The Good Guys Dress in Black, Remember That

Yesterday was the second-ever “Suit-up Wednesday,” also known as “Wear-a-Tie-Wednesday” at work and I think it was just as successful as the first. Which is to say, I was the only one who participated. Not really shocking, I guess, since I’m the one who made it up, and I have yet to tell anyone about it. It’s kind of an underground celebration. So in essence, if anyone else does start to participate, I’ll be totally shocked and a little impressed with myself.

Let’s step back a bit here so this can all begin to make sense. I have been working at my current employer for over three years now, beginning with a summer internship and continuing on full-time. And for those three years, I’ve been cycling through the collection of polo shirts and anonymous button-downs that I got just prior to my internship. Every now and then, I’d pick something new up, but I have gotten to the point where I have enough to last until something wears out. Which is fine – polos are relatively comfortable, but the point is it all became routine.

All the while, a perfectly fine, albeit cheap and shoddy suit was hanging in my closet unused. Sure, it would get brought out maybe once a year for a wedding or the company Christmas party, but most days I never gave it a second thought. Until one day, the thought occurred to me: why not wear a suit to work, totally at random?

I have to admit, there may have been a bit of pop culture influence at work here, so I can’t say I was totally original. My wife and I have taken to watching How I Met Your Mother, in which one of the characters wears a suit at almost all times. In Barney’s words, “a suit is the sartorial equivalent of a baby’s smile.” It was a few weeks after we started watching this show that I had my suit epiphany, so I may owe it a little credit in bringing the idea to the forefront of my mind. But the story of my suit goes back much farther…

I was in my third year of college at Iowa State University, studying away at Aerospace Engineering, when the annual Career Fair arrived. This was nothing new to me; I had attended the previous two years. What was new was the realization that the fair might actually be of some use to me. I went my freshman year with eager enthusiasm, expecting to find one of the internships I had heard about over and over again in my orientation class. After the fifth or sixth company representative told me that they did not hire freshmen, I became somewhat disenchanted. The second go-round, I eschewed talking to recruiters and merely wandered around picking up corporate giveaway items.

Junior year was different, though, and I could feel it. This was when you got serious, having enough coursework to be useful. As the day drew near, I looked through my wardrobe of Target items and hand-me-downs, and couldn’t find anything that looked professional. If I wouldn’t hire me, why would anyone else? It was time to buy a suit.

Of course, I was a junior in college at the time, so I really couldn’t afford much. I remember walking through the suit section at JC Penney, appalled at what seemed like exorbitant prices. Eventually I found a 65% polyester wonder for just over $100. It fit (sort of) and was something I could afford, so I took out a Penney’s charge card and bought it.

I actually didn’t get my internship at that career fair, but that’s another story. Regardless, that suit and I became more and more intertwined. After the first use at the fair itself, I racked up a few interviews where I wore it again. Presentations for senior design, graduate work, and conferences all necessitated its use, too. And it started to become enjoyable. It made those events seem important, and even more so, it made me feel a little important. Not to mention the fun of pairing shirts and ties – so many color options and so few men brave enough to wear them (I’m talking to you, pink ties!).

Well, anyway, it got to the point where I’d look forward to a suit-wearing occasion and even wear it when not absolutely vital. For example, I didn’t need to be in a suit to manage the senior design symposium, but it sure made me look and feel more in-charge. After graduation, I wore my suit to the interview at my current job, got the position, and essentially never wore it again.

So when I heard Barney extolling the virtues of suit-wearing, I started to think. I decided I would wear a suit to work for no reason. My wife suggested my birthday (birthday suit jokes aside) and I went for it. It was awesome.

When you work in a business-casual environment like I described, it seems to really blow people’s minds when you wear a suit unannounced. I got questions asking if I had an interview (some joking, some serious). I got a few compliments. But the most common question was “why are you so dressed up?” Responding with “No reason” or “Just for fun” elicits puzzled looks and cautious “Okays.” I still think some people thought I had an interview but just didn’t want to admit it. For me, I just wanted to wear a suit again, but the extent to which it shook up the status quo was an added bonus.

And on some level, there was maybe a bit of unusual rebellion to it. In the polo-and-khaki world we office workers inhabit, where faded blues and dull greens are the favorite colors, wearing a suit and tie is a way to express some individuality. I enjoyed doing something different, being a unique person for a day rather than part of the herd. And I didn’t need to do anything crazy; I was well within the dress code for work. So it is going to be an ongoing event – second Wednesday of the month, wear a suit (or a shirt and tie as we approach summer). I’m curious to see if it catches on. And then, who knows? My next idea is “Hawaiian shirt Friday,” so we’ll have to wait and see.