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ClothesMaketheLawyer 20 - 04 Jun 2008 - Main.EdwardNewton
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I am having trouble understanding what is at the crux of the discussion, in class and in the comments on Mina's paper, about clothes and class. I see that we categorize each other according to socioeconomic status, based on our clothes. Yet, Eben observes that it is a rare law student who dresses properly for an interview (I, for instance, know next to nothing about suits, let alone the nuances of buttons and collars). So we can assume that many incorrectly attired law students are offered jobs anyway, and learn to dress properly for their respective jobs once they already have them. It follows then, that I wear will depend on what I do, and not vice versa. If I change jobs, my clothes will change. So if clothes are not a bar to raising one's socioeconomic status, but rather an indication of that status once attained, where and when does the relationship between clothes and class become important? | | | Also, finally to help ease peoples' fears if there are lingering doubts amongst anyone out there (and unfortunately I'm speaking mainly to the guys out there) as to what to wear for interviews and the dos and donts of dressing to be "part of the class" then I'd suggest a simple trip down to 45 and Madison to the big Brooks Brothers store (or the nearby J. Press). They've been dressing the same group of young, twenty-something students, interviewees, and professionals for ages, they're almost never overly flashy (these are the guys who made the relatively loose fitting "sack-suit" the standard dress for young american men) and they can help you find the kind of basic, simple shirt and tie that will be appropriate in absolutely any situation. Plus when you walk in you'll realize that a lot of the salesmen have been working there it seems like since the store opened and have the experience to answer almost any question you have so that you avoid looking like one of those ridiculous ex football players you see on TV every sunday in the fall wearing some shiny 5 button monstrosity of a suit.
-- AlexLawrence - 02 Jun 2008 | |
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I wonder whether the “business casual” concept has complicated traditional standards of attire. My office is supposedly business casual, but almost all of the partners always wear suits. I wonder if it’s just because they have more client meetings, have dozens of nice suits that would otherwise go to waste, it’s a “status” thing (either intentional or subconscious), or some combination of these. Full-time associates are usually always “business casual” with an emphasis on the business part. Legal assistants are also always business casual, but to varying degrees--from college casual minus the jeans plus a collar to full business suits minus the tie. As for the other summer associates, it’s an even more mixed bag. Are there also business casual rules or do they vary by office and firm?
-- EdwardNewton - 04 Jun 2008 | | | |
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