[RANT] Men wearing sneakers with dress clothes

[Homer]

1 hour ago, Luftschlosseule said:

Sign of you taking your profession seriously instead of... ehm... that's where it leaves me.

Yeah no, sorry, utter bull. Watch someone work, then decide how you like their attitude.

[deleted_account]

I personally don't care that much. But to me, dress suits with sneakers looks like something a high school boy would wear to the Homecoming dance. It's not the attire of a grown man. I'm sure I've made plenty of fashion mistakes in my time, so I can't pass too much judgment. But yeah, it definitely looks lazy.

[Larkaloke]

I fail to see the problem. I can understand being picky about work clothes in some circumstances -- safety, mostly, or in certain professions (police, security, etc.) where one's impression to the public is very important -- but I do not understand why it would matter in an office. What clothes one wears have no impact at all on one's work, and I find the obsession with 'proper work attire' rather pointless if it's not including safety gear or a particular professional uniform (see police example). I can see some requirements, such as wearing clean or otherwise properly cared for clothing, but beyond that? Eh. I frankly don't even see how it's the employer's business so long as it's just an office job or such.

 

I suppose this does prove that some people actually look at other people's feet, though... I tend to assume nobody bothers doing that.

[Homer]

11 minutes ago, Worry! At the Theatre said:

I personally don't care that much. But to me, dress suits with sneakers looks like something a high school boy would wear to the Homecoming dance. It's not the attire of a grown man. I'm sure I've made plenty of fashion mistakes in my time, so I can't pass too much judgment. But yeah, it definitely looks lazy.

So? *scratches head*

 

'Looks lazy' contains precisely zero information about one's knowledge or work ethics.

 

OTOH you'd have to have quite some time at your hands to think about and debate things like that...

[Ricki]

It's not always about what they *can* do, in a work environment, then a client seeing what they look like and judging them as lazy, could effect the business as you miss out on customers. (and yes this does happen). 

[Homer]

That's a pretty stupid attitude on the potential customer's side and I honestly don't see why anyone should support such a view...

[Ricki]

You support it because you need the business to keep a job and earn money.

[Homer]

All hail the money gods *bows*

 

I'm criticising the attitude of "looks = competence". And no, I don't support that view at all.

[Busrider]

Picture of a German Minister getting sworn in in 1985.

Dress shoes admittedly have their advantages; for example they can enhance the rhetoric repertoire of a speaker, as alleged to Khrushchev at the UN in 1960.. - But I am challenged to imagine a business meeting where banging one on the table would make sense.

 

Looking at folks chiseling with screw drivers I can't get rid of the feeling that terminology tends to get abused similarly. "Business casual" sounds nice and if your bosses aren't yelling at violators, they obviously have no idea what they demanded.

 

There are at least 3 ways of dealing with an office dress code:

The IMHO smart one (assuming your job is safe and the career path set or non-existing) of watering it down and getting away with minimalized effort.

That one can even be topped by making fun of the code. - I have wonderful uniform button down shirts that go well with a tie with pink kitties in ballet attire printed on it...

The other extreme is dressing for the job you want to get.

 

From my POV: If the employer demands fancy attire, they shall bleed for i!. Over here registrars of marriages etc. get paid better than other state employees in similar demanding jobs, explicitly to enable them to maintain appropriate attire on their own expense. - As a BackOffice monkey I'd wear out some rags.

 

If we are discussing shoes as an eye sore etc: There are sneakers that look classy enough to pass with dress pants. In general I'd consider any sneaker variant still more "dressed" than the oh so popular flip flops and single strap Birkenstocks I see on my co-workers.

 

I notice a global trend to ban footwear clauses from work contracts, that force women to wear heels. - I also see a trend among work-shoe makers to  emphasize the healthy side effects of their products, like shock absorbing cushions in soles etc. soles that provide a lot of grip to avoid slipping accidents, I guess you get it. - Demanding office staff to wear leather soled dress shoes is surely a surplus health hazard.

 

The only shoe concerning rule I faced at work so far was to wear certified steel toes around forklifts. - An office buddy in a big company stocked up with steel toed dress shoe lookalikes.

 

[Dreamer23]

On 4/27/2017 at 8:13 PM, Mr E said:

(although there are a few who think business casual means street clothes, but that's another rant for another day)

 

I find that is getting irritatingly widespread!

Keep seeing messages even from recruiters and other professional folks saying stuff like "This is a business casual workplace - we're all wearing jeans and t-shirts here."

You're sending me mixed signals! ._.

 

Now don't get me wrong, if anyone told me to actually dress business casual I probably just wouldn't (ain't interested in working in fancy pants), but it feels really weird when the term business casual is applied to casual clothing.

[Skycaptain]

Can't say too much as I've attended formal dinners (toastmaster, mayor and local MP, speeches and all that brouhaha) in a Hawaiian t-shirt and bootlace tie to get round a "lounge suit" dress code. 

But why make a fuss. If I'm taking to someone I'm looking at their face not their feet, and I'd feet are under a desk my view on what they're wearing is DILLIGAFF 

[ChillaKilla]

On 4/28/2017 at 11:14 AM, スバル said:

Ive worn socks and sandals, with my formal work uniform.

[ChillaKilla]

On 4/27/2017 at 11:13 PM, Mr E said:

I am amazed, and extremely annoyed, at how many men wear sneakers with their dress clothes.

Are they so sartorially clueless that they don't know to wear dress shoes?

Sneakers with dress clothes looks so trashy, awful, ridiculous and stupid.

Seriously? You're wearing sneakers with a suit? Where are your dress shoes? Do you even know what dress shoes are? Have you ever heard of dress shoes? Are you completely clueless when it comes to clothes?"

I MEAN, SERIOUSLY - WHAT THE @#$%#$% IS WITH SOME MEN THAT THEY THINK IT'S ACCEPTABLE TO WEAR SNEAKERS WITH DRESS CLOTHES AT THE OFFICE?

 

so are you mad or nah

[Yatogami]

49 minutes ago, ChillaKilla said:

[emma-can]

Dress clothes are (generally) uncomfortable.  Sneakers are (generally) comfortable.  Let them have their little bit of comfiness...

 

TBH I thinks sneakers with dresses/skirts looks pretty bad, and heels/nice sandals/etc looks pretty good.  But I'll wear sneakers with my dresses/skirts anyway because I just want to be  c o m f o r t a b l e  and at some point that outweighs whatever fashion crime I might be committing

[timewarp]

19 hours ago, Busrider said:

Picture of a German Minister getting sworn in in 1985.

 

Yeah, you're kind of just proving the point of what a dress code is for. Joschka Fischer did that on purpose to appeal to his voters. It's the same thing as with every kind of dress code. Convey an image that maximises your acceptance.

[Skycaptain]

I am me, I'll dress in what I'm comfortable with. I don't identify with male or female, so I wear whatever I feel comfortable with. You don't acced then you break discrimination laws 

[Sally]

I think maybe bosses/managers want their employees to dress what's generally referred to as "business dress" is because they don't want customers/clients to be distracted by what the employees are wearing.  A business can have customers/clients with all kinds of social attitudes, and the business doesn't want have someone who doesn't like green hair or tank tops to go buy from their competitor.   

[Guest]

In my city, its extremely common to see people in suits, wearing sneakers. Many also carry their business gear, in school bags.

 

A lot will go for comfort, over style. I find, the fact so many do it, it becomes socially acceptable. Also, many celebrities have sported the look, including fashion forward celebrities such as David Beckham, and Pherell Williams, to name a couple.

 

Doesn't make it any more fashionable, however when you have guys like that doing it. You'll just find more people feeling it isn't such a big deal as a result.

 

My question would be more of, why does it matter so much to you?

 

I see poor fashion in offices all the time, so to me--I'd be more focal on fashion faux pas that go against dress code. To me, this is more critical, and potentially damaging to your image as a company, than someone with poor fashion sense, that is within the rules.

 

I will notice a guy with white socks, wearing a black suit and black shoes. However, I won't even judge. I don't care, to be honest.

 

I always loved reading about fashion, and am told I'm a sharp dresser. However, I won't care about others sense of fashion, unless it hurts me professionally.

 

[Homer]

2 hours ago, Sally said:

I think maybe bosses/managers want their employees to dress what's generally referred to as "business dress" is because they don't want customers/clients to be distracted by what the employees are wearing.  A business can have customers/clients with all kinds of social attitudes, and the business doesn't want have someone who doesn't like green hair or tank tops to go buy from their competitor.   

What about those who don't like people dressed like penguins? There will always be people who don't "like" whatever  employees/people in general are wearing. Personally I go to a shop to purchase something. Enter, buy, leave. I couldn't even tell you what someone was wearing 20secs after the transaction is finished. I never even witness "fashion crimes" because they're "committed" way below what I consider to be worth noticing. It blows my mind that there are people who adjust their choice of purchase on what an employee looks like. To even consider that is hilarious in my book. Why on earth would I not buy a camera from an employee who wore a particular kind of socks? Why would I even look at their feet? Just why?

 

It's a 1st world "problem" really.

[Sally]

54 minutes ago, Homer said:

What about those who don't like people dressed like penguins? There will always be people who don't "like" whatever  employees/people in general are wearing. Personally I go to a shop to purchase something. Enter, buy, leave. I couldn't even tell you what someone was wearing 20secs after the transaction is finished. I never even witness "fashion crimes" because they're "committed" way below what I consider to be worth noticing. It blows my mind that there are people who adjust their choice of purchase on what an employee looks like. To even consider that is hilarious in my book. Why on earth would I not buy a camera from an employee who wore a particular kind of socks? Why would I even look at their feet? Just why?

 

It's a 1st world "problem" really.

Of course it's a first-world  problem.  

 

But employers aren't thinking, "Well, let's see, maybe 38% of my customers will care if my employee looks like a goth, and the rest won't, so we don't need a dress code."  They'll likely think, "I don't want to piss off any possible customers because I need the business, so I'm going to tell my employees they can't dress like goths."  To me that's reasonable; it's part of working at places that aren't just cafes and print shops.  

[Homer]

But why would anyone be pissed of if they were served by a goth or whomever else? That's such a weird thought. It totally baffles me.

[Antihero.]

.

[timewarp]

5 hours ago, Homer said:

What about those who don't like people dressed like penguins? There will always be people who don't "like" whatever  employees/people in general are wearing. Personally I go to a shop to purchase something. Enter, buy, leave. I couldn't even tell you what someone was wearing 20secs after the transaction is finished. I never even witness "fashion crimes" because they're "committed" way below what I consider to be worth noticing. It blows my mind that there are people who adjust their choice of purchase on what an employee looks like. To even consider that is hilarious in my book. Why on earth would I not buy a camera from an employee who wore a particular kind of socks? Why would I even look at their feet? Just why?

 

It's a 1st world "problem" really.

 

Errmm, sorry, people not liking penguins are just part of the equation. If a shop has that kind of dress code, they are going for a specific clientèle (which, by the way, would not include myself either). You will also notice it in the pricing of that place.

 

It also works the other way around: at my former employer we had absolutely no dress code, and that was on purpose as well. Most of our clients were either producing industries or farmers, and if you show up there in a suit they are likely to think you haven't got a bloody clue what you're doing.

[Homer]

And again, the assumption you mention in your last sentence is precisely what I am criticising.

 

I get that it might come down to some kind of getting along better with what looks like a peer (lack of a better expression right here), but I don't see the relevance because it doesn't change one thing about the quality of goods, services and offers.

 

This seems to be a rare POV for some reason.

[timewarp]

Of course it doesn't change the quality, I do not disagree with you at all about that. But you can criticise this as much as you like, that won't stop it from existing. Businesses depend on clients for making money, so they accept it as it is. It's pragmatism, nothing else.

[Guest]

To men who wear sneakers with their dress clothes: