The suit syndrome.

Mr. Archer : Hey kid, you want a promotion.

Me : Yes.

Mr. Archer : Wear a suit.

During the early days when I was a lowly intern at a consulting company Mr.Archer always had the fanciest clients, the coolest friends and the bosses upstairs loved him.

We have all had Mr. Archers in our lives. But the question is who are they? Where do they come from? And the most importantly , why do they always get the ladies? To answer all of these questions Mr. Archer sat me down one day , a cigarette in one hand and a glass of scotch in the other and said, kid there are three rules :

1.     Never pair black shoes with brown belts.

2.     Always iron your shirt.

3.     Make sure your socks have no holes.

And long and behold I had the secret to life . With the grip like that of a baby kangaroo hanging onto his mother , Mr. Archer held me and whispered :

“You can have anything in life if you dress for it.”

Fashion me up:

Although naively trying to conjure the picture perfect paralegal into the dinner table next to me just by dressing up for the part did not seem to work very well, I still eventually got a date. And at that point I understood something.

What is fashion?

 Google says : .

noun

a popular or the latest style of clothing, hair, decoration, or behavior.

Although right , fashion is more than just latest style of clothing , hair and decoration or behavior. It is a representation of who we are. An embodiment of our inner selves. The intricacies of our behavior and the subtle nuances of every little personality trait hiding beneath our skin. And many a times what represents us also gives us power.

A very cool experiment was once done to see how the work ethic of a person affected his/her happiness. To everyone’s surprise the result was the other way round. The happier the person was, the more work he/she did. So instead of looking at fashion as a requirement we can look at it as a tool, just like Mr.Archer did.

Where to wear:

The history of uniforms says that it had been created to instill in people a sense of institutionalization and to create a common ground. That way people would be evaluated based on their work and not their pants.

However with the advent of casual Fridays and the startup culture the more traditional uniforms have taken a hike and that has been replaced by more casual attire. But that does not mean folks can’t tailor their look to suit the workplace.

Men :

With a plethora of options in terms of casual wear to choose from, men have been walking around with little to no idea of what to wear to work. The other day I saw my happy but fat friend with a tiny  Hawaiian shirt with his underbelly sticking out. Although he might be a very good coder but his belly definitely did not play the part.

So to understand fashion at work we must understand what it entails. Work is a place to be productive and efficient and your clothes should speak the same language. If you find yourself asking whether it is too much or not then it probably is.

The strict No-Nos :

1.     Flip-flops

No body likes to look or hear you prancing around in your flip-flops. Save that for the beach.

2.     Distressed jeans :

Although very fashionable, torn jeans might end up inspiring you to take up a bass and play along Metallica, not sit in-front of a computer and code for hours.

3.     No visible tattoos :

Edgy looks like baring of too much skin or tattoos rarely cut it in the corporate world. You want people to focus on how well your report is, not how intricate your tattoos are. Unless you work in a tattoo parlor.

A hard Yes:

1.     Classics:

When in doubt , always go with the classics. A pair of denim jeans with a light color shirt or tee and you are good to go. Also layering is a very easy way to look edgy. Like McKnight says, “You can never go wrong with a jacket”.

2.     The Khaki way :

Early 90’s saw the advent of Levi’s with its “business casuals” campaign. It involved Docker’s golf khaki pants. Pair that up with some bright shirts and your confidence is bound to go through the roof.

3.     Shoes :

Sneakers all the way. You can never go wrong with a pair of cool sneakers. Whether you are wearing jeans , or khakis or joggers, sneakers have got you covered. Loafers and leather boots also go a long way to help you stand out.

4.     Accessories :

To top that look and keep it minimalist get a nice watch that serves a twofold purpose. Shows you the time and makes you look like a grown up. If it’s cold get yourself a nice scarf, either a light gray tone if you are feeling mellow but don’t be too afraid to experiment with a bright yellow or green either.

5.     The client meeting look :

If you are unfortunate enough to sit in on a client meeting step your game up a bit and go for a waist coat and ditch the sneakers. Do not forget to color coordinate your belts with your shoes. If you really want to impress and stand out go for the full suited look. As Barney Stinson always said, “Ted , wear a suit”.

6.     Grooming :

Mr.Archer always said , trim your beard kid. And the man was right. Out of proportion facial hair just means you are too damn lazy to get up and shave. Don’t be afraid to experiment with the beard. Like Mr.Archer said, “A man should always have 2 best friends , a mechanic and a barber ”.

Also , chicks dig a man that takes care of himself , cause it means that the man can take care of her as well.

Shirt , shower and shave should be the mantra before work. A good perfume is a must if you want the cute girl to sit extra close.

Mr.Archer :

Mr.Archer had always been an enigma, probably why everyone wanted to be with him so much. One day you thought you had him figured out and on the other day he would land up on the office floor with a checked suit and pull it off perfectly. It was a two way street for him, his fashion gave him confidence and that confidence let him create his own fashion.

So go out there ladies and gentlemen and don’t be part of the herd. Create a style and carry it like it’s your own. Don’t be afraid to experiment but whatever you do “always wear a suit that fits.”                                              

                                                                                                           -Arkaprava Dutta.