I do empathize with those who are looking at the reality of the world we live in and looking at how to adjust what we wear to be appropriate for the circumstances we are in!

I just have to add, that even though menswear has been evolving (or trending) more towards the casual for quite a while now, the opposite seems possible as well, or at least it's not impossible. For example, it could just be a fleeting trend, but the "old money aesthetic" seems to be all the rage now with younger TikTok crowd. Basically it's something akin to emulating Ralph Lauren catalog. I don't know how widespread it is, but it seems like quite a big change from how youth has been dressing in the recent years. Perhaps the whole trend and aesthetic is a little bit superficial, but it'll be interesting to see how the future unfolds.