Make a Difference, One Button at a Time

Are Casual Fridays Good?

For most of the readers to MOB, you are now well aware I am and have been a professional men’s image consultant for many many years. Basically I show and teach men how and what to wear, as most of us men are not to fashion conscious. Actually most men are apathetic to what they choose to wear.

The same cannot be said about the fairer sex. Why is it the malls of our great nation are devoted to almost an 80% occupancy of women’s clothing stores. Men might have two or three stores to choose from. Dress is just not important to us. Why is it important to women and not for men?

During my career I have seen the dumbing down of America’s Men’s Dress Code in the workforce from the obligatory suit and tie, to a tee/polo shirt and jeans during office work hours.

This is truly a shame and one that doesn’t look to revert in the near future. Our job requirements have been upgraded to include all employees must posses a minimum educational standard. That standard consists of earning a Bachelors of Art or Science and in many cases a Masters, in order to collect their first paycheck.  So why do most large and small employers have no minimum dress code standard? They use to back when the economy was thriving. Maybe there is a correlation, maybe not.

To walk into a job interview in a pair of sandals and shorts would be considered suicidal, but hell, once they hire you stick that suit back into the rear of the closet, whence it came.

I feel and have always felt, that when I  interact with a professional person, his or her first impression tells me a lot on how I will come to feel and trust that person. There are still a few professions that a suit and tie is still the standard. For example

If I happened to be standing in court in front of a judge or jury, you bet your sweet ass my consular will be in a suit and tie. Can you imagine trying to win your case being represented by a person in a Ed Hardy Tee, a torn pair of True Religion denim jeans and sporting a pair of new Converse sneakers? And the real kicker is that the above mentioned wardrobe would cost the same as wearing a custom made suit by Hart, Schaffner and Marx, the very same suit that our President wears. It Just Doesn’t Make Sense!

Which Vinny Would You Want To Defend You?

Dressing well doesn’t mean fancy or over-the-top. It means tasteful simple. The dress casual person, who works diligently at his chosen profession do better then his counterpart who is dressed in a well made suit? I doubt there are any statistics that support this question on either side.  But I can tell you the difference on how a man feels about himself when he leaves me after a consultation donning a new suit, shirt and tie. He feels confident, he feels better about himself and those around him without a doubt look at him in a different light. Being in a suit shows others you respect yourself, therefore without a single word being uttered, those he comes in contact with will give him that same respect back.

The only thing a man has in his wardrobe that conotates authority and respect is a suit. The only thing close to a historical measurement of class and civility is a suit. The name in and of itself “suit” has one meaning that is derived from a “suit of armor”,  the one thing a man wore to defend himself against his enemy during ancient battle.

Imagine visiting the Queen and witnessing the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace with men in polo shirts and khakis or seeing the most holy Pope without the Swiss Guards in their flamboyant display of dress. I know I am taking this to the extreme, but come on folks what has happened to our innate sense of decorum.

When a man can roll out of bed and pick out the days wardrobe without even opening his eyes. Remember men are lucky if they can coordinate colors that match, let alone take an extra minute to inspect their pants to be without holes.

Of course there are many professions where putting on a suit is ridiculous, and in some cases down right dangerous. I am not talking to THAT PERSON. I am imploring the other 50% or more of men who have the ability and the position to dress appropriately.

Guys,  start a reverse trend and instead of having a Casual Friday, (which turned into casual everyday), start off Monday with that very same suit you got hired in. See what happens. See the comments that are made to you.

I know your employer would not mind, hell he might even remember your name now. I know your clients will surely approve of your new look. And most of all the women you come in contact with, will come to appreciate you more. But ultimately the person who will gain from this will be you. See if maybe, just maybe, you can make a difference one button at a time.

Just remember guys, A well dressed Vinny got to go home with Marisa!

Related articles by Zemanta

• What Your Suit Says About You (blogs.harvardbusiness.org)
• Charles LeDray’s ‘Mens Suits’ (telegraph.co.uk)

Tags: Buckingham Palace, Business, Clothing, EDUCATION, Lawsuit, Men, Polo shirt, Suit, Swiss Guard, United States

This entry was posted on Sunday, November 8th, 2009 at 12:47 AM and is filed under FASHION, OPPOSITE SEX, SELF HELP. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.