I noticed that this “attire” is the norm for many occasions. It’s a uniform, basically. What I hate about it the most is the compliments people receive when they dress this way… I rarely wear this outfit but whenever I do everyone is like “Wow, you look so handsome” or “You look great in that suit”. Seriously, I mean, I’m wearing the same costume as everyone else but you think it looks good? I go through hell finding the clothing and accessories to fit my unique style but I don’t receive anywhere near the amount of compliments I do when wearing dress clothes.
Looking back in history this attire has been the norm for ages upon ages!
I can’t stand wearing these clothes!..
They are hot.
They make me look goofy if I’m not around others wearing the same thing.
I have to tie a rope around my neck.
I have to iron the damn things.
I have to polish the shoes.
It takes more time than usual to dress this way.
I gotta put them on hangers because they wrinkle so easily.
And not forgetting to mention I have to style my hair a specific way to meet the standards.
Why can’t I just wear what I want to for work, meetings, interviews, church, etc? Even nightclubs for fuck sake! Is it going to be like this forever?
I dunno, maybe I’m trying to kill a dead dog here, but it’s just something that has always bothered me.
“I go through hell finding the clothing and accessories to fit my unique style”
Meta-message: “I go out of my way to make sure people know I don’t give a crap what they think.”
“Wow! You look great in that suit.”
Meta-message: “Thank you for going out of your way to show you do, occasionally, give a crap what I think.”
I don’t know. I have a colleague who occasionally makes noises as if he’s ambitious of becoming Chair of my department, or Associate Chair, or Dean or some such administrative position, and he wears sandals to work in warm weather. Of course, people have developed these elaborate rationales for voting for anyone else in preference to him, but it all comes down to the sandals.
And if the socioculturally-established norm for stylish attire were baggy plaid shorts, dashiki top, beret, and sandals with argyle socks, EpicNonsense, you would still be praised for looking good wearing it, be considered respectable for showing up in it to work, and be a bigger hit at the club if wearing a fancier version of it in dark colors. Even if you’d feel too unstructured in such a get-up. We’ll never be able to escape being expected to “dress up”.
Most men look better in suits than they do in polos and khakis. You’re taking extra time and care with your appearance. Why should you be perturbed when people comment on that? I know that I look a lot better in a flattering dress, nice shoes and artful make-up than I do in sweatpants and t-shirts.
Waah Waah. Modern dress is much less hassle than it was decades and centuries ago. And yes, a suit looks nicer than jeans and a t-shirt. I roll my eyes when I see people saying they “dressed up” by wearing khakis and a polo.
I’m a chick and I get more compliments on my outfits when I wear heels, tights (it’s winter, hey!), a pencil skirt and sweater instead of sweater and pants. A little bit of extra effort is noticed by people.
[Costanza]We’re living in a society, people![/Costanza] Sometimes people are expected to think a little bit about others, and that includes in how you dress. It’s not a tragedy, here.
Why do they look better? Is it because you’re so accustomed to the sight of it? Is it the fact that it makes one look more mature and established?
There is no creativity in it. The only thing you choose is the color scheme, which can be very limited. Oh, and your tie gets a little bit of “character”.
We all put time and effort into wearing our everyday clothing. My shoes are spotless, my pants/jeans and wrinkle free, as well as my shirt, my hat is clean (should I wear one), my hair is neat (if I’m not wearing a hat)…
Is the whole purpose of the dress attire to hide skin? I can understand a pair of pants being more appropriate in a meeting than a pair of swim trunks. I can understand a longsleeve shirt being more appropriate than a t-shirt, but why can’t my shirt have some flavor to it, why must it almost always be a solid color or limited material?..
Does he at least cut his toenails? Because I’d definitely never vote for a mandal-wearing guy with toe talons. Ever. I wouldn’t even come up with an excuse, I’d just tell everybody the truth.
I’ll withhold judgement on your feelings on dress clothes until you answer one thing. Are you one of those kids that normally wears your pants so the waistline is somewhere in the vicinity of mid-ass or lower?
I ask because I’ve noticed that most people that complain about wearing a jacket and dress pants are the ones that normally dress like slobs.
But business attire does show you’re part of a specific group. You’re a professional, a businessman, a grown-up with an office job. You don’t work on a factory floor or in a hospital lab or fly an airplane or paint pictures for a living.
Your clothing can say what “group” you belong to. Which is why I don’t wear scrubs to work anymore, I was tired of being called “nurse” all the time. (I’m a med tech)
I was just curious, like I said often those that complain about it are the ones that are slobs in general. Sounds like you could be an exception to that.
The only part of the dress-up look I dislike is the tie, a collarless shirt can help avoid that while still looking good.
Definitely not. My workplace has no dress code, and I swear half of the men here look like they’re dressed to clean out the garage. I wish I saw more men in nice suits.
This comes closer to it. Men in suits look more grown-up, which I find appealing. The whole ballcap, t-shirt, baggy shorts look really turns me off.
I don’t know a ton about men’s fashion, but I don’t think this is the case. There are suits and shirts in all kinds of cuts, fabrics and colors. Different styles look better on different men and for different occasions. True, the differences are more subtle than in women’s clothing, but there are definitely lots of choices to be made.
So, with that said, you are definitely one whom does not wear their pants in that manner. But why does it make them a slob? Hypothetically, if everyone else was doing it, would you still be against it?
Are you complaining that you have to wear a shirt/tie/vest/jacket, or are you complaining that you have to “put on a uniform”?
Guy stuff isn’t as varied as girl stuff, sure, but there’s still lots that can be done. Cuff links, the cut of your shirt/jacket/pants, different coloured trim, different materials, why not try a man bag?
How about materials? Try a wool tie, or a leather one. Skinny tie. Half winsor, worn loose, with the top button unbuttoned. Wool vest. Cardigan. Pants made of slightly more interesting materials, NO PLEATS. Sports coat. How about trying a turtleneck?
Different collars: mandarin, small collar, big collar, even a wing collar, unbuttoned.
You’re never going to match the sheer variety and choice of styles that a woman has, but you can maximise the options that you do have. And frankly, social expectations are half of style anyway.
Just as a note, looking like a slob is fine under certain circumstances. I look like one myself at times. (Though very rarely outside of my front door)
It’s a matter of looking half dressed for one thing, as if they couldn’t be bothered to actually put their clothes on all the way. For example, in my Music theory class there’s this little 18 year old stoner,guitarist wannabe guy that dresses that way every week. He exudes this aura of slackerness that seems typical of most, if not every, guy I’ve ever seen that did the sagging bit.
On the other hand, he seems to prefer briefs rather than boxers and I’m not complaining about the nearly unobstructed view of his rather cute ass.
If I had grown up with that being the normal “Presentable in public” look then perhaps not. In the real world if that suddenly became the norm then yes, I would absoutely still be against it.
