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This kinda fits in here. I have a weekly Zoom meeting with about thirty financial professionals across the industry. These are pretty senior people (age range from twenties to sixties), some are names you'd know. I'm not a name you'd know nor am I important at all, I just happened to be on this call.

When Covid started, the men's attire ranged from collared shirts with either a half-zip sweater or the ubiquitous fleece vest to a smattering of shirts and ties and even shirts and ties with a suit or sport coats. There might have been a few wearing a T-shirt or hoodie back then, but my memory isn't clear on that.

Yesterday, on that call, there was not one guy wearing a tie and only about half the men had on collared shirts, the rest were in T-shirts, sweatshirts or hoodies. Even the leader of the call - a well-known name in the business - who used to wear a shirt, tie and sport coat back when the call started was in a T-shirt yesterday (he had given up the tie a few months ago but, until yesterday, was still wearing a collared shirt usually with a nice sweater).

My guess, he's being advised by a marketing team (or style "consultant") as to what to wear, but either way, it says something. I don't see the business world - at least finance - returning to where it was pre Covid, which was moving away from suits and ties pretty fast even then.

Will the suit and tie be completely gone from Wall St. - no, but Covid will have accelerated the trend away from it. When the senior guys in the business, young ones to the older ones, wear suits and ties much less often than they did before, it doesn't bode well for the construct. (I only talk about guys because of the clothes, there are women on this call as well.)

We'll see as the economy opens back up, but from my Zoom call and a few other things I've noticed, I bet Covid accelerated the trend away from suits and ties by five or ten years.
 
Well, I have grown a serious, full beard during the pandemic.

I'm not talking "hipster overdrive", but if you were lost in the mountains and you saw me, you would say "oh, here's a guy who can help me". With my round glasses, I guess it's got kind of a German philosopher vibe. Oh, and it's pretty much on the silver side.

Interestingly, I find that it does kind of trigger a sartorial shift. Not outside my usual bounds, just kind of different regions within it. For example, it kind of tweeds-up the tweeds, but doesn't look quite right with more "current" athleisure (Lululemon and so forth.)

I could definitely rock a roll-neck and peacoat right about know, though I'd need to add a pipe and a ship for full effect.

I'm on the fence about how it looks with my usual warm-weather getup (Tori Richard cotton lawn shirts) - I can't decide if the beard clashes with the beachy look, or if it works as an overall "man entirely comfortable with himself" statement.

Glasses Beard Picture frame Comfort Eyewear
 
Discussion starter · #23 ·
This kinda fits in here. I have a weekly Zoom meeting with about thirty financial professionals across the industry. These are pretty senior people (age range from twenties to sixties), some are names you'd know. I'm not a name you'd know nor am I important at all, I just happened to be on this call.

When Covid started, the men's attire ranged from collared shirts with either a half-zip sweater or the ubiquitous fleece vest to a smattering of shirts and ties and even shirts and ties with a suit or sport coats. There might have been a few wearing a T-shirt or hoodie back then, but my memory isn't clear on that.

Yesterday, on that call, there was not one guy wearing a tie and only about half the men had on collared shirts, the rest were in T-shirts, sweatshirts or hoodies. Even the leader of the call - a well-known name in the business - who used to wear a shirt, tie and sport coat back when the call started was in a T-shirt yesterday (he had given up the tie a few months ago but, until yesterday, was still wearing a collared shirt usually with a nice sweater).

My guess, he's being advised by a marketing team (or style "consultant") as to what to wear, but either way, it says something. I don't see the business world - at least finance - returning to where it was pre Covid, which was moving away from suits and ties pretty fast even then.

Will the suit and tie be completely gone from Wall St. - no, but Covid will have accelerated the trend away from it. When the senior guys in the business, young ones to the older ones, wear suits and ties much less often than they did before, it doesn't bode well for the construct. (I only talk about guys because of the clothes, there are women on this call as well.)

We'll see as the economy opens back up, but from my Zoom call and a few other things I've noticed, I bet Covid accelerated the trend away from suits and ties by five or ten years.
Sounds like the inevitable depressing conclusion to business casual?

I feel like there are so many options if a suit and tie is no longer the norm. Literally anything decent from the ralph thread would be great inspiration.

Shawl collar cardigans, fatigue jackets, camo jackets, denim, tweed, etc.

What is your general outfit in that kind of climate? I associate finance with being fairly conformist and not open to people being overly different from the norm, but that's making an assumption.
Well, I have grown a serious, full beard during the pandemic.

I'm not talking "hipster overdrive", but if you were lost in the mountains and you saw me, you would say "oh, here's a guy who can help me". With my round glasses, I guess it's got kind of a German philosopher vibe. Oh, and it's pretty much on the silver side.

Interestingly, I find that it does kind of trigger a sartorial shift. Not outside my usual bounds, just kind of different regions within it. For example, it kind of tweeds-up the tweeds, but doesn't look quite right with more "current" athleisure (Lululemon and so forth.)

I could definitely rock a roll-neck and peacoat right about know, though I'd need to add a pipe and a ship for full effect.

I'm on the fence about how it looks with my usual warm-weather getup (Tori Richard cotton lawn shirts) - I can't decide if the beard clashes with the beachy look, or if it works as an overall "man entirely comfortable with himself" statement.

View attachment 55686
For me, the word hipster lost all meaning 8 years ago. It just became a word for "people I don't like".

I think your aesthetic is pretty awesome. The darker coloured hair and moustache with a whiter beard add a distinguished look, and the completely round frames ties it all together.
 
Well, I have grown a serious, full beard during the pandemic.

I'm not talking "hipster overdrive", but if you were lost in the mountains and you saw me, you would say "oh, here's a guy who can help me". With my round glasses, I guess it's got kind of a German philosopher vibe. Oh, and it's pretty much on the silver side.

Interestingly, I find that it does kind of trigger a sartorial shift. Not outside my usual bounds, just kind of different regions within it. For example, it kind of tweeds-up the tweeds, but doesn't look quite right with more "current" athleisure (Lululemon and so forth.)

I could definitely rock a roll-neck and peacoat right about know, though I'd need to add a pipe and a ship for full effect.

I'm on the fence about how it looks with my usual warm-weather getup (Tori Richard cotton lawn shirts) - I can't decide if the beard clashes with the beachy look, or if it works as an overall "man entirely comfortable with himself" statement.

View attachment 55686
The beard makes you look professorly. You look like an expert in early medieval literature or something. Pair that flower shirt with some overly baggy double pleated dockers, throw on your favorite pair of square toed slip on shoes, and you're ready to teach class.
 
Well, I have grown a serious, full beard during the pandemic.

I'm not talking "hipster overdrive", but if you were lost in the mountains and you saw me, you would say "oh, here's a guy who can help me". With my round glasses, I guess it's got kind of a German philosopher vibe. Oh, and it's pretty much on the silver side.

Interestingly, I find that it does kind of trigger a sartorial shift. Not outside my usual bounds, just kind of different regions within it. For example, it kind of tweeds-up the tweeds, but doesn't look quite right with more "current" athleisure (Lululemon and so forth.)

I could definitely rock a roll-neck and peacoat right about know, though I'd need to add a pipe and a ship for full effect.

I'm on the fence about how it looks with my usual warm-weather getup (Tori Richard cotton lawn shirts) - I can't decide if the beard clashes with the beachy look, or if it works as an overall "man entirely comfortable with himself" statement.

View attachment 55686
Yeah, with that full silvery beard, you've got an edge on the distinguished gent look. Definitely would go well with tweed. I've occasionally toyed with letting my closely cropped beard grow out, but it's existed as is on my face for just shy of 50 years and am a bit loathe to change it up.
 
I left my last job just before the pandemic hit. Literally just before (end of December, 2019.) That job required me to wear a suit most days, (and to put up with nonsense, but that's another story.)

My current job allows me to work from home, so my work attire these days is t-shirt and shorts of course. As much as I'm hoping the pandemic is done soon, I hope the work from home gig lasts awhile longer at least. I'm looking at a brutal commute to the new office once it opens back up.
 
This may sound strange, but during the peak of the pandemic I worked from home for about 6 weeks which I despised. During that time I got to the point where I was in pajamas and a robe all day. After a few weeks of that I realized it was affecting my overall state of mind so for the last few weeks working from home I got up, showered, shaved, and put on the same chinos and button down I would wear on a normal day (minus sport coat). I felt better, had a better attitude, and was more productive.

Yesterday I attended a 40 or so person business council meeting - most everyone has either had COVID or has been vaccinated - all the men were wearing sport coats which I was very happy to see. people took their appearance seriously.

So I am hopeful that folks that still embraced dressing well will return to that as things open up.
 
Well, I have grown a serious, full beard during the pandemic.
And a fine-looking beard it is.

I'm not talking "hipster overdrive...."
"Hipster overdrive." I like that expression. I think I'll plagiarize it. More than once.

Not outside my usual bounds, just kind of different regions within it.
Superb metaphor. One more thing for me to plagiarize. I'm having a productive day in this verbal gold mine.

I'm on the fence...I can't decide...or if it works....
You're thinking too much. Stop it. You're married, right? So do what every other married man does-delegate the thinking to the wife. You watch sports, she forms thoughts. Division of labor.
 
I'm wearing more tweed, since I find myself meeting with people outdoors more than before.

Aside from that, if anything, I find myself wearing suits or blazers at least as much, and maybe more, than before-- in part as a reaction to what I see going on around me.
 
I have approached this like the guy who, having been incarcerated, decides to get fit. I am down from 195 to 150. With all of this coming on the heels of retirement, I have rebuilt my wardrobe smaller, much smaller, but better. I delight in having only clothing that I love and wear regularly. For example two pairs of khakis and four OCBDs is more than enough. I wear coats and ties to Zoom church. When it is cold I wear a sweater or a sport coat purely because it is comfortable. Comfort always reigns. Today is hot, and I am in Nantucket red shorts, a navy T-shirt, and very old Sperrys. Yesterday was cool and saw me in five pocket cords and a denim shirt from Bean with sockless CXL LHS. I wear what I like, and that usually means dressing like a high school student in 1965. It's me, just as it was in 1965.

Interestingly, my 35 year old daughter is a very fine dresser and says her circle, educators at the Harlandale Independent School District, is dressing better these days. A fascinating and hopeful aspect of our dawning focus on bridging racial divides and building a more just community is that a lot of black people enjoy dressing well. If you are starved for sharp dressed people, go to church with a black friend!
 
A fascinating and hopeful aspect of our dawning focus on bridging racial divides and building a more just community is that a lot of black people enjoy dressing well. If you are starved for sharp dressed people, go to church with a black friend!
This is very true.

I taught a mathematics seminar series at Morehouse College a few years ago - Morehouse is one of the traditional black colleges - and it was far and away the best-dressed student body I've seen. They actually have a dress code posted around the campus. It's a core feature of the culture of respect there.

This was in August, and on the first day I showed up very "modern professor" in chinos and a Tori Richard camp shirt; I've never felt so underdressed in my life! Mortifying.

Jacket and tie after that.

DH
 
Pre-COVID: I've learned much about office attire, dinner out w/ my wife, office parties attire, etc., from this forum and put a lot of what I've learned into a lifestyle.
Post- COVID: Because I do frequent the office or church (I lead the song svc), I'm still placing those teachings on the front burner, so to speak. At home, I have dialed back just a bit due to working from home more regularly. However, due to the COVID conundrum, I've come to believe that "our personal attire " ...may very well fall into the category of being considered the right tool for the job. My home office is still the office.

Thought's
 
I used to have several very nice 3-piece suits but I am retired and my social circle (high income though it is) doesn't wear them. Thus when I 'outgrew' them I donated them to the Vietnam Veterans in the hope that some upwardly mobile young chap could make use of them. Today, the height of my fashion statement is sport coats and slacks--with the occasional vest if the weather merits. Otherwise, I live in polos, flannels, chambray, denim and cargo pants/shorts. As I said, I'm retired.
 
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