I have heard of at least one administrative law judge who some time ago ceased wearing dress shirt/tie/dress pants under his robe, and now wears jeans.
I’ve long wondered about attorneys who dress up in suits, and then do a crappy job. I’d far prefer they dressed casually and acted competently.
Jeans and a Hawaiian shirt.
This discussion is timely. On Saturday is the funeral for my brother’s father in law. Iam flying in for it and am deciding whether to bring a suit.
A couple of months ago I suspected that the end was coming so I went to Macy’s and bought a black suit. So I have that, a black necktie and black shoes. But is it too much?
I’m mid-50s and have never owned a suit. I used to own a sport jacket but gave it to the thrift store when I realized I hadn’t wore it in a couple decades. I still have a couple of ties, but I cannot remember the last time I wore one. I have plenty of dress pants and long-sleeve button up shirts since this is what I wear to work, but these also fill in for weddings and funerals. Not like I go to many of these: I think the last one I attended was a decade ago and I was provided the suit since I was in the wedding party.
BTW, I can wear denim jeans to work as well and do often. They are “nice” and go well with my button up shirts.
Even in NYC working at the intersection of technology, finance, and law, I rarely wear suits anymore. Maybe a suit with no tie if I’m meeting a client for the first time.
These days I mostly wear a dress shirt and a North Face puffy fin/tech-bro vest. Assuming I dress for work at all.
My condolences for your loss. I’ve lost both my parents recently, and was able to observe trends - suits with ties yes, but a muted tie rather than black looked fine too. I don’t think everyone needs to go full Godfather these days. Unless that’s your family expectation.
Interestingly, as a family we had a ‘black or not’ discussion. We decided on a black dress code (ie black dresses/suits for women) as my parents were OLD and would have expected it. So it was out of respect for them. I’ve also been to funerals where it was strictly ‘no black’ at the request of the family for a younger family member. But unless it’s discussed, I would always lean respectful even if it’s not full black.
Thank you. To be fair, this isn’t someone directly related to me, but he’s been my brother’s father-in-law for more than three decades and grandfather to my brother’s children (now 30 and 26). Still, someone I’ve known for a long time.
Every few years my employer will have the company picnic at a water park, and I cannot recall a single time we ever discussed appropriate attire with our employees, so I guess we just let the facility enforce whatever dress code they might have. We’ve never had any incidents, but I guess that’s always true until you do finally have one. Unlike a team building event, the picnic is optional. I’d probably recommend against team building exercises at a water park.
Yes but you own at least one suit.( or else you couldn’t wear one with no tie) I was saying the younger men I know own at least one suit, even the ones who never wear suits to work. By uniform , I meant actual uniforms , like sanitation workers or mechanics.
Certainly true for culture/location. But it is also age as folks used to wearing suits still will at times. I live near Silicon Valley, the birthplace of business casual, which has only gotten more casual. Lawyers still wear suits, but take your average software engineer and you might be able to get them into a suit and tie…if you have a gun 
.
A few weeks ago I wore khakis and a button down shirt to work, what I would consider business casual. I got people asking me why I was dressed up.
As you note, it might well be a location-based thing. As I noted upthread, my observation in smaller Midwestern cities and towns is that I suspect many men (particularly younger ones) now don’t own a suit at all.
I don’t have a problem with dress codes at work. But in many, even most, jobs and situations it simply does not matter. If so, denim and even appropriate-weather shorts are fine IMHO. White and black jeans often look surprisingly good even with formal clothing. Blue jeans are more casual, and just do not look as good with most formal clothing (although not always).
More conservative employers might frown on blue or any denim; sometimes this is just a power excuse to make rules. But since Covid everything is more casual for better or worse. There are still a few jobs and occasions where a suit is the best option.
I technically own one, but I doubt it still fits me.
I’m going to a swearing-in for a new judge tomorrow.
There will be suits.
(Plus gowns, but I won’t be wearing one.)
For us Canadian lawyers, suit and tie is the less formal court attire.
For the real serious matters, black waistcoat, white shirt with tabs, and a gown.
Jacket and trousers, but not so matchy-matchy as a suit. Like a pair of black pants and a bluie-and-gold pinstripe velvet blazer. Or blue jeans and tweed. Or some black jeans and a charcoal corduroy jacket for a funeral. Probably will wear a waistcoat as well - festive for a wedding, monotonous for a funeral.
Mandarin collars are my preferred type of dress shirt, precisely so I don’t have to wear ties.
WELL, with those descriptions, I think we all deserve pictures.
That’s not going to happen on this board ever again.