Volkswagen Golfs are more expensive than the equivalent Mazda or Toyota. But they are also more likely to leave you stranded at the side of the road.

I know how I’d rather judge a book.

Golfs still look better though 😉

In all seriousness though, surely now you dress in a style which is more in keeping with people of a similar level of seniority in your company, rather than the PP approach of “thou shalt wear a suit or thou shalt not be treated seriously”?

suits don’t fit me because i’m not massively fat, they’re cold in winter, and hot in summer, you can’t wash them, the jacket sleeves don’t allow for any arm movement.

i hate suits.

Badly made suits don’t fit me because i’m not massively fat, they’re cold in winter, and hot in summer, you can’t wash them, the jacket sleeves don’t allow for any arm movement.

i hate suits.

FTFY.

Washing? Dry cleaners, simples.
No movement in the sleeves? That’s because it doesn’t fit. Buy a suit which does.
Too hot? You bought the wrong suit. I recently bought a lovely lightwheight for wearing in warmer climes. It’s ace!
Too cold? You bought the wrong suit. One of mine is a heavyweight for winter.

Wouldn’t want a doctor to wear a tie, well known source of infection (think about it: how often do you clean a tie?)

Would expect a doctor to look reasonably smart, though – or otherwise lab coat / hospital uniform.

I like suits, no let me clarify.. I like nice cut trendy suits

Suits should be classic. ‘Trendy’ suits are fo X Factor contestants and other C list celeb wannabes.

suits don’t fit me because i’m not massively fat, they’re cold in winter, and hot in summer, you can’t wash them, the jacket sleeves don’t allow for any arm movement.

You need to buy better (fitting) suits…, and made-to-measure is the answer – and cheaper than you think.

tbh I’ve different suits for different seasons 🙂

Keep two suits at work in my locker with shoes and emergency underwear. Commute with a clean shirt and underwear daily. I also keep a pair of jeans for dress down Friday 😆 .

A well-fitting suit gives confidence, moves well and is nicer than a jumper in an air-conditioned office. I get them cleaned at work and rotate for Summer and Winter. Replace about one per year (normally due to fashion 🙄 ). I am also lucky enough to be the standard size for UK 38R, which makes selection easy; Jaeger and Paul Smith for balance.

Ties went out years ago, however. In fact eleven years ago I was told to stop wearing one! I don’t even wear one to see the regulators these days. Bright shirts however…

Suits make me appreciate I’m female 🙂

People in many other European countries manage to take their colleagues seriously without the need for a suit so I’m not sure why we can’t do the same.

I’m quite skinny and off the shelf suits fit me great. I can buy a suit in tesco and it’ll look FANTASTIC on me. (And two of my suits are from Tesco)

I quite like wearing a suit sometimes but it is nice to have the choice. Just open necked shirt and trousers most of the time.

Buy a suit which does. (fit)

they don’t exist, they really don’t – i’m not massively fat, and i don’t have very short arms.

You need to buy better (fitting) suits…, and made-to-measure is the answer – and cheaper than you think.

it seems your idea of ‘cheap’ and mine are radically different. Do you mean ‘made to measure’ or ‘tailored’? – neither is a cheap option. i’m looking at around £100/£150 to get my suit altered.

(i have to go up a size so that the arms and legs are only a bit too short, but this means the waist is very loose – even on ‘slim fit’ suits)

well fitting suits may well be very nice to wear, i’m not minted so i will never know.

i hate suits.

According to our newish Chief Technology Officer (Technology Director in old language) he was told off by our CEO for NOT wearing jeans in the office. This is in a top 5 FTSE100 company.

We have a “wear what’s suitable” dress code. If I’m meeting a customer I might wear a shirt and smart trousers, otherwise it’s jeans and t-shirt.

The vast majority of people still wear shirts/trousers everyday though – I guess that’s what they feel comfortable in.

I can buy a suit in tesco and it’ll look FANTASTIC on me.

*cough* nobody can do that. Sorry.

it seems your idea of ‘cheap’ and mine are radically different. Do you mean ‘made to measure’ or ‘tailored’? – neither is a cheap option. i’m looking at around £100/£150 to get my suit altered.

If you are THAT much of an oddity (which I doubt – even I can get nearly passable OTP suits) then a properly fitting suit would be an investment – even a made to measure – that would last far longer.

I’ve never worn one of these (bespoke only for me) but if you are paying less than their prices for a suit, don’t buy a suit:

http://www.asuitthatfits.com/shop/index.php

No uniform in French or German schools unless you consider a Quicksilver hoodie (DC also tolerated by the peer group), jeans and skate shoes a uniform.

The headmistress of my son’s primary school had never seen me in anything other than errrr, hoodie etc.. I was a little concerned about a gang so made an appointment and turned up in my (now redundant) business suit. The parents outside the gates stopped talking and looked on in awe/curiosity, the brave ones made teasing quips. The headmistress herself gave me red carpet treatment rather than being her usual friendly, chatty self. The suit was a statement “I mean buisness”, and people reacted as I expected (and did as I requested).

So yes, a good suit (radically) changes how people see you. Whether you want people to see you that way depends on the context and your objectives.

No uniform in French or German schools

Well there were a couple of reasons from last century for why the Germans don’t…

it seems your idea of ‘cheap’ and mine are radically different. Do you mean ‘made to measure’ or ‘tailored’? – neither is a cheap option. i’m looking at around £100/£150 to get my suit altered.

Try finding a local tailor, and just ask – get a couple and the price drops considerably.

But I’m lucky in that I often work in the Far East, so buy suits and shirts there – can’t beat a tailored shirt (skinny with long arms).

when I lived in town it was not uncommon for my local pub to come to a malevolent standstill if someone walked in wearing a suit..

hackles would rise..

Elfinsafety – Member
I feel more confident in a suit.
Seriously? You need to put on particular clothes in order to feel more confident?

Not that strange, is it? We should take people for what they say, not what they look like but the thing is most people will take someone in a suit more seriously (Scientific fact. There’s no real evidence, but it’s scientific fact). Look smart and you’ve less to do to convince people. However, if you open your mouth and all manner of drivel spills out the suit’s not going to help.

I just wear a shirt and tie to teach in no suit jacket, intrestingly though i never join in with non uniform day like most teachers do. It just feels wrong, and i **** hate ties.

when I lived in town it was not uncommon for my local pub to come to a malevolent standstill if someone walked in wearing a suit..

hackles would rise..

You drank in a pub full of ignorant, opinionated bigots? Did you feel comfortable in there yourself?

I like to see a man in a well-fitting suit that is crease-free together with an ironed shirt (but definitely not pink), all set off with an appropriate tie.

What’s wrong with looking professional?

stoatsbrother – I do feel a GP should wear a suit, minus jacket is OK, together with shirt and tie.

As always emphasis is on clean hair, clean clothes and polished shoes. 😀

* scurries away to hide in a corner cos I’m bound to get some flak *

It’s about appropriate dress. If I was meeting a customer in a consultancy capacity, I’d wear a suit. Day to day, I wear a company-branded polo shirt.

I’ve never understood the need for non-customer facing staff to be suited and booted. Utterly pointless and often wholly inappropriate.

Running cables under a desk the last thing I want to be wearing is expensive trousers I’m going to ruin, and a small noose around my neck ripe for kneeling on. Meeting an important customer, suit.

I’d look a bit of a prat turning up to work in a suit.

I’m a bench joiner. 😆

You drank in a pub full of ignorant, opinionated bigots? Did you feel comfortable in there yourself?

you effin knows it..

(in fact it could have been a pub full of well-oiled but well informed and highly politicised militant anarchists but don’t let your ignorant opinionated bigotry cloud your judgement old bean.. your tiny unsophisticated brain might overheat.. 😉 )

I like to see a man in a well-fitting suit that is crease-free together with an ironed shirt (but definitely not pink), all set off with an appropriate tie.

I used to like you. 😥

What’s wrong with a pink shirt?

Pink is just w r o n g on a bloke. Hell, even I wouldn’t wear a pink blouse. 🙄

Real men wear pink. FACT!

What’s wrong with a pink shirt?

You are joking, aren’t you?

You are joking, aren’t you?

I don’t think our Cap’n is.

You drank in a pub full of ignorant, opinionated bigots? Did you feel comfortable in there yourself?

And what sort of reaction would I get were I to saunter into one of your favoured watering holes, wearing a tracksuit?

Cos from what I gather, based on the apparent unsuitability of such places for the likes of myself and my family, I suspect it woon’t be all that positive….

It was YOUR reaction that would be the problem. Not that of anyone in said pubs. Did you not get that?

I don’t think our Cap’n is.

Oh dear! I’m beginning to get a mental picture… And it’s not good.

Should one still put the chain on view?

It was YOUR reaction that would be the problem. Not that of anyone in said pubs. Did you not get that?

Er, never having met me, how would you know what my reaction would be? 😕

Don, WTF is that chain all about? Crikey!

C_G, pink shirts are ace. I used to have to go to Nashville rather too often, and I’d always wear pink there. They didn’t get it! I was either gay or a communist, and in the eyes of the South, neither is a good thing, you could feel the quandary welling up in them!

I like pink shirts. I think they look rather good, especially when worn with a good suit and a good tie.

I like pink shirts. I think they look rather good, especially when worn with a good suit and a good tie.

Oh my god, no!

Cap’n – I’m afraid that to me, pink smacks of insincerity. Probably due to it being the chosen attire of idiot presenters on TV!

Oh dear. 🙁

I have some nice powder blue Oxfords if you prefer….

I think yellow is more your colour, Flashy.

In my view not wearing a suit in a corporate environment means you have an attitude that you can do whatever the **** you like and don’t ‘need’ to conform. Managed to make it work to plc director level as did the rest of the board including presentations to VCs from New York to Taiwan and our stock brokers. Maybe wearing a suit is a tax you pay for being a bit similar to everyone else in your industry?

Incidentally, football manager wearing suit = doesn’t have a bath with players. football manager in tracksuit = does….

Interesting. I’m a 50 year old GP.

What would you… or your mum expect me to wear?

I’m an almost 50 year old consultant physician

Wouldn’t want a doctor to wear a tie, well known source of infection (think about it: how often do you clean a tie?)

Would expect a doctor to look reasonably smart, though – or otherwise lab coat / hospital uniform.

Lab coats and ties have the same problem – infection city. NHS dress code is now no ties, or tucked away if you must, and bare below elbows. I stopped wearing a white coat when I was 3 years qualified, stopped weearing a suit when I stopped doing interviews/exams. I do have a couple of jackets and dress shirts/ties for court appearances.

Usual dress is polo shirt and chinos. I switched to boots instead of shoes when I had a slipped disc and a dicky ankle and I never went back although they are leather and most people probably think they are just decent leather shoes. When I abandoned ties the only comment from patients was positive.

Pink is my favourite colour for smart shirts… and lycra.