Importance of wardrobe with new job

[ziggy29]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeb-NY Performance was more important that how we dress.

In the end, except for some positions like sales and others which are intensely customer-facing, that's usually true. In the back office where there's little to no face-to-face interaction with customers, clients or suppliers, that's almost always true except in the offices still stuck in the 1950s.

[vvsonikvv]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeb-NY Another guy that worked for me apparently read Dressing for Success (3 piece suits, tie and socks matched, etc). We would go to a meeting where we were not known and he was alway addressed as if he was the one in charge and he got a big kick out of introducing me as the one to answer questions he was just support. I would be in either jeans or maybe dockers if I was trying to dress up, a nice sport shirt (no tie), and sneakers. Jeb

Haha! That is great. I love that. You all must have been a nice laid back team especially you for letting that happen. In my line of work, they would be very very angry at me and I'd be scolded for dressing better than they are and getting the "respect" when meeting someone new.

I had some similar situations where I was the younger "junior" position and my colleague was the more senior and much much better dressed nice suit, tie, etc. (I was also in shirt and tie but no suit.). The guy came in and kept talking to him and looking at him, while I was the one leading. My colleague looked at me and I started explaining what's going on. I actually didnt like that he assumed it was him. But I wouldn't be upset at my colleague. I think it's just being young kinda thing.

[W2R]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeb-NY Even had a guy working for me for many years that always wore very strange pants, always wondered where he got them and one day he admitted he bought comfortable pajamas and sewed up the fly.

Priceless! I might even put off ER if I could come to work in pajamas (especially if I had an easy chair in my cubicle).

[Bestwifeever]

Pajamas at work--yes! I did a lot of freelance work, most of it at home late at night, when kids were little. One day when I had to go into the office for a meeting I walked up the stairs and into the meeting room, looked down, and saw I had two completely different shoes on. And I've done that four times that I know of. I don't know if that was better than fleecy bedroom slippers, but close.

So check your feet when getting dressed for work.

[Khan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bestwifeever Pajamas at work--yes! I did a lot of freelance work, most of it at home late at night, when kids were little. One day when I had to go into the office for a meeting I walked up the stairs and into the meeting room, looked down, and saw I had two completely different shoes on. And I've done that four times that I know of. I don't know if that was better than fleecy bedroom slippers, but close. So check your feet when getting dressed for work.

One time I was out the front door and walking toward the car when I noticed I was barefoot and sans bra.

[W2R]

You two are cracking me up!! As for me, all I have done in that category is realize while sitting at a stoplight, on the way to work, that my polo shirt was inside out.

Hard to tell, that early in the morning! I did turn around and go home, reverse it (making me late for work), and worked late that day to make up the time.

[Martha]

My worst was washing my hair and not combing it out when I was done. I fortunately caught it in the review mirror on the way to work.

[Moemg]

Having spent most of my working years wearing scrubs and clogs it's hard to mess up and even if you do we always had back up scrubs .

[harley]

Back in the olden days before things got casual I was required to have a sports jacket and a tie in case "I had to go to an important meeting". My jacket hung outside my cube for years. I used it to make them think I was there even when I was gone. I had a solid blue tie in my drawer. I actually found it in the bottom of a box when I retired ~ 25 years later. It had moved with me a dozen times without ever being worn.

I once got called in out of hours (again, back in the pre-pager and PC days), and since it was summer and a weekend I came in wearing shorts. I ended up working for about 44 hours straight (maybe a nap on the floor), but I solved the problem by mid-morning Monday. I went home, slept for a wile, got dressed, came back into work on Tuesday expecting attaboys and kudos. The only thing I ever heard was that the big boss was p!ssed that I was at work in shorts. To paraphrase Fernando, it was more important to look good than to be good.

[Lusitan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by harley I once got called in out of hours (again, back in the pre-pager and PC days), and since it was summer and a weekend I came in wearing shorts. I ended up working for about 44 hours straight (maybe a nap on the floor), but I solved the problem by mid-morning Monday. I went home, slept for a wile, got dressed, came back into work on Tuesday expecting attaboys and kudos. The only thing I ever heard was that the big boss was p!ssed that I was at work in shorts. To paraphrase Fernando, it was more important to look good than to be good.

If anyone had any doubts about whether FIRE was a good idea, this reminder should assure all of us ...

[Brat]

When I worked at NIKE corporate there was a meeting among the VPs one spring to address what some felt was TOO casual for office wear on campus. As I recall it boiled down to: shoes required (after all that is their primary profit center), no PJs, tights must be warn under running shorts, and apparel must not be revealing. The other admonition was to consider those who you are meeting with... just because it is OK with your colleagues doesn't mean that others will feel it suitable.

[FUEGO]

This thread reminds me of my first time ever testifying at a hearing on behalf of one of our clients. I had done all the technical work on the project so I knew the facts inside and out, but I wasn't licensed, so I had not presented at a public hearing before. Well, the bossman couldn't make it to the hearing and none of the other licensed senior staff could either because they had to attend different hearings that same night. So an hour before the hearing I received notice that I would be the one presenting/testifying. Here I was wearing my normal barely business casual khaki's and short sleeve polo. No time to run home and get a jacket or put on a nice shirt and tie.

So the cameras are rolling, news crews are filming, newspaper photographers snapping away, and I'm the only non-suit wearing sucker. Client got full approval for their project though. They were super excited after the hearing because they were going to make a mint on this project.

Sometimes the skillz are more important than the clothes. And no one said anything to me about the relatively slovenly appearance either.

[Bimmerbill]

I liked it when I worked for the Army Guard. Just put on a starched set of BDUs and be on my way.

I do think wardrobe is important. If you feel good about how you look, you have a better attitude and are more confident.