Ghost of a flea

What a load of trash. Dig that last paragraph, too:

"...for a man to insist on wearing a tie does not speak of a casual and unforced masculinity, but suggests instead a nagging worry about where the proper markers lie... "Look," the tie seems to shout, like an embarrassing drunk in the pub, "there's no doubt about it, he's definitely all man."

In other words if you wear a tie you're compensating for small hardware. Not trying to fit into your corporate culture. Not trying to put your best foot forward for clients. Not trying to maintain the dignity and traditions of your profession or firm. Just covering up an inadequacy.

I am guessing this person has never worked anywhere near a financial institution, nor attended any kind of event where the dress code was professional, formal, black tie or white tie.

Quite right. Though I admit it might go some way to explaining the wide ties of the 1970s.

And ever-widening bellbottoms. The 70s are frequently the exception that proves the rule.

In my image search for this post I was impressed by Marx' ever-widening lapels.

My favorite observation in the regard was Danny Finkleman's on witnessing a teacher in jeans on a Friday. His rant about casual Fridays concluded with the wish that they would just admit it and come to work in a dressing gown.

That being said, I rarely wear a tie but as I have an office no one enters and only deal with others via phone and email that is acceptable to me, the arbiter of the matter. Yet the collar is buttoned down and the shoes black.

I too am wearing a button-down collar and black shoes. No tie, though. These days it is all too easy to over-dress for the office. One must grudgingly "go with the flow" even if the flow is stumbling toward barbarism.

A friend of mine used to always wear those canvas Converse high-tops in mismatched pairs. One day they matched.

I asked, "Job interview?"

He said, "Shut up."

I am a lawyer and the dress code at the office, not in court obviously, has gotten to be very casual. It depends upon the nature of the client base and the desired imagine to be projected. It does not relate to the comfort or desired "style" of the lawyers.

That is quite true, Joshua, and even though I am in public practice I still have to take that into account. If my clients for the day include Honours and Worships, the ties come out. But if it is a casual group of staff and the public, I want to ensure that I am not the heavy hand of law...unless that is called for.

In customer-facing jobs the dress code expectation can vary wildly. Generally the Firm's policy is to conform to the dress code of the client site, but I have heard horror stories of some "business casual" audit clients whose executives complain bitterly if the CAs aren't dressed to the nines. It usually goes something like this: "We're paying you X thousand dollars a day, can't you at least wear an [expletive deleted] suit?

Sometimes (depending on the price point) blending in to the client work environment is the exact opposite of what the brass expect.

Personally I dig suits and ties but the rest of my division is militantly business-casual, and whenever I get out the jacket and ties I get flack about it. As the Flea says, sometimes you have to go along with the flow, even if the flow is headed to some future fashion disaster.

Listen, when I worked in Poland I saw a big beefy workman with a massive shock of mousey hair and a canary yellow dyed beard. We are likely within acceptable limits. That being said, I realized I actually work my old school tie this week (UKC circa 1986) and it was the tie I was married wearing. That little nod to tradition earns me an extra East India sherry this evening I would think.

The only time I ever got to dress properly was as a consultant. The notion was to look more expensive than the managing directors of whatever firm you were dealing with. The only time my Donna Karan shadow suit was out-classed was by a Saville Row number worn by an ex-deputy minister from the MOD.

Good times. Good times.

I'm primarily criminal defense, Alan. I can get away with quite a bit (in terms of fashion that is, but I'm pretty conservative with the exception of some "spunky" ties.)

I have met Gruniad journos in my time. Think hippy uni chic and that would be about right.