<p>It’s one of my goals in life to work somewhere that doesn’t require business causal or formal. Just nice jeans and presentable on a day to day basis. We’ll see how that goes. Maybe I’ll be a plumber since some on here are convinced that plumbers are WEALTHY. ;)</p>
<p>romani, that’s why DH and I like working for ourselves. We built an addition with a nice office that looks over the woods, and it doesn’t matter what I’m wearing. Actually, right now I’m wearing DH’s bathrobe, lol. Ha, I guess I should get some actual work done now.</p>
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<p>Try Silicon Valley computer companies.</p>
<p>I’d like my boys to dress “business casual” – dress shirts and slacks – starting from middle school. Dressing seriously may help you to behave seriously and be taken seriously.</p>
<p>From 1996 until 2011 I worked for companies who let me wear jeans, sneakers, etc. to work. Their only requirement was clean, in good repair, and in good taste (no objectionable tshirts, no clubwear, etc.) </p>
<p>Now I work with a company that wants business casual. It’s a huge waste of money and time to dress this way. The companies I worked for before were no less serious, less professional or less profitable because they didn’t have a dress code.</p>
<p>I’d hate to go to a college that had an unwritten dress code and looked down on sweatpants.</p>
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<p>Be prepared to buy clothes more often for growing boys, since dressier clothes depend on proper fit to look nice – poorly fitting dressier clothes look sloppier than poorly fitting casual clothes. And when they get to late high school or college age and start wearing adult sizes, they may find that fit continues to be an issue, since dress shirts are usually cut for obese older men rather than slim or fit college age men.</p>
<p>Try finding pants for a kid who’s 5’-8" tall and weighs 115 pounds! That was a nightmare. I was happy when he stopped distance running and gained some weight.</p>
<p>ML, 6’0" and 130 lb female throughout high school. I understand the pain! Even now buying nice clothes for my height is a huge pita.</p>
<p>I’ve never had a problem being taken seriously even without business casual clothes. Imo, those who regularly wear business casual outside of work are trying way too hard. I’d have a really hard time taking them seriously.</p>
<p>heres Kanye wearing $1600 sweats…</p>
<p>[Kanye</a> West wearing En Noir Leather Unisex Sweat Pants at DJ Khaled’s “I Wish You Would” Video Shoot | UpscaleHype](<a href=“http://www.upscalehype.com/2012/07/kanye-west-wearing-en-noir-leather-unisex-sweat-pants-at-dj-khaleds-i-wish-you-would-video-shoot/]Kanye”>http://www.upscalehype.com/2012/07/kanye-west-wearing-en-noir-leather-unisex-sweat-pants-at-dj-khaleds-i-wish-you-would-video-shoot/)</p>
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<p>Don’t kid yourself that showing up in fuzzy slippers doesn’t have negative ramifications. People notice if you’re pulled together or not. And to some extent, it’s a sign of self-respect to be pulled together. Which doesn’t mean dress clothes necessarily - but one can be polished and still comfortable and casual.</p>
<p>When I went to events at my kids’ hs, it was just as easy for me to wear chic dark-rinse jeans, great shoes, a white t-shirt and a blazer, than it would have been to wear schlumpy sweatpants, sneakers, and a cat-lady sweatshirt, which is what half the moms showed up in. They may have been nice people but their attire screamed “I’ve given up and I just don’t care.”</p>
<p>Well, PG, I’ve never had a problem getting recommendations, jobs, internships, or scholarships so I must be doing something right :)</p>
<p>“I’ve never had a problem being taken seriously even without business casual clothes. Imo, those who regularly wear business casual outside of work are trying way too hard. I’d have a really hard time taking them seriously.”</p>
<p>You do realize when a person works for a long time in a formal busines setting they invest a lot of money into their business wear. You also spend 5+ days wearing all year. So it may not be very practical to keep a separate “casual chic” wardrobe on the side to be taken more seriously. Just my personal experience.</p>
<p>“cat-lady sweatshirt”
I disagree. I am well dressed cat-lady, and know others as well. :)</p>
<p>Also, we know our profs very well. One of mine has seen me in a hospital gown while I was on study abroad and most of our clothes were down right nasty by the end of that trip. Obviously I wouldn’t show up in fuzzy slippers to see a prof I know would disapprove or that I didn’t know well. As I said before, it depends on the prof.</p>
<p>FG, sorry that comment was more directed to middle schoolers who dress in business casual.</p>
<p>And business casual on work days is one thing, but I don’t think it’s difficult to have casual clothes for off days.</p>
<p>^^ Oh Ok I didn’'t read far back enough to that post. It may not be the cheapest thing to do since they are growing, but IMO theres nothing wrong with teaching boys how to dress properly starting from a young age. </p>
<p>Whether anyone claims to care of what people think or not. It really does matter how you dress every day and carry yourself. It affects the way people treat you, and will close/open doors.</p>
<p>FG, as I said, it’s a goal to work in a casual place so any doors it closes for me personally is probably fine. I know how to dress business formal and casual. Needed the former while interning for a senator, the latter at my current job. I do it when I need to, I just despise it. And I definitely don’t think it’s necessary on a college campus.</p>
<p>I found out when I started working that dress pants are actually a lot more comfortable to me than jeans. Boy did I feel stupid.</p>
<p>Don’t send your son to junior high in slacks and a dress shirt.</p>
<p>People will just think it’s weird.</p>
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<p>I agree. I certainly notice, and I know I’m not alone. </p>
<p>People who wear sloppy sweats all the time are probably not doing their relationships any favors, either. Making a little more effort in your appearance might even put a little more spark in your private life.</p>
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<p>And the dads were wearing what?</p>
<p>It’s hard not to judge people by what they wear, but I’d rather give people the benefit of the doubt on what they’re wearing to high school events. I’d even give that benefit to someone showing up in sweatpants at a wedding or funeral (lost luggage, house emergency). </p>
<p>Miss Manners decades ago advised parents to hold off buying clothing for their rising college freshmen until the students arrived on campus. She said that if you bought clothing early, you were just setting yourself up for your student telling you that all their clothing was stylistically inappropriate. So if you don’t want your kid to wear sweats at college, maybe just send them off with nothing but. ;)</p>