# Wear a Tie at Work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534 "2004-04-06T13:14:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/41 "2004-04-07T07:24:50Z")
Well, the male vets sometimes wear ties (our opthalmologist favors nice polo shirts, though) when they’re not doing surgery (then they wear scrubs). We don’t have any men on the office staff, and all the techs wear scrubs at all times. ---
**Author:** ![Jervoise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d2c977/32.png) [@Jervoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jervoise)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/42 "2004-04-07T07:51:59Z")
Back in the office in Australia, it was suits and ties. Fairly insane considering it’s friggin’ hot most of the time, but personally I enjoy dressing up. One Friday a month, the whole office would dress down and make a donation to a charity on the day. Here in London, I’m told there was a trend towards business casual in the 90s (perhaps accompanying the rise in the IT sector), but since then the pendulum has swung in the other direction. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/43 "2004-04-07T09:52:44Z")
I wear a tie here in Australia, but I think I am a dinosaur. ---
**Author:** ![TV\_time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f17d59/32.png) [@TV\_time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TV_time)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/44 "2004-04-07T10:19:17Z")
At my paper, pretty stratified. Press room - T-shirts, jeans, etc. Reporters - collared shirts and kakkis or “nice” jeans or skirts. Editors - shirts, ties and slacks or nice dress (a little side note here - In all the time I have been with the paper, I have never tightened my tie around my neck.) (ad people dress like editors [actually probably better]) Publisher - suit or sports coat and tie. Owners - They come in in everything including swimsuits. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/45 "2004-04-07T11:55:43Z")
> [@HoldOnThere](#): > > I have the same kind of problem finding short rise pants. Check out [www.josbank.com](http://www.josbank.com). They’re expensive but they carry short rise pants. Try and catch one of their monthly sales which bring their prices down from outrageous to slightly high. Thanks for the tip. I’ll definitely check them out. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/46 "2004-04-07T12:13:29Z")
Local government administration - a suit and tie every day. ---
**Author:** ![Kakofonous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e9a140/32.png) [@Kakofonous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kakofonous)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/47 "2004-04-07T12:52:52Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > I think it would be a major expense if I had to find a job with a formal 4 days a week company. I haven’t worn business dress in years. I’ve often wondered how people do this. I’m a grad student and thus anything goes - jeans, tshirts and a hooded sweatshirt most days. I make a point of looking nicer when I TA, especially at the beginning of the semester. But when I’ve toyed with the idea of going out into the Real World - this is one of the biggest start-up costs I’d encounter. I could pull off ‘business casual’ as that seems a bit more conducive to mixing and matching, and thus getting away with relatively few articles of clothing. But business formal just seems difficult and expensive. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/48 "2004-04-07T16:43:50Z")
> [@LtningBug](#): > > Yup, utilikilts seem to be pretty popular up in the pac-northwest. In the building I work in, there are at least two guys who wear\* kilts consistently (one of them also frequently wears leather pants - he pulls off the gruff biker look pretty well, except when he has his young daughter with him). If someone comes in dressed up, everyone will ask them if they’re interviewing. Hrmm… Utilikilts haven’t caught on to any great extent here yet, but give 'em time. I’m just wondering if the guys wearing them at the office are regimental? :eek: I do know that my guildmistress would immediately volunteer to do kilt checks. At Faire, she’s famous for ensuring the Scots are properly regimental. And **Cervaise’s** comment about feeling fortunate that their co-workers at least wear pants now and then, reminded me of a friend who does artificial intelligence work for NASA. These folks are so brilliant in their field that they glow in the dark. And they fit the hyper-smart scientist stereotype. One of them was prone to running around barefoot and wearing little more than shorts. One day, the Big Boss is due to visit, so a memo is circulated saying that “B.B. is coming on Thursday. Please wear shoes.” ---
**Author:** ![trupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@trupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/trupa)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/49 "2004-04-07T17:40:00Z")
Telecom equipment Product Manger in Calgary checking in… Golf shirts and khakis are considered a bit dressy in my facility, and a likely indication you belong to the dark side… When I go on Market Support customer visits, I usually just dress the way the account manager tells me the customers dress. Paradoxically, I’ve had sales people tell me NOT to dress in business formal, even though the customer did, because I would be more “credible” on techie issues if I looked more like a developer… Our developers wear jeans and whatever top suits them… VPs were jackets with no ties. Business units Presidents and up wear ties most times. BTW, excuse my provincial ignorance, but what the dickens is a Utilikilt? Pictures or links anyone? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/50 "2004-04-07T18:54:32Z")
> [@trupa](#): > > BTW, excuse my provincial ignorance, but what the dickens is a Utilikilt? Pictures or links anyone? > **[Utilikilts | American made Utility Kilts for everyday wear](https://utilikilts.com/)** > > We are committed to pioneering a comfortable alternative to trousers by producing “Men’s Unbifurcated Garments” (MUG’s). Shop kilts on our online store! ---
**Author:** ![BMU](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8dc957/32.png) [@BMU](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMU)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/51 "2004-04-08T02:21:01Z")
basically whatever you feel like goes … the sales people dress up since they have to deal with people. I’m a sysadmin and I telecommute 25 days a month or so… so usually, flannel pants are a good choice , and when I go to the office jeans and a mostly unstained t-shirt. ---
**Author:** ![lawoot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/35a633/32.png) [@lawoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lawoot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/52 "2004-04-08T05:54:04Z")
I work in a Mental Health Ward, and it’s a t-shirt and jeans environment (except I don’t wear t-shirts - I wear button downs, for the most part). Of course, the fact that you never know when you’ll be spit on/scratched/hit/bled upon has a lot to do with that. Basically, at our agency the in-patient side is mostly casual, leaning towards jeans (up to, and including the unit manager), and the out-patient side is business casual. Of course, the high muckity-mucks wear suit and tie. ---
**Author:** ![diku](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@diku](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/diku)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/53 "2004-04-08T15:24:24Z")
I’m a computer consultant, and our company’s policy is a tie everyday. They feel that with the rates we charge, people feel better seeing someone in professional dress do it than someone in a golf shirt. I’ve gotten used to the tie. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/54 "2004-04-08T15:41:47Z")
> [@HoldOnThere](#): > > I have the same kind of problem finding short rise pants. Check out [www.josbank.com](http://www.josbank.com). They’re expensive but they carry short rise pants. Try and catch one of their monthly sales which bring their prices down from outrageous to slightly high. I poked around their website, but couldn’t find anything about shortrise pants. Maybe I see if I can find a “short man” store, though 5’9" is hardly supershort. Oh well, at least I’m not a portly cadet! ---
**Author:** ![HoldOnThere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e36b37/32.png) [@HoldOnThere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoldOnThere)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534/55 "2004-04-08T17:11:23Z")
> [@Spectre of Pithecanthropus](#): > > I poked around their website, but couldn’t find anything about shortrise pants. > > Maybe I see if I can find a “short man” store, though 5’9" is hardly supershort. Oh well, at least I’m not a portly cadet! At the josbank site, not every pair of pants comes in a short rise. Pick a pair of pants and click the size drop down. You will see the waist size and the word ‘short’ if it is a short rise. Read the description too. For example: "Sizes: Regular rise: 31-38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48. Short rise: 32, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42. Long rise: 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 48. " You can also try [www.shortsizes.com](http://www.shortsizes.com). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wear-a-tie-at-work/238534.md?page=2)