Once I started my business, I made up my mind that business formal was not going to be the expected dress code. having had to wear suits most of my professional life.
I wanted to ease the distance between myself and my clients and a suit has the ability to create distance. Looks at bankers, today most bankers are required to still wear suits. Most don’t seem approachable. The suit creates the illusion of distance and unapproachability.
I have attempted to dress as the client dresses. This puts us all on equal footing and eases the client to accept us as a part of their management team.
Now it seems that others are finally catching up to my beliefs and seeing the benefits. PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP has instituted a “Dress For Your Day” dress code this summer encouraging U.S. employees to wear clothes they feel are appropriate for that day. “As we traveled the country, our people were clear that they wanted to dress the way their clients dress,” said Tim Ryan, U.S. chairman. “In some cases, that’s suit and tie, in some cases that’s jeans. We wanted to listen to our people.” Before, the dress code was office-specific, with more formal dressing in the East and Midwest and casual in northern California, Mr. Ryan said.
For myself, I was told by one client, “if you show up wearing a suit, you’re fired”. That client has not seen one of my suits, yet.