Does tech discriminate against suits?

It's funny - IMHO the Hoodie Uniform was developed because people didn't seem to care about fashion or the clothes they were wearing - the stereotypical devs. I can also see how this has come full circle now though, as I think to my own office and if anyone did come in a suit, they would stick out like a sore thumb.

On one level, it seems to be a shame - suits do show a kind of respect or reverence for the place of work. On another, I think suits have their place, but as work places aim to make their offices more people friendly (some would say to keep them in the office longer) people's attires will naturally mold to fit the environment. Perhaps the dying out of the suit is something of a reflection of modern work practices and should be just seen as another item of clothing someone chooses to wear, without the significance of it being 'smart' or 'formal'.

When I began my career in software over a decade ago, dress shirts and pants was typical attire in my area. And that's what I wore. Occasionally someone would wear something a bit more casual, and occasionally I would too. Eventually I got to the point of wearing t-shirts and jeans frequently.

As far as I am concerned, as far as the people I work with are concerned, as far as the company is concerned, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

But yet, I was increasingly feeling ... slobbish. Like, "this is my career, this is what I do for a living, this is what I went to college for and continually read books to learn about... is this really how I want to dress?"

So I started dressing up a bit here and there. Felt silly at times, but no-one said anything. Today I'm wearing a suit-style vest and a tie. Walking in the hallways I feel conspicuously out of place, but back at my desk, I feel better about myself. I feel like I'm taking what I do more seriously. Am I really taking it more seriously? Hard to say. I think perhaps.

I don't care what you wear, and I hope the feeling is mutual. For myself, I'm kind of liking dressing up again. I don't feel that I'm conforming to any social demands or artificial constructs of what is proper; if anything, I am now going against them.

Being a meekly frustrated warrior like many modern men, I sometimes imagine the process of putting a suit on in the morning as akin to donning chain mail and plate armor before a battle. Certainly it helps me get in the right frame of mind for the day, and when I get home the kids know I'll need to swap it for 'play clothes' before I'll roll around on the floor with them. I've worn a suit everywhere I've worked, even in casual companies on client-free days. It helps to enforce a separation between work and home which is, for me, a critical part of work/life balance.

Edited to add: you've already noticed the positive attention it's got you from senior management. This will only continue. And, until you can afford the real thing, I can wholeheartedly recommend having custom suits made by one of the visiting Hong Kong tailors which stop through every major city. They're inexpensive and the fit will be significantly better than off-the-peg. They won't last years but you'll get to pick every detail, and you can have a lot of fun with lining fabrics if you're not in consulting or law.

> As long as I can remember my father would work 12 hours a day, 6 days a week, wearing a suit to the office. I’ve always wanted to follow his example.

What!? This is not something to be admired!

It probably isn't read as a "Red Sneakers Effect" and so it doesn't serve you in the eyes of peers---even if idiosyncratic.

http://reagle.org/joseph/2015/merit/merit.html#geek-superior...