Saturday, June 23, 2018

To Suit or Not to Suit

Where and when did the modern business suit originate?  I read the following and still don’t know with certainty:


I have always been informal.  I don’t like suits; I think they are too constraining, often too expensive and they tell me absolutely nothing about the wearer.  Bernie Madoff wore suits; Chuck Schumer wears suits. Jim Comey wears suits. The realtor who sells a buyer a house s/he cannot afford and does not need, wears suits.  I understand that in many professions a suit is mandatory; I was a banker for 8 years and had to wear a suit and tie though the era of the leisure suit (yes, I was in banking in that eara) relaxed that a bit.  

I retired in 2011 and have not worn a suit since; I recently bought a sports jacket and tie because I occasionally do some project work for a friend where such attire is required.  Then the occasional wedding and funeral...the former are fewer with time and the latter are more frequent. I wear shorts 330 days a year on Long Island, not that our climate is tropical; I just run hot.  I wear jeans the other 35 days (36 in a leap year) when the weather is tough. When I say “tough” I don’t mean “North-Dakota-in-January” tough but it can get a tetch nipply (hey, Chevy Chase said that; don’t blame me!) here.

The dress “suit” is intended to convey, success, professionalism and power none of which mean anything to me.  “Success” often means selling me something I don’t need or stepping over other people to climb the ladder. “Professionalism” often means very little especially if it means “hijack the customer but don’t let him know you did that” and we all know people who will knife in the back anyone who has a better chance of advancement than does s/he.

I watched dozens of people in “suits” screw the public when I was an employee of Washington State Department of Social and Health Services  These bottom feeders would lie to the news camera and smile (Don Henley’s “Dirty Laundry” anyone?) I found it odd that a poll once said the public sees the lower echelons of public service as dishonest. Most of the lower echelons don’t wear suits.  I was lower management and believe me, it was the upper echelons who were corrupt. Most of the upper echelon does wear suits.

In 60 seconds, irrespective of wardrobe, I can tell if an individual with whom I am about to do business will be a good business partner.  I confess, if I walk in to Smith-Barney and the rep is wearing dirty jeans, I am taken aback, but within 60 seconds I will know if his/her clothing matters to the service I expect. Irrelevant, probably, since I have never walked into Smith Barney. I do recall, as a banker in the 70’s that we were to remember that the apparently homeless customer might have millions to deposit in our bank.  Being homeless, he did not wear a suit. Treat him/her as if he did.

And I would rather have a beer with a number of folks in jeans than with people in $1,000 suits.  If the women are wearing skinny jeans...icing on the cake.

We may never ditch the “suit” but steps like “casual Friday” are headed the right way (more so on the West Coast than the East Coast) and I notice even in stores that used to be formal, casual dress is more common now.  I like Jeans and shorts, why would I not want to drink beer with people who, on the surface, seem to have the same values? I do understand the need in some environments to look “professional” as defined by wardrobe but as time passes, wardrobe is less important.  I walk the SmithHaven Mall in Brookhaven, NY, as old folks often do, and there are many very professional people staffing vendor stations, who wear exactly what they wear at home and I am perfectly okay with that.

No! I am not THAT old.  I don’t need a walker and keep a 4 mph pace!

Summer is here; have a nice day in your shorts and relaxed shirts.

*&*&*&*&*&*

1 Comments:

At June 23, 2018 at 10:22 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Interesting post. I have personally thought a suit makes a man handsome. That's not to say a man in jeans and a hard hat isn't. When a man wears a suit it is usually for a somber event, funeral, wedding, church etc...I personally believe there is a time and place for everything.

I really just wanted to be your very first comment. :-) Love you! Now go get dressed!

 

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