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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: Heaven: Poll: Dress For Success
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
How important is it to dress "well"?
[ 29. August 2005, 15:46: Message edited by: KenWritez ]
Poll information
This poll contains 1 question(s). 156 user(s) have voted.
You can't view the results of this poll without voting.
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Viola
Administrator
# 20
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Posted
It is very important to dress 'appropriately' in my opinion.
Your opinion and mine about what constitutes 'appropriate' might differ.
K.
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"If ye love me, keep my commandments" John 14:15
"Commandment number one: shut the hell up." Erin Etheredge 1971-2010
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Viola:
It is very important to dress 'appropriately' in my opinion.
Your opinion and mine about what constitutes 'appropriate' might differ.
K.
How would you define it?
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Viola
Administrator
# 20
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Posted
Depends on the occasion / weather / company / whether or not you wish to impress anyone!
Personally - I like it when people take some care over their appearance. To me, it shows a respect for the people whose company they will be in.
However - I wouldn't wear my silk frock and high heels on a camping trip. Well - actually I have - but that was in a performing capacity because I had to, and not because it was practical for mud and chilliness!
K.
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"If ye love me, keep my commandments" John 14:15
"Commandment number one: shut the hell up." Erin Etheredge 1971-2010
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
I don't see anything wrong with wanting to look your best at all times. What the Italians would call "la bella figura" I think. I don't see anything wrong with aspiring to look glamorous or elegant either. There's too much grunge about, in my opinion, and badly cut clothes that don't flatter the wearer. Life is too short to spend it looking ugly or wearing beige.
As for "dress for success" - well, do you mean success at work or success in some other area of life?
If you look smart at work, people take you more seriously and you have more chance of promotion. Sad but true.
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Grits
Compassionate fundamentalist
# 4169
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Posted
I agree that it's not really how much your clothes cost, but how thoughtfully and/or creatively you put or pull them together to be right for the occasion. It surely isn't that much harder to put on proper clothes than it is to wear whatever. Just remember: "Fashion can be bought. Style one must possess." (Edna W. Chase) Sometimes it's as much how you wear it as what you wear.
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Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and shut it when I've said enough. Amen.
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
Papio, how are you defining "well"? Your OP can be interpreted differet ways.
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My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by KenWritez:
Papio, how are you defining "well"? Your OP can be interpreted differet ways.
I was hoping people would tell me what they defined as well.
![[Biased]](wink.gif)
[ 13. June 2005, 23:19: Message edited by: Papio. ]
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John Donne
Renaissance Man
# 220
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Posted
I think when a gentleman goes out to dinner, to a concert or church; he should at least wear a shirt and tie. To work also, but in the torrid zone the tie may be reluctantly dispensed with if it looks like the gentleman will peg out from the heat and humidity. (Though there is little excuse in today's climate controlled workplaces).
Some time ago, Corpus Canii wrote something I liked so much I put in my Quotes File. ![[Angel]](graemlins/angel.gif)
quote:
I'd put my best clothes on to meet the Queen of England so I wear my best clothes to meet the King of Heaven.
Posts: 13667 | From: Perth, W.A. | Registered: May 2001
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Grits
Compassionate fundamentalist
# 4169
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Posted
I think Viola has already hit the nail on the head. Well-dressed can just mean dressed appropriately for the occasion.
Why don't you give us a particular, Papio?
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Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and shut it when I've said enough. Amen.
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ariel:
Life is too short to spend it looking ugly or wearing beige.
I usually wear black on the job. Beige clashes with my silver locks. When I was a stockbroker, I wore a pinstripe suit, or at least dressed better than the sales manager. If I'm working backstage, see first sentence.
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Mad Geo
Ship's navel gazer
# 2939
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Posted
Job - Don't dress lower than your boss if you want to get ahead.
Dating - Dress as nice as the type of lad/lass you are looking to date. Dress nicer if your ugly.
Church - Dress at least as nice as the rest of the congregation if at all possible.
Funerals/Museums/Concerts/Etc. - Suit with tie.
California - We have our own standards, you are just going to have to look like the rest of us. Shorts and thongs are sometimes appropo where they wouldn't be elsewhere.
Hollywood/New York - All black if you live/work in Hollywood even when you can cook eggs on the sidewalk its so bloody hot.
East Coast - I hear they wear dark all Fall/Winter and bright colors in Spring/Summer. May be a myth.
Florida - Disco clothes and mixes of colors and prints you wouldn't see in nature, nor would you want to.
Jehovah's Witnesses/Mormen - Black Trousers White short sleeved shirt black tie. Children of the Corn Smile.
Multimillionaires - Wear whatever the hell they want, including nothing. Everybody loves it.
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Presleyterian
Shipmate
# 1915
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Posted
I would echo what most people have said here: Casual is one thing, but unkempt is an altogether different kettle of fish. A day-after-day-after-day wardrobe of jeans/tee/trainers doesn't send the message "I'm a relaxed laid-back guy." It sends the message "I really don't care what you think because it's all about me, me, me." Like most forms of bad manners, sloppy attire is selfish.
The comfort argument really doesn't hold water either. Jeans and tees are fine in limited settings, but they're inappropriate in many others. If you're comfortable in jeans, you'll also be comfortable in cargos or khakis or fatigues or black denim. If you're comfortable in a cotton tee, you'll also be comfortable in a cotton polo or a lightweight buttoned shirt.
If an employee doesn't think a job is motivation enough to project a professional image, he or she doesn't deserve a salary. If a man doesn't think an evening with me is motivation enough to spend a few minutes looking his best, he doesn't deserve my company.
Posts: 2450 | From: US | Registered: Dec 2001
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John Holding
Coffee and Cognac
# 158
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Mad Geo:
California - We have our own standards, you are just going to have to look like the rest of us. Shorts and thongs are sometimes appropo where they wouldn't be elsewhere.
And that would be thongs as in "flip flops" or thongs as in....
John
Posts: 5929 | From: Ottawa, Canada | Registered: May 2001
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Mad Geo
Ship's navel gazer
# 2939
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Posted
Whatever you like. ![[Devil]](graemlins/devil.gif)
Flip Flops
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Cusanus
Ship's Schoolmaster
# 692
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Posted
All the schools I've worked in have,fortunately, had a collar-and-tie dress code for male staff - and I almost always wear a suit.
I say fortunately because I've never really got the hang of 'neat casual'. I seem to veer between suit-and-tie and rugby shirt-and-trackies. Anyway a nice dark suit is slimming for us heavier-set gentlemen.
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Mad Geo
Ship's navel gazer
# 2939
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
If you're comfortable in jeans, you'll also be comfortable in cargos or khakis or fatigues or black denim. If you're comfortable in a cotton tee, you'll also be comfortable in a cotton polo or a lightweight buttoned shirt.
I can vouch for that.
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
If a man doesn't think an evening with me is motivation enough to spend a few minutes looking his best, he doesn't deserve my company.
...and what a fool he would be!
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
I would echo what most people have said here: Casual is one thing, but unkempt is an altogether different kettle of fish. A day-after-day-after-day wardrobe of jeans/tee/trainers doesn't send the message "I'm a relaxed laid-back guy." It sends the message "I really don't care what you think because it's all about me, me, me." Like most forms of bad manners, sloppy attire is selfish.
The comfort argument really doesn't hold water either. Jeans and tees are fine in limited settings, but they're inappropriate in many others. If you're comfortable in jeans, you'll also be comfortable in cargos or khakis or fatigues or black denim. If you're comfortable in a cotton tee, you'll also be comfortable in a cotton polo or a lightweight buttoned shirt.
If an employee doesn't think a job is motivation enough to project a professional image, he or she doesn't deserve a salary. If a man doesn't think an evening with me is motivation enough to spend a few minutes looking his best, he doesn't deserve my company.
Some of this is stuff I hadn't thought of.
I don't say that I never make the slightest effort, just that my idea of making an effort tends to be shaving, putting my really nice boot-fit charity-shop jeans and fave t-shirt etc on.
Unless I'm at work. I have about two trendy(ish) suits for work and another rather old-fashioned one for emergencies.
Atm, I can't really afford to wear latest fashions (not that I am suggesting that this is entirely what you meant). Also, I can't really see myself in some of the items you mentioned, but maybe that is selfish of me and sends out a signal that I was not aware of.
Hmmm. Will have to have a think about that.
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
Also, Mad Geo, I'm interested in how serious were your comments about dressing lower than the boss..
I also thought that dressing as well or better than the boss was bad manners. Like earning more than your landlord.
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frin
Drinking coffee for Jesus
# 9
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Posted
I was somewhere the other day where people were waiting to be interviewed. One of the men was wearing a shirt and tie - but he was wearing them really badly. The job wasn't a shirt and tie job, but the interview was - but to me it looked like this was the man's only shirt and only tie and that they did absolutely nothing for him. If you need an interview set, get a shirt that looks good on you (not a white crumpled thing) and one really good tie. And unless you actually look good in a white shirt, get something with a bit of colour in it.
I think it is important to dress in clean clothes that are appropriate to the occasion. You don't necessarily need a big budget to dress smartly. Get a few good pieces in a sale or in a charity shop (but hold out for good pieces, it isn't a bargain if the item doesn't fit or look right on you).
'frin
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"Even the crocodile looks after her young" - Lamentations 4, remembering Erin.
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Auntie Doris
Screen Goddess
# 9433
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Posted
I always dress appropriately - whether other people think I dress well or not is another matter.
I am a social worker and I work with drug users, so the vast majority of the time I wear jeans to work. Even if I am going to meetings I am usually casually dressed and the majority of professionals I work with accept this as standard practice from members of the drug team.
For me, being appropriately dressed at work means that my clients feel comfortable with me and able to relate to me. I am less bothered about what other professionals think about how I look - I would rather that my reputation as an excellent drug worker was what sets me apart. Don't get me wrong - I am never scruffy and I think there is a difference between being scruffily dressed and being casually dressed. However, on the odd ocassion that I have had to go to coroners court and stuff like that, I always try to look professional, but I would never wear a suit as I am just not comfortable in one.
Auntie Doris x
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Suzywoozy
Shipmate
# 6259
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Posted
I almost always wear casual clothes, jeans and a loose long sleeved T-shirt/shirt. I am aware I could look better if I had more money and more time to bother about it. Mostly I want to feel comfortable, this is more important to me than looking good. I do however try to wear colours that suit me and think this makes a big difference. However as most of my clothes tend to be gifts or cast off I don't have a great deal of choice.
For those who said you don't need much money to dress well, it is harder to dress cheaply when you are a large size there is very little available in charity shops and most of the places that sell clothes for larger women are expensive - e.g. I could get a pair of jeans for £10 from Tesco if I was a size 14 but at size 24 I bought them from H&M for £25.
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My life.
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John Donne
Renaissance Man
# 220
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by KenWritez:
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
If a man doesn't think an evening with me is motivation enough to spend a few minutes looking his best, he doesn't deserve my company.
...and what a fool he would be!
Absolutely.
[Ringing up as we type, enquiring re: gym membership and cost of tuxedos (modern high cut lapels)]
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Foaming Draught
The Low in Low Church
# 9134
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Coot:
I think when a gentleman goes out to dinner, to a concert or church; he should at least wear a shirt and tie.
Once, twice, three times not a gentleman .....
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Australians all let us ring Joyce
For she is young and free
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Pânts*
Ship's underwear
# 4487
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Grits:
I think Viola has already hit the nail on the head. Well-dressed can just mean dressed appropriately for the occasion.
Exactly.
Although as Viola said, what one person thinks is appropriate isn't neccesarily what another one thinks is.
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Earthling
Shipmate
# 4698
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Posted
Scary stuff. I'm not sure I even know how to "dress well" and would probably look incredibly uncomfortable and self-concious if I tried! ![[Hot and Hormonal]](icon_redface.gif) Surely there are more important things in life? ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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Art thou in the Darkness? Mind it not, for if thou dost it will fill thee more, but stand still and act not, and wait in patience till Light arises out of Darkness to lead thee. James Nayler, 1659
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Sine Nomine*
Ship's backstabbing bastard
# 3631
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Posted
One thing I have to point out here is that well-fitting clothes and shoes aren't "uncomfortable". I guarantee you that my dress slacks and jackets which have been tailored to fit me are more comfortable than my jeans.
And having things altered to fit you is not that expensive, although I admit I may have a skewed point of view on these things.
You truly don't need a lot of clothes to look "well dressed", but you do need to take care of them...and yourself. If nothing else buy yourself a nose hair trimmer.
And yes, how you look is important. It's the first thing people notice about you. You're sending a huge message by the way you dress. Send whatever message you like. Just be sure you realize you're sending it.
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Ariel
Shipmate
# 58
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Presleyterian:
I would echo what most people have said here: Casual is one thing, but unkempt is an altogether different kettle of fish.
Absolutely.
You don't need a great deal of money to look good and you don't have to buy fashionable clothes. I don't have a lot of spare cash and I never bother with ultra-fashionable stuff - half the time it doesn't suit me anyway but also once you start, you have to keep it up or risk being seen in last season's outfits/colours. I think it's better to buy classic stuff that doesn't date.
You can get some great things in charity shops and also in sales. I very rarely buy anything full price. My mother also used to make her own dresses and jumpers, but she had a natural talent for it which I haven't inherited.
I think if you know you look good, you feel good and more confident. Appearances do matter. Like it or not your physical appearance is what most people will see first about you in real life and we do form first impressions on that basis.
(ETA: cross-posted with Sine. Sort of. I agree with him, although most women shouldn't need a nose trimmer.)
[ 14. June 2005, 11:28: Message edited by: Ariel ]
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Hugal
Shipmate
# 2734
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Posted
I have to wear a uniform at work (chef's) so that doesn't count really. I agree with most people dressing well is dressing appropriatly. Every day wear tends to be black denim and a tee or polo shirt. When I go to ballroom lessons it is a shirt and trousers no tie. I do not like wearing ties but do when the occasion calls.
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Posts: 1887 | From: london | Registered: Apr 2002
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Campbellite
Ut unum sint
# 1202
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Posted
Men's ties must be 100% silk. Polyester ties make the baby Jesus cry.
And for heaven's sake, no clip ons. Clip on ties grieve the Holy Spirit.
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I upped mine. Up yours.
Suffering for Jesus since 1966.
WTFWED?
Posts: 12001 | From: between keyboard and chair | Registered: Aug 2001
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Esmeralda
Ship's token UK Mennonite
# 582
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Posted
I think you ought to be able to get your clothes on the right way round and not inside out. This so far eludes my ten year old son (admittedly, he has a social learning difficulty) and also my 47 year old husband - though Spouse™ normally manages, unlike son, to get his trousers on the right way around.
I remember being horrified when (long before my marriage) I stayed in a four star hotel with a platonic male friend, and he came down to dinner in old carpet slippers. Twenty years later, at the age of 50-something, he has just been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome. Spare a thought for those who really find it difficult to know what's appropriate, because their brains just ain't wired up that way.
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Mad Geo
Ship's navel gazer
# 2939
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
Also, Mad Geo, I'm interested in how serious were your comments about dressing lower than the boss..
I also thought that dressing as well or better than the boss was bad manners. Like earning more than your landlord.
I was deadly serious (on that one). If it's bad manners in the U.K. I would be surprised, but it could be. I would put it in four catagories:
1.Slave Labor
2.Business Casual i.e. Chinos and Polo Shirt
3.Business Pants with Shirt and Tie
4.Full Suit.
If you are a 1 and have no upward mobility you can wear what you want.
If you are anything else, or any kind of office puke, I would not recommend dressing less than a 2 at work, if you want to get ahead, or get a raise. If your boss dresses like a 3, you dress like a 3 not a 2. If your boss dresses like a 4, and it's bad manners, I would take it one step down to a 3. However, at least here in the U.S., if everyone else were to dress like a 3 and the boss dressed like a 4, I'd be a 4.
FWIW, I am now "the boss" (ranked one below the owner of the company). I got there using my evil mind (that's a joke), dressing higher than the guy next to me, and always being there before the boss got in and leaving after he left. Oh yes, and a 5-year plan to conquer the world.
[apparently I can't count]
[ 14. June 2005, 15:21: Message edited by: Mad Geo ]
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Diax's Rake - "Never believe a thing simply because you want it to be true"
Posts: 11730 | From: People's Republic of SoCal | Registered: Jun 2002
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
Luckily for Madge in his career, counting's not that important. ![[Killing me]](graemlins/killingme.gif)
He's right nonetheless. In the corporate world, you don't dress for the position you hold now, you dress for the position you want to hold. That means you dress as well as your boss does.
If I were interviewing job applicants for anything that required dealing with the public above the level of "Would you like fries with that?", especially in any kind of financial or service area, I would expect every applicant who wanted me to take them seriously to dress very similar to this man, making sure to wear leather dress shoes and dark socks as well.
I would trash the application of anyone showing up in jeans and t-shirt on the grounds they either aren't taking the interview seriously (which means they won't take the job seriously) or they have large enough personal problems that hiring them would be an equally large liability.
There's enough used clothing and thrift stores around that anyone can put together a basic interview and "first week on the job" wardrobe if they want, for much, much less than buying new. Lots of churches and charities will *give* clothing to people applying for jobs.
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
Is it really essential to wear to a tie to a job interview? (Papio wonders if this may be where he has been going wrong.... ![[Eek!]](eek.gif) )
On the tangent of Asperger's Syndrome: My brother has Asperger's and gets teased in the street. A lot. He is a decent young man with a very able mind and I think it must take a very shallow person not to be able to see that... Maybe, in not wanting to be such a shallow person, I have in some ways gone too much the other way.....
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Posts: 12176 | From: a zoo in England. | Registered: Mar 2003
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KenWritez
Shipmate
# 3238
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
Is it really essential to wear to a tie to a job interview?
Unless you're interviewing as a septic tank pumper, I'd say yes. And please wear that tie with a dress shirt, i.e., a shirt made to be worn with a tie. You'll be more comfortable, you'll look better and you'll make a better presentation of yourself.
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"The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men. But I'm tryin', Ringo. I'm tryin' real hard to be a shepherd." --Quentin Tarantino, Pulp Fiction
My blog: http://oxygenofgrace.blogspot.com
Posts: 11102 | From: Left coast of Wonderland, by the rabbit hole | Registered: Aug 2002
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by KenWritez:
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
Is it really essential to wear to a tie to a job interview?
Unless you're interviewing as a septic tank pumper, I'd say yes. And please wear that tie with a dress shirt, i.e., a shirt made to be worn with a tie. You'll be more comfortable, you'll look better and you'll make a better presentation of yourself.
In that case, I will have to go shopping tomorrow as
A) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon and B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
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Mad Geo
Ship's navel gazer
# 2939
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Posted
Papio, if you are not wearing a shirt and tie, minimum, to a job interview, then you are toast. But
don't believe us, listen to the professionals!
quote:
Dress as though you're ready and enthusiastic to go to work. Professionals dress professionally: Men usually wear ties, dress shoes and often a sportscoat. Women wear hosiery and dress shoes. Go easy on the trendy; avoid displaying anything that may take attention away from your skills and qualifications -- tattoos, nose rings, makeup, etc. -- unless you are interviewing at a place where managers, employees and customers alike dress in that style.
I have just gone through a round of interviewing. When a technician shows up in jeans and a t-shirt I may hire him but that's all he's going to be for a while. When a technician shows up in a tie with a resume in hand, well, (s)he might get a better job from me.
When a geologist shows up for an interview in jeans and a tie, well, we take pictures of him to laugh at around the company cooler. Okay we don't actually, but I think you get the point.
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Diax's Rake - "Never believe a thing simply because you want it to be true"
Posts: 11730 | From: People's Republic of SoCal | Registered: Jun 2002
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sharkshooter
Not your average shark
# 1589
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
quote:
Originally posted by KenWritez:
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
Is it really essential to wear to a tie to a job interview?
Unless you're interviewing as a septic tank pumper, I'd say yes. And please wear that tie with a dress shirt, i.e., a shirt made to be worn with a tie. You'll be more comfortable, you'll look better and you'll make a better presentation of yourself.
In that case, I will have to go shopping tomorrow as
A) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon and B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
You probably should do it rather early, as you will likely have difficulty finding one who can tailor a suit to fit properly on the spot. At least, I am assuming that if you don't know what a dress shirt is that you also don't own a suit.
All the best on the interview.
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Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14]
Posts: 7772 | From: Canada; Washington DC; Phoenix; it's complicated | Registered: Oct 2001
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Sine Nomine*
Ship's backstabbing bastard
# 3631
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
A) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon and B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
Go to a decent, but not the most expensive, department store. Say these words to the clerk "I have a job interview tomorrow and I need a dress shirt and a tie. I can't afford to spend too much. Please help me."
They will help you.
Posts: 10696 | Registered: Dec 2002
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by sharkshooter:
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
quote:
Originally posted by KenWritez:
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
Is it really essential to wear to a tie to a job interview?
Unless you're interviewing as a septic tank pumper, I'd say yes. And please wear that tie with a dress shirt, i.e., a shirt made to be worn with a tie. You'll be more comfortable, you'll look better and you'll make a better presentation of yourself.
In that case, I will have to go shopping tomorrow as
A) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon and B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
You probably should do it rather early, as you will likely have difficulty finding one who can tailor a suit to fit properly on the spot. At least, I am assuming that if you don't know what a dress shirt is that you also don't own a suit.
All the best on the interview.
I've stated on the thread that I own three suits.
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Infinite Penguins.
My "Readit, Swapit" page
My "LibraryThing" page
Posts: 12176 | From: a zoo in England. | Registered: Mar 2003
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Papio
Ship's baboon
# 4201
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sine Nomine:
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
A) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon and B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
Go to a decent, but not the most expensive, department store. Say these words to the clerk "I have a job interview tomorrow and I need a dress shirt and a tie. I can't afford to spend too much. Please help me."
They will help you.
Thanks. And thanks, Sharkshooter, for the good wishes. I missed them the first time I read your post.
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Infinite Penguins.
My "Readit, Swapit" page
My "LibraryThing" page
Posts: 12176 | From: a zoo in England. | Registered: Mar 2003
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strathclydezero
# 180
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Posted
Get ye down to Slaters. Now.
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All religions will pass, but this will remain:
simply sitting in a chair and looking in the distance.
V V Rozanov
Posts: 3276 | From: The Near East | Registered: May 2001
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babybear
Bear faced and cheeky with it
# 34
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
Probably the easiest way is to go to somewhwere like Marks and Spenser or Burtons. They have sets of shirts and ties around £20. If you buy a shirt and tie set then you can be sure of them matching.
If you are not too hot on matching colours, then I would suggest that you take your suit jacket along to the shop. The assistant will help select a shirt and tie combination that will go with your suit and your skin tone.
Please remember to iron the shirt before you wear it. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Posts: 13287 | From: Cottage of the 3 Bears (and The Gremlin) | Registered: May 2001
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babybear
Bear faced and cheeky with it
# 34
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
I've stated on the thread that I own three suits.
You might like to try them all on tonight and look in a full length mirror, or the largest mirror you can find.
Is the suit clean? If not, then put it on one side to be cleaned.
Does it fit well, ie is it comfortable? It is often better to wear clothes that are slightly too large than too small, especially if you are overweight.
If this still leaves you with a choice of suits to wear, consider which colour suits you best?
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I have just been thinking about 'dress shirts'. I would use that phrase to describe a shirt that would be worn for a 'black tie' event, not for ordinary office wear.
Posts: 13287 | From: Cottage of the 3 Bears (and The Gremlin) | Registered: May 2001
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sharkshooter
Not your average shark
# 1589
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
...I've stated on the thread that I own three suits.
Sorry about that.
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Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. [Psalm 19:14]
Posts: 7772 | From: Canada; Washington DC; Phoenix; it's complicated | Registered: Oct 2001
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Mad Geo
Ship's navel gazer
# 2939
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Sine Nomine:
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
A) I have a job interview tomorrow afternoon and B) I don't own a tie and am uncertain what a dress shirt is so therefore do not know if I own one or not.
Go to a decent, but not the most expensive, department store. Say these words to the clerk "I have a job interview tomorrow and I need a dress shirt and a tie. I can't afford to spend too much. Please help me."
They will help you.
I find asking women that are standing around (unless mine is with me), or a gay man, for their opinion helps to determine which shirt/ties look good on me.
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Diax's Rake - "Never believe a thing simply because you want it to be true"
Posts: 11730 | From: People's Republic of SoCal | Registered: Jun 2002
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Trudy Scrumptious
BBE Shieldmaiden
# 5647
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Posted
I couldn't answer the poll because I couldn't define either "well" or "important."
I am only happy in my jeans. I want to live, die, and be buried in my jeans. Jesus will raise up me and my blue jeans on the Resurrection morning.
However, I do accept that there are some circumstances in which jeans are not appropriate. Currently I'm job-hunting. Even though the places I'm hunting are community agencies where the at-work dress is decidedly casual (jeans on the job probably OK), I would still wear dress slacks and a niceish shirt or sweater for an interview, just to show that I can clean up if I have to.
I was raised to always, always, always wear a skirt or dress to church though the heavens fall. In the last few years I have occasionally unbent to the point of wearing dress slacks to church on a very cold winter morning but it always feels sinful.
My husband and I both prefer jeans so would dress casually for a night out together, unless we were going somewhere particularly classy, which we hardly ever do.
I think the only "importance" of dressing "well" is in the effect it has on other people. If you're in a situation where the opinions of others matter a great deal, dress in a way they will consider "well-dressed." For the other 99% of situations, please yourself.
PS--If MadGeo is wearing a thong, I don't want to know about it.
[ 14. June 2005, 16:51: Message edited by: TrudyTrudy (I say unto you) ]
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Books and things.
I lied. There are no things. Just books.
Posts: 7428 | From: Closer to Paris than I am to Vancouver | Registered: Mar 2004
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Papio.:
Is it really essential to wear to a tie to a job interview?
It depends what sort of job, and what country it is in.
In Britain it is neccessary for effectively all office jobs. Its a pointless ritual but some people take it seriously, and the chance of meeting an interviewer who does take it seriously is large enough to make it worth while going along with it if you really want the job.
Not one of the over 20 men in our office regularly wears a tie to work, and only 2 or 3 ever do. Yet every job candidate has, as have the people interviewing them for jobs. Even the 18-year-old school-leavers doing relatively menial work as part of a government funded scheme.
In most business job candidates wear ties for interviews for all except low-paid manual work, and even then it doesn't do any harm. When I worked for a large multinational company I do not recall one instance of a job candidate or interviewer not wearing a suit and tie. Most, but not all, of us wore ties at work (I didn't)
In the university where I work now people going for jobs in research rarely wear ties, for teaching posts often but not always, for admin posts almost always. But it is never wrong if you see what I mean, so unless you know the place well, better safe than sorry. Schools are rather more formal. I have interviewed people for jobs as school teachers - all the men wore ties.
Government and civil service jobs are perhaps a little more formal than education, but less so than business. (Trust me here, I have worked in all three).
Many jobs in media and creative work don't require a suit and tie and in a few of them dressing that way at interview might even do your chances harm. BUT to be honest those are jobs that, if you had any chance of getting them, you would know the dress code for.
Charities and political campaigns are different again. But you are also more likely to get it right if you know the kind of place you are working - and if you don't you are unlikely to go very wrong with a shirt and tie. It probably does you no harm and might do you some good.
Don't listen to the Americans about a "dress shirt", its a concept that doesn't exist here, or if it does it doesn't filter throug to the mundane world of work. If you asked for one in a shop they might try to sell you the kind of shirt you wear with a dinner jacket, which is very much not what you want. The point is to wear a shirt that goes with a suit, or with clothes as much like a suit as you can afford if you don't have a suit.
Cruelly, it can be as bad to overdress as to underdress. So unless you have worked in a particular environment it is very hard to know what is expected.
Yes, this is not set up for the benefit of the job candidate. It is a way of making it clear who is boss, literally. And can be very stressful (though it is worse for women who have more choices of semi-formal wear and so more ways of getting it wrong. And do we really want to work for people who either want to put us through such stupid hoops to put us in our place, or else who don't have the imagination to realist that that is what they are doing? No we don't, but we rarely have the choice.
But in general, there are very few jobs in the UK for which it is wrong to wear a normal off-the-peg suit, or else a jacket and trousers of similar colour, and a shirt and tie. Some high-ranking jobs in business will prefer something posher, and some manual jobs might expect something less formal, but you can nearly always be in the frame dressed like that.
Shirts probably ought not to be white (because that shows dirt or sweat too clearly) and ideally ought to be worn and washed once or twice so they are still new and clean but you are comfortably in them & they have lost the creases they have out of the box.
When it comes to colour and pattern of ties I can't help you. I hate the things so much that I don't follow fashions in them. I read that silly cartoon characters are popular amongst young Tories, and that solid colours with no pattern are a sign of working class people who are trying to move up in the world. And that diagonal stripes (which point over the LEFT shoulder in Britain) are to be avoided because there is a risk they may resemble someone's old school tie (or worse, cricket club or regiment) which could be embarrasing. But I couldn't honestly say I know that from my own experience.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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