Measuring potential levels of Overdressed-ness
Some claim you can never be too overdressed. Many of us disagree. Yes it’s always better to be overdressed than underdressed, but when you’re drastically overdressed you risk drawing attention to yourself and/or making others feel uncomfortable. You want to feel your best, but not be inappropriate at the same time. When in Rome right? Severity of overdressed-ness starts with “you’re fine” on the left, and ends with “you’re that guy” on the right.
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All this article did was make me want to wear a morning coat to brunch at Cracker Barrel.
Actually I’ve worn a wool suit, conservative tie lots of times when the hiring manager has a polo on but it never bothered me. I know people say you should get a feel for dress code before the interview, but I never had an insider tip, and I didn’t trust a recruiter to verify dress code with each interviewer I would see that day. I have removed a jacket during the interview a few times after asking permission.
I agree with Red!
I agree with @YackoYak:disqus . I always wear a sharp suit and tie to any interview. My office is very casual, but if anyone comes in to interview as casually dressed as us that normally counts against them.
Well there’s a difference between a power suit and a casual suit. Show up in a power suit while the boss is in a polo, and you’ll look suspicious (if the boss is in a suit you’re fine though).
I found the wedding situation hilarious. Talk about AWKWARD…
Last night I went from over dressed to perfect by removing my tie. I like easy fixes like that.
Always better to err on the side of overdressed than under-dressed.
Regardless of what the interviewer is wearing, you should always be in a suit!
First ever Dappered flash-mob?
I wouldn’t be surprised if a more than a few guys here have their own morning coats.
Seems like ignorance is a good defense keeping me from hanging out on the right side with “those guys”. What exactly is a morning coat? Not much beats Cracker Barrel after driving through the night to get to a vacation spot. I also don’t know anyone immediately getting married nor would I ever (in my youth) ride a Harley… BMW S1000RR here I come (no offense to my Suzuki now)… Eventually 🙁 . Totally guilty of the power suit incident. I actually have to assume the interviewer was wearing a polo, he had on a hoodied zip up over whatever he was wearing underneath. Pretty awkward.
I think you have the tux lapels the wrong way round. Peak lapels are the classic, with most rentals sporting the more casual notch style.
Or maybe I’m not reading the chart correctly … 🙂
A morning coat is what comes up when you type “morning coat” into google image search and press enter.
Same here. My work envirnmoent is waaaay casual dress but when someone comes in for an interview dressed like it offends my bosses. AT LEAST wear a tie.
Yeah youre right…
Nope, you’re correct… Some guys see peaks as necessary, while I personally think that’s overblown. In my convoluted way of thinking, you wouldn’t be overdressed at all in your notch, because you’d technically be underdressed. And then we’d all get in the starship, go around the sun, and slingshot back in time. Right? Absolutely. Lemme de-confuse that.
Kapow. And the whale can now talk with the aliens again. (For the record, I prefer notch myself. And I know that’s swimming upstream).
what about a shirt and pants? shoes?
Also, wearing a tie without some form of jacket… not impressed. Makes me think you’d also be wearing a short-sleeve dress shirt.
I thought it was known that a suit is the safest and usually most appropriate outfit for an interview? Your boss shouldn’t count a suit against you in an interview. I wouldn’t call that the interviewee’s mistake of being overdressed, just appropriate since they knew they were going for an interview.
uh…what?
I’m with you. (On your parenthetical note; I don’t know what the hell this alien-whale conversation is about.) I think peak is almost always a silly look, but maybe because I’ve watched enough basketball to see all the giant peak lapel numbers retired basketball players wear.
I think it all depends on what you’re going for. Some, myself included, see peak lapels on a tux as part of the classic dinner jacket and wouldn’t consider messing with it (I also wouldn’t dream of wearing anything other that a plain black bow-tie and cummerbund … and all the accents should be gross-grain not satin). But again, it all depends on what you’re going for and others prefer to get more creative and add touches of modern tailoring to their evening wear. As Joe likes to say, so long as it fits well you’re golden …
If the fact that you are dressed appropriately, yet better than someone else makes the other person uncomfortable, it is inteirely the other person’s fault for dressing like a shmuck.
Dwight from The Office, enough said.
Completely agree. My saying has always been “I’m only responsible for dressing myself”.
These charts you make are hilarious, man. Love ’em. Particularly because you usually nail me on one or two things. A good chuckle at my own expense helps keep me on Earth.
I try to dress aproppiately for the occasion. I take pride on how I dress as it shows respect to others and your own well-being as well. So, I would rather be “that guy” than being a slob. It’s my sartorial speak of saying FU all…carry on gents
Joe- totally digging the Star Trek IV reference. Thanks.
I was wondering if anyone would get it (but, that would have been just fine if they didn’t…) Points to you Juan.
The problem with this graph is that it sort of implies that any amount of dress above your counterparts is some degree of “overdressed.” While I always factor in my surroundings to SOME degree, the truth of the matter is that most guys dress like schmucks, so I base my dress off of what is appropriate for the occasion, rather than what others are wearing. One might consider it an obligation to manhood.
It may be cliche’ but I love this creed: “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” I wore slacks, dress shirt and a tie to work in an environment where tshirts and jeans are tolerated. I worked my way up the ranks, even surpassing colleagues more qualified and I attribute a percentage of that to how I presented myself.
Reminds me of when we went to McDonalds en route to our wedding reception after getting our photos taken. Best dressed there. And I was in a morning coat 🙂
“You’re the only guy in the bar in a sport coat…but everyone else is riding a Harley”
hahaha, sounds less like you’re overdressed and more like you went to the wrong bar
Thank goodness for those schmucks:
http://dappered.com/2011/09/thank-goodness-for-the-schmucks/
It’s times like this that I like to throw out one of these http://lmgtfy.com/?q=morning+coat
I disagree on two points, although I found this graphic entertaining. Point one, as others have noted – a suit is the safest bet for a job interview, except maybe if the interview is for a blue collar job.
2 – the Harley rider is a badass thing is way over. I’d wager good money that the majority of Harley riders these days are off duty lawyers, dentists, financial planners, etc. They may dress in leather, but you’re not out of place amongst them in a sport coat.
How do I know this? Because I live in a condo in Cleveland Park, one of the most affluent neighborhoods in DC. The low end for a house in the neighborhood is $1 million (no my condo is not worth anything near that), and in the past year roughly 20 percent of the owners of said houses seem to have purchased Harleys. I see them all over, parked in front yards (like they don’t have room for them in their garage) or cruising the streets. They want you to think they’re badass, but the manicure will give them away if you look closely.
Yeah, but biker bars still exist along with their requisite attire, even if the badass wannabes rolling their eyes at your blazer are partners in a law firm.
True story: one of my colleagues at my last job got laid off on good terms during some tough times. A younger guy, he usually just wore a clean polo, ball cap, cargo shorts, and a wad of Copenhagen, ironically one of the better dressed dudes there. This office was very, very casual, as in “some-guys-wear-sweatpants” casual. (IT industry, no clients visiting office)
Months later, we got a huge new contract and my buddy came back in to interview for a lesser position. He wore a non-cheesy, non-polyester dark suit and conservative tie for his interview, even though he obviously knew our office was a bunch of slobs and our interviewees almost never showed up in a tie, much less a jacket.
I was impressed at the power of his gesture. It conveyed sincerity, maturity, healthy ambition, respect, and professionalism. Needless to say, he was quickly rehired and within a few months, had regained his outside sales position. Not that his suit got him back in (he is a good guy and hard worker). He would almost certainly have been rehired anyway and knew that, which made his choice to wear a suit to the interview all the more meaningful.
Does it count for me or against me if I’m the only guy at the bar in a blazer – and I rode my Harley there? (True story – I have actually been that guy. I see no problem in riding my Ultraclassic in dark jeans, boots, button down and a raw silk or corduroy blazer.)
I am always “that guy” at work. I work in a doctors office as the front desk staff. I wear my suits to work often, with ties. Not because I am trying to out do anyone but I honestly love wearing my suits. Sure everyone else is wearing khakis and un-tucked polos, I dont care. And its sometimes nice when people stop me in the hallway to ask if I am the manager.