Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

I have been a firm believer in the idea that in order to be successful, you have to dress as do successful members of the profession which you wished to be identified. I had learned early on my career that the most expensive thing a businessman can do is to purchase cheap or inappropriate clothes!

I have been a proponent of buying as high a quality of suits as you can afford. Now this applies only to the jobs or professions where suits are the usual dress. Here in Houston, you can usually tell where a man works by what he is wearing during a work week. Downtown and the center of the city, suits are the usual thing. Out in the Galleria, and further afield, a well-tailored pair of slacks and sports coat are usually adequate.

While I cannot speak for other Texas cities, it doesn’t take long to figure out the dress code when you arrive. When visiting another city, you are never wrong by wearing a suit and tie. In the summer time, it has been acceptable to wear sports coat tie and slacks in most smaller towns. You can leave the coat hanging in the car on most calls, but if in doubt, put on the coat!

As an example of what not to do, I once invited a young Texas A. & M. graduate who was an expert in petroleum markets and pricing activities to accompany me to the Houston Petroleum Club. We would be having lunch seated at the Explorer’s table with company presidents, retired U.S. Navy Admiral, several men who owned their companies, in other words, a group of heavy hitters and men who decision makers and all would be interested in querying this young man about the future of world-wide petroleum markets!

Well, my young Texas Aggie shows up at the club dressed in slacks, and dress shirt and a ragged T-shirt showing beneath his shirt. I was embarrassed for him and the way he was dressed. Now he did a good job of discussing the markets, and when the luncheon was over, I took him aside and told him to go and buy himself some suits.

He was now ‘swimming in a different pond’ and his dress was not suitable for the crowd in which I had introduced him, just now. Thankfully, the next time we had lunch together he was dressed more appropriately, and it will continue to do him good for his career in the future. He is a sharp kid and knows his markets, but he cannot hope to be a great success by being dressed in an improper manner. Just Sayin…RJS

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

Tell it to Steve Jobs. Oh, he's dead. I'm sure your thinking and advice was spot on 30 or more years ago. Times have changed, and things have gotten a lot more casual. Or maybe it's just California. I've done some consultation in electronics in my particular expertise. If they don't like the clothes I'm wearing when I show up, they are welcome to try to find someone else. If your production line is down and your broken equipment is costing you 10's of thousands of dollars a day, and I get it up and running in a couple of hours - what do you care if I'm wearing a wife beater and a pair of shorts with huaraches?

dec341

Failure to seek wise council will insure the failure of sucess. Just said.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Spirit: Often wrong, seldom in doubt! I doubt that anything I said, or recommend would be appropriate for and in California! But in more backward areas of the country, and in banking, finance, and such appropriate dress is still the order of the day. 'Flip-flop' culture just will not cut it in the rest of, or most of, country! Yes, I acknowledge that there has been a slide to more casual dress, but it hasn't gone as far as sunny California. Just Sayin....RJS

ghaynes1 Loc: Strawberry Plains, TN

I'm not sure if I lived or am living in a "backwards" area of the country or not. I'll leave that question to others to decide. I've lived 57 years in WI and 10 in NE TN. Things have definitely gone more casual in the workplace. Maybe too casual in some cases for younger folks. Most of my jobs required "dressing up". Not necessarily a suit always but a dress shirt, tie and sport jacket for sure. Sometimes a suit. I think the way I felt dressed up came across a certain way when I talked to people. But, things change. I get that. I don't see many people dressed up anywhere now. Very rare.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

Ghaynes1: You want to know how a town or city's dress code is at what level. Go to the center of the city, call of the bank's president. If he is in shorts and flip flops, that is what the entire town will be doing.

However, if he is in a sports coat, shirt and tie, and slacks, that is the dress code, but more than likely, at least in most of the country, outside of California, the bank's president will be in a suit! He is the most likely 'style setter' of the community. Or go to the largest Rotary Club in the city, observe what most of the members are wearing and that will tell you what the 'dress code' is for the city. I am not trying to set the code, just mentioning what usually determines it. Just Sayin....RJS

ghaynes1 Loc: Strawberry Plains, TN

I would agree. Haven't seen many bank presidents(not that I know any), not in a suit. I used to see people dressed up for church, going out to eat, etc. Not much anymore. Especially in people under 50.

Robert J Samples Loc: Round Rock, Texas

GHaynes: For a period of time, I worked in the 50th floor of a downtown banking tower. Sometime later, a fire caused another branch of our brokerage to move into and occupy a vacant portion on our floor. They were wild and more into the drug culture. So, at lunch time there would sometimes some of these young, wild stock brokers in the elevator along with the bank president, a scoine of the community. I am sure he did not know I was also a member of the same family of companies, but it was embarrassing how they would act, and talk! Even though all were in suits, they were easily identified as being in the 'drug culture'! Just Sayin...RJS

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Only time I ever seen my dad in a suit was at church, weddings, or funeral's , his dress clothes for work were bib-overalls ( farmer and dairymen ). I don't even own a suit, Eq. Opr. all my life. My dad always told me never trust a man in a suit who thinks he is better than you. Just saying.

ghaynes1 Loc: Strawberry Plains, TN

Why would you automatically think a man in a suit can't be trusted or thinks he is better than you? Would it have been okay if someone had those thoughts about a guy in bib-overalls? Just curious.

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

All I'm saying is, the cut of your clothes does not determine the level of your expertise and your ability to provide a needed service. If the rag man has a proven record of doubling your investments every five years, I guess you're not gonna follow his advice til he visits gentlemen's warehouse? We figured that out a long time ago here in California. Better for you to be comfortable and provide valued service than for you to run around with a stick up your butt and rip people off. That's all I'm saying. And if you feel your most comfortable in a 2500 dollar tailored suit, well good on ya.

Big A Loc: Mesa, Arizona

You wouldn't know it today by
what I've been wearing out here
in Arizona (T-shirt/shorts - 99%
of the time), but in my youth
I used to love dressing up and
looking 'sharp' !

Started way back in early grade
school (age 6 ?) wearing sport
jackets and bow-ties ! In high
school I often wore sport jackets
and neckties several days a week -
when we had 'dress-up days' for special occasions and the other
guys would don their jackets and
ties, I would be in a suit !

Overdressed ? Maybe, but I learned early what ZZ TOP stated in their
tune 'Sharp-dressed Man' - the girls
DID pay more/better attention to
'sharp-dressed men' ! Got a lot more attention in sport jackets/suits than going casual !

(However, I did make friends with some very lovely class-mates, including the head cheerleader,
by letting them 'peek' at my quiz answers in class ! - Pissed off
a lot of 'jocks' ! -
TOO BAD ! SO SAD !)

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Growing up in the 50 and 60's in the country most felt that way, and the guys in suits thought guys in bib-overalls were hicks, not bad mouthing anyone just saying how times were where I grew up.

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Gentlemen's Warehouse ?? I thought that was where poor went to dress up.

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Well clothes don't make the man, look at Steve Jobs and the casual dress guy who has his own space rocket for a toy.