While I do not wear a suit everyday, I do wear a sportcoat and a tie 9 out of 10 days. I, too, feel more comfortable in well made and well tailored clothing than I ever have in jeans and a sweatshirt.
I do wear a suit almost everyday to work. This is a tradition that is rapidly vanishing in the USA and I don't understand why. I am always getting compliments from clients and other professionals on how good and professional I look.

 

I applaud both of you. How did we get to a point where grown men are wearing baseball caps worn backwards, oversized t-shirts & baggy low hung trousers with unlaced athletic shoes in the normal course.

My objective is to wear either a suit with a tie, or at least a long sleeve shirt and sport coat at least 5 days a week, and certainly when out socializing.

 

I am at about 3 days a week out of personal choice. The problem is that while I'm in school laundry and ironing becomes the issue. I would like to get to 5-6 days a week after I graduate.

 

Men who dress like gentlemen, behave like gentlemen. We can only set an example & hope that it reflects not only on our personal style, but on our character as well.

 

I wear a suit almost every day (probably more than 9 days every two weeks). I find it easier to match. When I try to wear a sport coat, it just seems too complicated so early in the morning. My "casual days" will be a Navy Blazer. I have about 10 winter suits in rotation, and about the same for summer, with 2-3 all season suits. More in the closet that I occassionally wear--2 or three times a year.

 

How did we get to a point where grown men are wearing baseball caps worn backwards, oversized t-shirts & baggy low hung trousers with unlaced athletic shoes in the normal course.

While I certainly won't object to the gentleman wearing a suit and tie everyday if that's what he wants to do, why the sudden leap from a suit and tie to "baseball caps worn backward, oversized t-shirts & baggy low hung trousers with unlaced athletic shoes."

I've seen this a number of times in this forum. Just because a guy doesn't wear a suit everyday doesn't mean that he dresses like you describe. There is a lot of clothing, much of it very nice and stylish, in between these extremes.

Cruiser

 

I understand why chava is upset about men wearing ill fitting all casual clothing, but I see what you mean cruizer. I make it a point that this is not every persons choice, I would never insist other people dress like me. You can still be well dressed and not in a suit, just not for my personal dress code. I actually like being different and standing out, but Chava I appreciate your input, its nice to know I am not entirely unique

 

I am not saying that men shouldn't dress as they see fit. I am simply indicating that popular culture has made the "gangsta" look mainstream...

 

I think we can all agree that the standard of appropriate and stylish dressing has slipped more than we would like. I also agree with Cruiser that one can certainly dress in less than a suit, sport coat and tie and look very presentable.

 

well said Wall and Chava

 

I bought two decent corduroy jackets and from sometime in early March forward am wearing a button-down shirt and jacket 7 days a week. Because I have two small kids I am not in a position to wear a suit daily and not in a position to wear a tie on the playground where I would be exercising at, let's say, 50% of the level one would at the gym. However I was in loafers or chukkas, OCBD and cord blazer everywhere this weekend.

I noticed that after the election that MANY young people were wearing suits and blazers in all kinds of locations. They were looking MUCH sharper than "my" generation- I just turned 40. I do not think this is a small cultural change at all- I think suits, jackets and blazers are "in." I see plenty of people outside coffee houses with artsy pinstripe shirts and pinstripe jackets. This is a great time to wear a suit.

In fact, amongst the young people I've seen two major trends:
1. They wear v-neck sweaters instead of vests. I was seeing the v-neck sweater on as much as 1 out of 5 or 6 people this winter.
2. Wearing the corduroy jacket and v-neck sweater means that one can keep the heat down really low in the winter. This is part of the green energy thing. "Put on a sweater" etc.

I should warn you all though that throughout my childhood my father wore old suits when he would garden, mow the lawn, etc and they began to look really ratty, mishapen and out of place. But literally, instead of owning any kind of windbreaker, golf jacket or similar, he wore old suit jackets or heavy tweed/herringbone jackets. It once got so bad circa 1978 that we asked him to take off his jacket and leave it in the car- he looked ridiculous with it overtop a short sleeved Arrow shirt and bathing suit at the beach. Given that he didn't get these dry cleaned and used every pocket, I'll tell you, I don't feel like he looked particularly great, but it's what I grew up with.

 

Oh and by the way, what triggered this with me was that my in-laws came to my son's birthday looking like they were wearing old pajamas. Adult men in stained gray sweatshirts and formless pseudo-denim-stretch slacks and formless shaved heads. Older cousins in crinkly sweatpants and ill-fitting hoodies. Little cousins in butt-ugly skull shirts and skull-pattern hoodies. Female cousins in ill-fitting "Fashion" sweatpants and underwear bands. Everyone wearing sneakers. Everyone looking a few pounds heavier than when I saw them last.

Kids received a stack of clothes from them that almost seemed to offend the sensibilities of the 6 year old- off-label sweat suit sets. Outfits that I knew cost under $6 from Wal-Mart, Kohls, etc. I'm staring at, you know, 6 shirts and 4 pants like, you would have done better to get one nice shirt and one nice pair of jeans. Does my kid NEED 4 new pairs of cheap pants that he'll destroy and I can't pass them down to the younger brother?

I said to myself, I am NOT going to go through this recession looking like that and I'm NOT going to spend money on something low-style just because it's cheap.

And it wasn't just sweatshirt material that got to me, it was haircuts and weight as well. Whatever we let happen before is over now and I refuse to be a person who lets their life goout of control.

 

I am wondering if there are any other gentleman that also predominately wear suits daily, as a choice? how many suits do you own? what has your experience been i.e. reactions from other people either positive or negative? I've seen a few other people on forums that have embraced a sartorial lifestyle, am interested in knowing if anyone else on here has achieved this goal or is attempting to reach it? Mutual encouragement is always helpful.

I wear a sportcoat five days a week, and a tie Monday through Thursday. The reactions have been universally positive, which is a good sign - at less stable companies where I've worked wearing a tie made people wonder if I had a job interview elsewhere.

The dress code in my office is "business casual," although I have only seen my boss wear a golf shirt on the one occasion he stayed so late he actually slept in his office and showered at his club. The top executives wear suits and ties during the period each month when the financials are being analyzed.

So far, I seem to have converted one other person in the office, who now wears ties every day.

Part of my motivation was to get dressed up and feel like I was doing the well-paid white-collar job that I have; another part is that I often meet friends at their clubs for lunch and the membership mostly wears suits five days a week.

 

Well, I do wear almost only either suits or sport jackets and tie. Now and then I will drop the tie for a day cravat if the occasion is suitably informal (like a walk on the beach or an evening at home).

The amount of suits I own is somewhat high but not outrageous especially considering the need for two different weights (for the different seasons of Europe) which more or less forces to double the amount.

Here in Saigon winter-clothes are useless and the few I brought with me are for trips to Hanoi during winter so they see very little use. The rest undergoes a rather strict rotation and each suit is worn a maximum of once per week and sometimes even less frequently.

Mine is a deliberate choice as I could just wear a longsleeved shirt with decent trousers and a have a tie at hand for meetings.

Nobody ever had a negative reaction and as a matter of fact I do receive an inordinate amount of compliments here (in Europe most people do not comment as much on my dress).
The last "critical" comment I received was in Europe some years ago, a colleague meeting me told me "Why do not you wear something more sporty?" (I had a blue chalk striped suit on) My answer was "But I do, do not you notice my pale blue sweater waistcoat?" This was the worst.

Yours,

Phileas Fogg

 

Well, I do wear almost only either suits or sport jackets and tie. Now and then I will drop the tie for a day cravat if the occasion is suitably informal (like a walk on the beach or an evening at home).

The amount of suits I own is somewhat high but not outrageous especially considering the need for two different weights (for the different seasons of Europe) which more or less forces to double the amount.

Here in Saigon winter-clothes are useless and the few I brought with me are for trips to Hanoi during winter so they see very little use. The rest undergoes a rather strict rotation and each suit is worn a maximum of once per week and sometimes even less frequently.

Mine is a deliberate choice as I could just wear a longsleeved shirt with decent trousers and a have a tie at hand for meetings.

Nobody ever had a negative reaction and as a matter of fact I do receive an inordinate amount of compliments here (in Europe most people do not comment as much on my dress).
The last "critical" comment I received was in Europe some years ago, a colleague meeting me told me "Why do not you wear something more sporty?" (I had a blue chalk striped suit on) My answer was "But I do, do not you notice my pale blue sweater waistcoat?" This was the worst.

Yours,

Phileas Fogg

I'm wondering if you have your clothes made in Vietnam or elsewhere in Asia, and if so, who do you use?

 

I do not wear a suit every day, but I do wear Bills Khakis and a dress shirt. On those days when I do wear a suit, or even a sports jacket and tie, I'm always asked what the occasion is. I've also noticed that when I am dressed more formally, that I get much better service, whether in a clothing store or a restaurant.
This has been discussed here before, but on several occasions I've had customers at stores ask me a question about something or where something is, just because I'm wearing a suit and tie. I kind of like it:icon_smile:

Mark S.

 

When I first went into business ...

after graduating from college in 1961, wearing a suit and tie every day was not a goal but a requirement. If this standard had been kept, we would all be much better for it. In retirement, I still wear a jacket amd tie three days a week - the days I go out to a restaurant or bistro.

 

My goal has over the past few years has been to wear a suit and tie every day as a personal dress code of my choosing, not just for work or as a uniform. After working up my wardrobe (and my nerve in the beginning) I am almost there and I am already known to many as a man who is never seen without a jacket and tie on. While I am not entirely insane (i.e. while I wear a suit TO the gym, I obviously don't wear a suit AT the gym or pool / beach), for the most part when I wake up I put on a suit and tie, keeping my tie snug and never loose until it comes off before bed. I've always liked the look and am more comfortable in a well tailored suit then I ever was in jeans.

I am wondering if there are any other gentleman that also predominately wear suits daily, as a choice? how many suits do you own? what has your experience been i.e. reactions from other people either positive or negative? I've seen a few other people on forums that have embraced a sartorial lifestyle, am interested in knowing if anyone else on here has achieved this goal or is attempting to reach it? Mutual encouragement is always helpful.

I regularly get razzed at work for wearing a coat and tie even on Fridays. I often point out that Friday is often the day I go "casual" by wearing slip-on shoes and a button-cuff shirt (sometimes even with a b.d. collar). Still, the sartorial skeptics who quiz me seem to glory in their shame.

Like the OP, I'm also not a nut about this. I don't run errands on weekends, do chores, or exercise in a coat and tie. It's all about being properly dressed for the occasion and the activity. But at the office I do like to look smartly turned out and professional rather than try to dress like I did while I was in college or whatnot (actually even in college I think I was fairly well dressed, but I digress . . . .).

 

This thread reminds me of Nixon. I remember as a teenager hearing that his housekeeper said she never saw Nixon out of his suit. I think it was meant to be a slight, but I thought it was pretty cool.

"As a boy, Nixon wore a tie and jacket to school, and his classmates often made fun of his solemn formality....Nixon always appeared to be more comfortable in his 3-button business suits than in casual wear. While relaxing in the sun at Key Biscayne or San Clemente, he was often dressed primly in a sports jacket. During his solitary walks along the beach, he generally wore his black dress shoes."

 

As with anything, doing it constantly can lead to boredom . . .

. . . and certainly that's the case with "business casual".

I am suited for my business casual office for most of the winter, and sporadically during the summer months (the conditions of subway platforms in NYC in the summer being what they are, i.e. large communal saunas, I do generally draw the line at being suited solely for the purpose of making my dry cleaner wealthier).

Business casual is just too damn boring to practice with any frequency, save for meteorological need (khakis and polo shirts do come in handy for August commutation). I am very much in the minority in my office, yet, on those few days that I choose not to dress up (usually associated with rain or snow), the office seems disappointed that the "standard bearer" for sartorial splendour (such as it is) has let them down. (As is said, it's not easy being pretty - well, you get the general gist . . . :icon_smile:.)

 

. . . and certainly that's the case with "business casual".
...

I am convinced, based on what I've been hearing, that offices like my wife's K St DC office that are business casual in a sea of Business Formal law firms are seeing a revolt against business casual.

There are people in my wife's office of all ages who feel the need to use clothes to "prove" themselves or as a way to appear as professional or more professional than they are. I also chalk up somen of that to the recession and layoff-panic where no one wants to appear expendable. There are plenty of characteristics of sloppily-dressed people that they don't want to emulate.

I find it amazing how nervous I was last month when I thought the "meeting today?" comments were going to be a problem- they barely lasted a week and the "nice shoes" comments occur much more frequently.

 

I find it amazing how nervous I was last month when I thought the "meeting today?" comments were going to be a problem- they barely lasted a week and the "nice shoes" comments occur much more frequently.

I see it mentioned quite often in this forum about how guys are questioned or even ridiculed at the office for dressing a little nicer than some others. This always takes me back to my own personal experiences and I can't help but wonder.

I worked for more than 30 years in a large downtown office building where the only dress code was that people who met with the public had to wear a tie, and no shorts or tank tops were permitted. As a result there was a real mish mash of attire as most employees worked away from the public. Most managers wore coats and ties and some supervisors did. Out on the floor guys wore everything from suits to sport coats to khakis and polos, to jeans. It wasn't uncommon for two guys holding the exact same job to head out to lunch together with one wearing a suit and cashmere overcoat while the other had on jeans and an old Navy peacoat.

For a large part of those 30+ years I wore a sport coat and tie, but I also wore jeans for a couple of year and khakis the last 4-5 years before I retired. So I experienced my co-workers reactions from both sides of the fence so to speak.

My point is that I don't remember clothing ever being an issue one way or the other. I got the feeling that nobody really cared what anybody else was wearing. People tended to wear what they wanted to wear and that was that. And there certainly was no ridicule by anyone toward someone in a coat and tie. Clothing was simply a non-issue in conversations unless of course someone came in dressed in a really ridiculous get-up or wore dirty, poorly maintained clothing; but then it was discussed by all factions of the sartorial gamut with equal humor.

How could my experiences have been so different from what I read about here?

Cruiser

 

I see it mentioned quite often in this forum about how guys are questioned or even ridiculed at the office for dressing a little nicer than some others. This always takes me back to my own personal experiences and I can't help but wonder.

I worked for more than 30 years in a large downtown office building where the only dress code was that people who met with the public had to wear a tie, and no shorts or tank tops were permitted. As a result there was a real mish mash of attire as most employees worked away from the public. Most managers wore coats and ties and some supervisors did. Out on the floor guys wore everything from suits to sport coats to khakis and polos, to jeans. It wasn't uncommon for two guys holding the exact same job to head out to lunch together with one wearing a suit and cashmere overcoat while the other had on jeans and an old Navy peacoat.

For a large part of those 30+ years I wore a sport coat and tie, but I also wore jeans for a couple of year and khakis the last 4-5 years before I retired. So I experienced my co-workers reactions from both sides of the fence so to speak.

My point is that I don't remember clothing ever being an issue one way or the other. I got the feeling that nobody really cared what anybody else was wearing. People tended to wear what they wanted to wear and that was that. And there certainly was no ridicule by anyone toward someone in a coat and tie. Clothing was simply a non-issue in conversations unless of course someone came in dressed in a really ridiculous get-up or wore dirty, poorly maintained clothing; but then it was discussed by all factions of the sartorial gamut with equal humor.

How could my experiences have been so different from what I read about here?

Cruiser

What I described as razzing is really very, very mild amusement. In my office and in my case at least, it hardly reaches the level of anything that I would call ridicule.

My workplace is in fact much as described above: Most of the senior folks of both sexes dress like white-collar professionals (meaning mostly coats and ties for the men, at least Monday through Thursday), but aside from that it's pretty free-form (the IT and office-services folks even wear shorts) and clothes are not a huge topic of conversation. Even the teasing I get is sometimes mixed with a hint of admiration.

And as with uprcrust, people do for some reason that escapes me like to feign shock when I go "weather-appropriate," as when we had a bit of a snowfall a while back and I showed up for work in boots, woolen hunting pants, a mock-T under a Viyella shirt, and a fleece jacket. I knew I would have to knock a bunch of snow off my car that morning, so no way was I leaving my place wearing a suit and a pair of expensive dress shoes.

 

Not sure ridicule is the right word

The folks in my office dress somewhere between casual and business casual. Jeans are fine; t-shirts are not. Most of the guys wear golf shirts or BDs with jeans or khakis. Some wear dress shirts and odd trousers. The casual workplace is important to some people, and so there is sometimes pressure not to overdress, that is, not to follow the prior dress code. I don't think that they really mind how I dress but rather are concerned that it might catch on or that the boss will decide that the office has gone too casual. Nothing approaches ridicule or even hostility, but then I haven't bucked the system either.

 

SuitAndTieDoc,
I am entirely in sympathy with you, except that I wear a sport coat + tie more frequently than a suit. My main problem, however, is that I do not wear waistcoats (or vests) since I wear only off-the-rack clothes and I cannot get an off-the-rack waistcoat that fits properly, thus keeping my tie from dangling about (which it doesn't do excessively, as I fix it invisibly) or being scratched etc. Hence, I get rid of my tie on a number of occasions.
Any hints?

 

I wear a tie every day except Friday and Saturday. In winter I wear mostly suits with the odd heavy trouser and wool sport coat a la Ben Silver. Spring is here and I'm enjoying tan or olive trousers (plain front only) and a pattern pin point button-down (below Mason-Dixon a button down collar IS considered a dress shirt as long as it has long sleeves) and bright tie.

My favorite look on me for business (daytime in office or meetings to evenings with business dinners and cocktails) is a charcoal pin stripe suit with white pinpoint and a red striped tie. Boring by Donald Trump standards, but straight out of the Preppy Handbook. I'm 40 by the way, love the forum.