Max Riffner
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Bleats About Pleats
I wasn’t off to a good start this morning, and I’m sure most people have been there. You wake up, scratch your ass, and head over to the dresser to grab some clothes, only to notice while groping blindly as a bat in the morning darkness that you don’t have any undershirts clean (or some variation thereof, i.e. no underwear or socks). Then you remember that your slacks are dirty also, a much worse scenario because any schlub knows that a white t-shirt will suffice as an undershirt.
Now, having had other, more formal, jobs (like working any position at a bank), I do have a variety of pleated slacks with which to choose from that I keep in reserve for wearing with a blazer or sports coat. I tend not to wear these at work, because for some reason, wearing pleated pants makes you “dressed up.”
Not having much of a choice, I grabbed a grey pair to go with my blue shirt and my dreaded prediction has come true:
“Whoa, where’s the interview?”
“No where.”
“Why are you so dressed up then?”
“I’m not.”
“Maybe it is because your shirt is tucked in?”
“I tuck my shirt in just about everyday…”
I will have this conversation at least five more times today. Why do pleats make you look like a winner in the workplace? A quick glance around shows that the directors and managers in sight are in fact, also wearing pleated trousers. It is as if the usual flat front trousers are for worker bees, and the pleats are for those on the fast track baby! Of greater concern (in my paranoid, over-examining mind) is if this fashion trend is indeed accurate, am I sabotaging my own growth within the company (“Who the hell does that guy think he is, a manager or something?”), or am I positioning myself to be seen as a “go-getter?” Do I even care?
Furthermore, if pleats mean class or upper-standing of some sort, why do we look down on those still wearing pleated jeans (you poor, deluded bastards)?
That’s another thing that bothers me about the comments… if I was actually going to an interview, not only would I try to avoid attention to the fact that I was, but I would be wearing a damn suit! With a damn tie! Not a clip-on! What the hell?!
I want to ask these people this! Don’t you wear a suit to interviews, or do you go in business casual like every other mouth breather? I mean, obviously you should dress appropriately for the position (fast food workers, you can do this), but for a professional? C’mon! Morons…
i’ve worn a suit to an interview once…was WAY overdressed for it. a bit more than business-casual usually suffices for design interviews.
but i know the irritation. got that everytime i wore anything remotely ‘dressy’ in college….of course, it was an art/technical school….
I think in general, most design firms are lenient on the interview-wear for creativity’s sake. They want to see your portfolio, make sure you aren’t wacko, and dress well enough to be presentable to clients. Personally, I think you can only be overdressed for an interview in a tuxedo (and even that could be appropriate if you are auditioning for the role of James Bond).
I get the “why are you dressed up” when I wear a button shirt tucked into jeans (this says as much about me as it does the morons who comment, I realize), which happens like 3 times a year. Ironically #3 was pretty recent.
I just say, “I’m going to a wedding,” and they’re like, “dressed like that” and I’m all, “You’re the one who said I was dressed up, ass.”
I think it’s funny that as a developer and by the comments you have pointed out, it is as if i am not allowed to dress up nice at work! It’s like i was expected to dress like a slob all the time (even though i do have that “Slob Chic” down to an artform). I remember when all of the developers at Synergy decided to just dress up for the hell of it, and the panic it created was priceless.
... oh and btw, wearing a suit to an interview IS standard faire, man. It’s not making a statement. I, on the other hand, don’t own a suit, so i dress up in good slacks and a nice button down shirt instead.
Believe me, the suit was definitely overdressed. The dude’s office was set up like his house. He was the only employee (I was applying for an internship), and half of the interview was spent w/ his dog’s head on my lap (a rather sheddy dalmation). Suit wasn’t the best choice, but it was my first design interview, so I didn’t know. Now it’s just business casual and all’s good.
I know, I know, guys! It seems like it is pointless to dress nicely/formally anymore with these sort of events happening (especially when you have a dog all over your suit), but it just makes me sad, y’know? I love my suit. I wear it every chance I can get for three reasons:
1. You can never be overdressed (in my opinion).
2. Better safe than sorry; you can always shed the tie and/or the coat if you feel too dressed up at any function.
3. You exude confidence in a suit. You just look great, even if you think you don’t. If you don’t normally wear a nice suit, people will compliment you about it guaranteed.
Now, I know most people won’t buy suits because of the expense, and I agree. If you don’t wear one everyday, in this day and age there isn’t much point in having multiples. Two easy work-arounds to that problem are the navy blazer (the Swiss Army knife of formal situations) because you can wear that with anything, and the Goodwill suit. Seriously, there are a ton of suits at thrift shops and Goodwill’s that are perfectly fine. Grab one that is a little big on you and then spend $50 to get it tailored (always, always get it tailored – a tailor will be your best friend and make that suit look amazing on you, despite whatever shape you are in).
Or, as a former boss once said: shitty suit, great tie. An $80 silk tie will do wonders on a cheap suit, because people remember ties. Not cartoon character ties, though.
Slowly this has become my Men’s Guide to Looking Nice manifesto… sorry! I’m not trying to belittle anyone’s fashion choices at all, but I definitely have a traditional mentality when it comes to suits. I guess I’m just sad to see it starting to fade away.
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Sep 16, 03:44 AM
Your supervisors are all nervous now. “Riffners unhappy! Heard He’s interviewing at HunTel!”
Maybe you’ll get a raise out of it all.
lol
-T