Suit in a casual office

[travanx]

I work in an engineering office that is a jeans and t-shirts kind of a place.

I got a Zegna RTW suit about a month or so ago and had 3 burberry mtm suits which will I will finally be picking up tomorrow. I decided I would start dressing nicer to work and I couldn't believe all the comments I got. All the females had really nice things to say, the guys all joked about going to an interview, the bosses were nervous that I was actually going on interviews. But no one said it was inappropriate to wear. Which I have heard the IT guys were told to not wear ties a while back.

So to sum this up I will still be wearing my wash once a year jeans, but will be mixing in suits more constantly. Thanks SF.

 

[CharlesAlexander]

Ah the ol' "I decided to start wearing a suit to a casual office environment" tale. I have been through this on every job I've been at. The best thing to do if your doing this is to stay consistent with your overdressing. If you start wearing your suits regularly, you won't get all the annoying ass job interview comments.

I overdress not just because I love fashion, but just in case I do have a "real" job interview, my bosses will never know because I dress up all the time. Plus I am a firm believer in the ol "dress for the job you want" atitude.

 

[madison avenue]

I applaud you!

 

[SkinnyGoomba]

Props!

I've been trying to tell my brother that if he wants his boss to take his advice more seriously he should dress better.

 

[The False Prophet]

If ever I get negative remarks, I'll just say that I get cold in the airconditioning and hence wear suit and tie. It's completely true, and is the reason I seldom take my coat off in the office...

 

[JoeWoah]

Bravo! Golf clap #2!

You can always compromise by not wearing a tie every time... or playing with colors, stripes and textures.

You know that tie that's really bold but not very versatile or conservative? Well buy it and try it.

 

[travanx]

I get really hot generally, but was shocked that I wasn't sweating or hot since I wasn't going to take my jacket off all day. It was amazing how the bosses and managers were acting differently towards me.

 

[travanx]

Originally Posted by JoeWoah

Bravo! Golf clap #2!

You can always compromise by not wearing a tie every time... or playing with colors, stripes and textures.

You know that tie that's really bold but not very versatile or conservative? Well buy it and try it.

I can't imagine not wearing a tie. So how would I go about that? Just leaving my shirt open and still wear the jacket?

 

[Guy Smiley]

Wow I think that's ballsy! Wearing a tie to work would earn me snide comments all day long, so I haven't even managed to try that yet, much less a suit.

 

[Styk33]

I work in a similar office (engineering, jeans and tshirts). For a few years now I have been wearing suits M-Th and usually just trousers and a button down shirt on Friday. The first few weeks you get many comments. After that most just refer to you as the best dressed.

We get in trouble in our office for wearing jeans to meetings. I never have to worry if I have a meeting as I am always dressed appropriately for one. Just remember to keep your jeans and boots at your desk for those job site visits

That is the problem I originally had when I started to dress decent for work.

The fun thing is others will follow. My department calls it the "engineering beautification project" since half the department will wear ties on tuesdays. If you enjoy shopping your colleagues will start to ask for tips on where to buy items and if you have time to help them shop.

 

[stamp0102]

i work in a business casual environment. i got reamed by my co-workers (we're all in our 20's) for wearing a tie one day. that's just silly in my opinion. because i DON'T wear ralph lauren chaps khakis, grant thomas shirts, and kenneth cole shoes like they do should not be reason to get flack. sorry for trying to look good once in a while. geez!

and i love how the vp's wear fake rolexes yet turn up their noses to my IWC. i guess they think its like a timex or something. god help me if i told them how much it set me back. i gotta get outa here...

although i do get comments on my AE's whenever i break them out.

 

[embowafa]

Originally Posted by stamp0102

i work in a business casual environment. i got reamed by my co-workers (we're all in our 20's) for wearing a tie one day. that's just silly in my opinion. because i DON'T wear ralph lauren chaps khakis, grant thomas shirts, and kenneth cole shoes like they do should not be reason to get flack. sorry for trying to look good once in a while. geez!

and i love how the vp's wear fake rolexes yet turn up their noses to my IWC. i guess they think its like a timex or something. god help me if i told them how much it set me back. i gotta get outa here...

although i do get comments on my AE's whenever i break them out.

same here...i like to wear a tie with a sweater every now and then to my business casual work and I always get the question "WHY ARE YOU WEARING TIE?!?"

They ask me with a tone that connotes disgust and confusion. My simple answer is "Because I felt like it".

It's a shame that crappy clothing has become accepted in our work environments.

Oh well, keep fighting the good fight.

 

[TCN]

I think the whole dress for the job you want advice is a little outdated. No one loves clothes more than I do, but I'd never promote someone for being a spiffy dresser, I'd look at their productivity.

If I was in a work environment that was very casual, and someone kept leapfrogging the options between t-shirt/jeans and suit to go straight to suit, I'd think he was an uptight kiss-ass that might have difficulty fitting in with his co-workers let alone leading them. Now if he was dressing neatly and a notch or two more formal than his co-workers, I'd be impressed . . . but not if he was light years more formal. Just my opinion.

 

[vitaminc]

Originally Posted by travanx

I work in an engineering office that is a jeans and t-shirts kind of a place.

I got a Zegna RTW suit about a month or so ago and had 3 burberry mtm suits which will I will finally be picking up tomorrow. I decided I would start dressing nicer to work and I couldn't believe all the comments I got. All the females had really nice things to say, the guys all joked about going to an interview, the bosses were nervous that I was actually going on interviews. But no one said it was inappropriate to wear. Which I have heard the IT guys were told to not wear ties a while back.

So to sum this up I will still be wearing my wash once a year jeans, but will be mixing in suits more constantly. Thanks SF.

Sorry but couldn't resist.

Do you really work in an engineering office!?!?!? You mean there are actually more than 1 female in the office?

Keep up the good work; wearing a tie with sweaters or jackets with slacks are fine but wearing a full suit with tie definitely will set you apart even from the CEO/CFOs of the firm.

 

[Orsini]

It is good to fit in. By doing this you risk alienating yourself from your team. Not a good idea!