Lookin' spiffy at work

[Clever username]

So I had a funeral to go this morning and naturally wore a shirt and a tie. Since I spent an hour ironing the shirt and the wool dress pants and was only at the funeral for an hour or so, I decided I wasn't going to change when I went to work. If nothing else I thought it would be funny for the people who are used to me wearing jeans. Weird thing is, though, other than wasting some time on here throughout, I've felt immensely more professional and have been a lot more productive. I'd be tempted to dress this way everyday if I had the resources to buy more of these kinds of clothes.

Anyone else experienced this?

 

[Overrated]

Yeah.

I went from being a sportswriter who wore jeans, white tennis shoes and a sport coat to a regular reporter who wears a shirt and tie everyday (sleeves rolled up so it looks like I'm ready to get dirty).

It does make one feel more professional, whatever.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

I have the same attitude no matter how I dress, but I like nice clothes and am a bit of a clotheshorse. The paper before this one outlawed ties and made dress-casual mandatory in the office. It broke my heart.

It really isn't that expensive to acquire good clothes if you are a good shopper. I wear $295 shoes that cost me $90 a pair, which is about what you'd pay regular price for plastic-looking dress shoes that would fall apart in a year.

 

[Gob Bluth]

Whenever I dress up I get people cracking jokes that I am interviewing for a new job. I like to dress up from time to time, but couldn't do it every day.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

Had a boss who made us wear shirt and ties every day. He was a cocksucker. It didn't mean ****, and he sure as hell wasn't paying me enough to buy those kind of clothes. But then again he was a career minor leaguer who thought he had big league stuff.

But on the other hand if it means you do your job better, then go for it.

 

[Clever username]

But on the other hand if it means you do your job better, then go for it.

Well, I'm quite full of myself, so when I feel that I look good it only makes it worse and the confidence rises. Whatever works, I guess.

 

[WSKY]

If you wear a shirt that doesn't have stain on it where I'm at it's considered dressing up. A button-up shirt is equivalent to a tie ...

 

[HejiraHenry]

But don't wear really, really nice pants -- especially wool -- to sit on an office chair all day. Those chairs will chew 'em up.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

But don't wear really, really nice pants -- especially wool -- to sit on an office chair all day. Those chairs will chew 'em up.

Ah, the dreaded shiny hiney. A few points:

Really good wool is less prone to this than cheap wool.

Some places -- Brooks Brothers and J.Press come to mind -- will give you the option to buy an extra pair of trousers with the suit jacket, knowing that the trousers will wear out faster than the jacket.

You can add to the longevity of wool clothing by buying a steamer and cleaning it yourself instead of sending it to the dry cleaner.

If you have a shiny spot, you can fix it this way, although eventually this will stop working: Dampen a clean, lint-free cloth with distilled white vinegar. Gently brush the shiny spot. The vinegar relaxes the crushed wool fibers and raises their texture.

 

[Angola!]

I've never worked anywhere where there were a lot of sports people dressed up. I would feel uncomfortable if I wore a tie.

 

[shockey]

everyone should dress in whatever fashion is most productive for them. as long as it's an individual choice, i'm good with it.

but if i'm not most comfortable in a shirt and tie, why would any boss want me to play dress up? ??? ??? ???

 

[Jake_Taylor]

Frank, what kind of shoes do you wear. I'm in the market for new brown pair and would gladly pay $90 for something that would last.


Clever, my best tip if you're looking to improve your wardrobe is to check the Web sites of some nice men's stores. Sometimes they have awesome deals. Last month I bought a $900 Joseph A. Bank suit for $185. Also, check out Kohl's. They usually have good deals on sport coats, sweaters, slacks and such.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

Frank, what kind of shoes do you wear. I'm in the market for new brown pair and would gladly pay $90 for something that would last.

Allen-Edmonds, which are made in Wisconsin. You can get them at deep discount on eBay (A-E sells its "seconds," i.e. imperfects, on eBay, although the imperfection won't be noticeable). They are sometimes available cheap at Marshalls. I got mine as closeouts at a local chain that is similar to Marshalls. Closeouts are also available at sierratradingpost.com.

No leather shoes will last very long if you wear them every day. The average foot will produce a quarter-cup of perspiration per day, and leather will need at least a day to dry, even with cedar shoe trees in them (although stuffing them with newsprint can absorb the moisture, too).

The great thing about decent, leather-soled shoes is that they can be resoled and/or completely recrafted to like-new condition. A local shoe-repair person can do this, or you can ship them to A-E or Alden or Johnston & Murphy:

http://www.allenedmonds.com/aeonline/ServiceDescriptionView?storeId=1&langId=-1&catalogId=40000000001

http://www.johnstonmurphy.com/help_refurb.aspx

http://www.aldenshoe.com/pro_res.htm

For cheaper leather-soled shoes, I'd use a local person. I have some Bass Weejuns from the 1980s, when they were still made in Maine instead of overseas, and I had them resoled locally for $50. That's the thing about leather-soled shoes -- you can have them repaired. You can't do that with glued-together, rubber-soled shoes.

I'm told that if I take good care of them, the A-E should last 10-20 years. Of course they'll need new soles every 4-5 years.

 

[Mystery_Meat]

When I dress up, people think I'm either a) interviewing elsewhere or b) burying a loved one. I'd like to dress up more, but I don't spend much time in the office and there's nothing more ridonkulous than a wearing a dark gray pinstripe suit to the Wednesday night wrestling dual. Plus I'm poor and fat, which makes looking good hard.

 

[spaceman]

every girl's crazy bout a sharp-dressed man. /grapes

 

[Clever username]

every girl's crazy bout a sharp-dressed man. /grapes

There's that reason to do it, too.

 

[Claws for Concern]

If you're talking about a job where you go cover games, it shouldn't hurt you to wear something nice once in a while. For a pro beat, it's a definite.

If you are a desk guy who won't be out in the public eye, sure, wearing something nice is always good to do on occasion, but I worked on the desk with guys who'd wear an old L.A. Kings jersey or would wear shorts to work all the time.

 

[JBHawkEye]

I stopped by work one time after an uncle's funeral, wearing coat and tie. Some wiseass goes, "Who died?" When I told him, he just shut up and walked away.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

Any time I'd dress up, I'd get all sorts of cracks. Except for a good news editor we used to have, who was sincere with her compliments.

 

[Bubba Fett]

I used to wear a suit to work every day. I didn't like it at first, because I was coming straight from college and t-shirts and shorts every day, but I grew to like it a lot. I've always tried to stay in shape, yet I've never really given a **** about my appearance. After a while, I was devouring Brooks Brothers catalogs and actually shining my shoes.

Now, what seems like a lifetime (and a different profession later), I wear khakis and a polo shirt 99 percent of the time. I could dress nicer, but why bother.