Dressing Down

[howardtayler]

I wore a t-shirt in public today, and threw a "Halo ODST" cap on my dome to complete the grungy ensemble. My usual crisp, professional look stayed in the closet

Comments

[goodluckfox]

It's amazing the respect you get when you wear a coat and tie. The person you're dealing with never knows if you "Are Somebody."

[seawasp]

Funny,I've never had anyone do any of that to me regardless of what I wore. I haven't worn a tie in... six years? Maybe five? I don't wear them even to military presentations; they just make me feel like I'm strangling.

[howardtayler]

I don't wear a suit and tie. Just crisp clothing. The difference between those and the grubbies is still significant.

[paul_the_nerd]

I've had a pretty significant difference to the response I get from servers at restaurants between "t-shirt, pants, and sandals" and "collared casual shirt tucked into nice pants with belt and shoes", usually because they suspect I'll be able to afford tipping better. There's also a noticeable correlation between whether I'm near a college where where people are used to getting stiffed by poor college students and not.

But I've never been questioned at the grocery store for ID, and I'm almost always "extra casual" for that. Which is possibly fortunate, the photo in my ID is now 10 years old, and being relatively young I look pretty different. The guys at the airport always take a little time squinting before they make up their mind about me.

[vakkotaur]

I recall my father asking a set of questions on this order. "Two people go into a bank for a loan. One is dressed in a suit & tie and is well-groomed, perfectly clean. The other is in overalls, and has grease under his fingernails. Which one is more likely to get a loan?" And then, after a pause, but before an answer could be stated, "Now, which one do you know does some work?"

[klingonguy]

Dress nicely if you want to get away with stealing other people's credit cards.

Words to live by.

[uplinktruck]

First secret to a good con: Look the part.