Post: #26

(10-03-2018 05:48 PM)Aurini Wrote:  How important are ties, outside of the legal environment? I've started to find them distasteful, probably from being back in Calgary.

I'd love to hear more stories about Single Female Lawyers.

I've worn them and not worn them in different non-legal business environments. I'd say the tie does command respect, but it is important to have a great personality with a good sense of humor when you're wearing a tie. Nobody likes a "stuffed shirt" that thinks he's too full of himself. The best balance is looking sharp with a tie IMHO, but also having a great personality that can soften it a bit. You can also wear a nice button-down shirt without a tie, and pair it with a good well-fitting coat. As mentioned above, the fit matters most, no matter what you're wearing.

Post: #27

(10-03-2018 01:36 PM)HankMoody Wrote:  Maybe one day I will write a full post about this. But, if you're a professional, this is my advice...

- Always meet with new clients in a suit and tie. Once you know them, you can be less formal. My first meeting is always suited up, but after clients are usually fine seeing me in nice shorts and a polo.
- You can get fitted suits very cheap now. My preference is Indochino, mostly because they have a physical location here in Philly. The suits are around $300 and look great. Fitted suits look way better than off the rack, even if they are cheap. I load up on cheap suits. As long as they fit well, you'll look fantastic.
- Always carry a briefcase with a suit; never a backpack. I do not like shoulder straps. My preference is Saddleback Leather's thin front pocket briefcase. Filson looks good. But even a $30 laptop bag from Staples is better than a backpack. Backpacks look retarded with a suit. Leather looks the best, but anything is better than a backpack. You can wear backpacks with casual clothing -- my everyday carry is my jiu jitsu bag.
- White dress shirts. Honestly, no one can tell if you're wearing Van Heusen or Brooks Brothers (though better shirts last longer). Load up on white dress shirts, even cheap ones. French cuff is even better. Launder them at the dry cleaner, it's like $1 a shirt and way easier than ironing.
- Fresh ties. Even ties that cost you $8 from Ross look better than an old beat up tie.
- Good shoes are worth the money. You can get them at Nordstrom Rack. Personally, I like Allen Edmonds. If they can't be resoled, they're not worth the money. Get a pair of black and brown, along with a pair of strapped shoes and loafers.
- Belt should match your shoes. Black shoes - black belt. Brown shoes - brown belt.
- Cheeky socks are for fags. Just get basic Goldtoe. If you feel the need for colorful striped socks, go be gay somewhere else.
- Tie bars and cufflinks make you look like a baller. They're cheap, too. Pocket squares are easy.
- Get a watch that looks nice. Day to day, I wear an Apple Watch (the Nike white one, because it's breathable) with LTE because it tracks my activity levels, it's easy to do talk to text, and syncs to my earphones (meaning I don't have to have my cellphone with me to listen to music). However, I have a nice looking watch (cost was about $1k, but you can get them for like $20), that I wear when I'm playing dress up.
- Stains make you look like a slob. If you get a stain and can't get it out of your shirt, just get rid of it. This applies to t-shirts, dress shirts, polo shirts, anything. You can pick up decent stuff at Marshall's, Ross, Nordstrom Rack, etc. and no one can tell the difference. My polo shirts are all Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger and didn't cost much. Once they look old or beat up I just get rid of them.

Agreed with everything you said accept for the cheeky socks. Pocket squares are more "faggy" than colorful socks and both is not something I would wear in an office setting. These accessories are more for going out.

Post: #28

(10-03-2018 09:42 PM)Stickman Wrote:  

(10-03-2018 01:36 PM)HankMoody Wrote:  Maybe one day I will write a full post about this. But, if you're a professional, this is my advice...

- Always meet with new clients in a suit and tie. Once you know them, you can be less formal. My first meeting is always suited up, but after clients are usually fine seeing me in nice shorts and a polo.
- You can get fitted suits very cheap now. My preference is Indochino, mostly because they have a physical location here in Philly. The suits are around $300 and look great. Fitted suits look way better than off the rack, even if they are cheap. I load up on cheap suits. As long as they fit well, you'll look fantastic.
- Always carry a briefcase with a suit; never a backpack. I do not like shoulder straps. My preference is Saddleback Leather's thin front pocket briefcase. Filson looks good. But even a $30 laptop bag from Staples is better than a backpack. Backpacks look retarded with a suit. Leather looks the best, but anything is better than a backpack. You can wear backpacks with casual clothing -- my everyday carry is my jiu jitsu bag.
- White dress shirts. Honestly, no one can tell if you're wearing Van Heusen or Brooks Brothers (though better shirts last longer). Load up on white dress shirts, even cheap ones. French cuff is even better. Launder them at the dry cleaner, it's like $1 a shirt and way easier than ironing.
- Fresh ties. Even ties that cost you $8 from Ross look better than an old beat up tie.
- Good shoes are worth the money. You can get them at Nordstrom Rack. Personally, I like Allen Edmonds. If they can't be resoled, they're not worth the money. Get a pair of black and brown, along with a pair of strapped shoes and loafers.
- Belt should match your shoes. Black shoes - black belt. Brown shoes - brown belt.
- Cheeky socks are for fags. Just get basic Goldtoe. If you feel the need for colorful striped socks, go be gay somewhere else.
- Tie bars and cufflinks make you look like a baller. They're cheap, too. Pocket squares are easy.
- Get a watch that looks nice. Day to day, I wear an Apple Watch (the Nike white one, because it's breathable) with LTE because it tracks my activity levels, it's easy to do talk to text, and syncs to my earphones (meaning I don't have to have my cellphone with me to listen to music). However, I have a nice looking watch (cost was about $1k, but you can get them for like $20), that I wear when I'm playing dress up.
- Stains make you look like a slob. If you get a stain and can't get it out of your shirt, just get rid of it. This applies to t-shirts, dress shirts, polo shirts, anything. You can pick up decent stuff at Marshall's, Ross, Nordstrom Rack, etc. and no one can tell the difference. My polo shirts are all Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger and didn't cost much. Once they look old or beat up I just get rid of them.

Agreed with everything you said accept for the cheeky socks. Pocket squares are more "faggy" than colorful socks and both is not something I would wear in an office setting. These accessories are more for going out.

Personally, I don't wear pocket squares for any reason, but when done right, I think they look fine.

Madmen style. Plain, white, etc.

Post: #29

(10-03-2018 05:48 PM)Aurini Wrote:  How important are ties, outside of the legal environment? I've started to find them distasteful, probably from being back in Calgary.

I'd love to hear more stories about Single Female Lawyers.

Court? You need to wear a tie.

Client meeting with a new client? You should wear a tie.

Beyond that, meh. Sports coat, khakis, and a blazer is fine. Even that isn't really necessary.

You have a lot more latitude once a client has signed an engagement agreement and written you a retainer check. Once they're in, they're in. Most of my clients, who are in real estate, wear polos with paint on them. Even my doctor clients dress pretty casually.

However, I generally keep a full suit, tie, white shirt, and good shoes in my office, just in case something comes up.

But on average, I am usually in a polo shirt, shorts, and docksiders. When it gets cold, substitute shorts with well fitted jeans with a semi-casual dress shoe.

I prefer biking to work, so suits are for court and new client meetings. My EDC is my jiu jitsu bag, with my laptop bag tucked in there. So I can ride to work, and hit the gym on the way home.

Of note - I am self employed, so I am not looking to get a promotion. However, when it comes to hiring, I wouldn't hire someone who dresses like they just woke up in a suit while cuddling with their dog.

Post: #30

I dunno about ties in general but I went to a traditional gents out fitters a few years back. The kind of place where you can buy tweed suits with old school mannequins etc. Now I was looking at the silk ties and the shop keep asks me "do you have a colour in mind sir". And I say "well something purple". The chap, with half glasses, turns round opens this wooden draw in hand build furniture and opens a draw with Italian silk ties of literally every colour you could conceive, rolled and arranged by colour order. Like a paint chart. God it was beautiful.

I'll never forget the smell of that place. Fusty but warm. The kind of old building in England that you can never get rid of the damp from. All bespoke display counters with glass tops, cuff links, green carpet and shirts organised by collar size. Like and old school gentleman's club.

Post: #31

Quote:Personally, I don't wear pocket squares for any reason, but when done right, I think they look fine.

Madmen style. Plain, white, etc.

Plain and manly in an office setting for sure. I've seen guys that wear tie bar, pocket squares and colorful socks in the office setting and they look like complete posers. I personally would not trust a guy that dresses like this in a working environment. It's just too slick.

Post: #32

(10-03-2018 09:24 PM)John Michael Kane Wrote:  

(10-03-2018 05:48 PM)Aurini Wrote:  How important are ties, outside of the legal environment? I've started to find them distasteful, probably from being back in Calgary.

I'd love to hear more stories about Single Female Lawyers.

I've worn them and not worn them in different non-legal business environments. I'd say the tie does command respect, but it is important to have a great personality with a good sense of humor when you're wearing a tie. Nobody likes a "stuffed shirt" that thinks he's too full of himself. The best balance is looking sharp with a tie IMHO, but also having a great personality that can soften it a bit. You can also wear a nice button-down shirt without a tie, and pair it with a good well-fitting coat. As mentioned above, the fit matters most, no matter what you're wearing.

If you watch meetings between presidents or prime ministers of western countries and those of non western countries, the non western counterpart often doesn't wear a tie. I just thought I'd mention that. Something to consider.

Post: #33

In Switzerland it’s always a bit of a lottery how people will turn up to a meeting. Casual is very much the go to here unless you are a banker in Zurich or Geneva.

I had a meeting this morning with another guy in the ski industry. He showed up in a badly fitting blazer with pocket square, badly fitting skiing jeans and converse. I cam by motorbike so I was boots jeans, puffy jacket and bike jacket.

We still did business.

HOWEVER. If it was a new client, someone I wanted to impress, I client I wanted to maintain or someone I didn’t already know or had spoken to, you can bet your ass I would be really well dressed. Maybe not a suit because in the ski industry no one wears suits but enough to be looking really sharp.