When I first started working in the title industry over 30 years ago, the remnants of a dress code still existed.  Shirt and ties, visors for researchers, and the like made us look like a news room from some old Superman serial.

  I know that the cost of "dressing up" is high.  Dry cleaning costs, buying formal shirts and ties and such all cost significantly more than putting on jeans and a t-shirt. 

  In an era where companies give their executives massive golden parachutes, but pay ever less for the base employees who do the work, it's no surprise that the staff can't afford fancy duds.  It's a cost-cutting measure that is mutual between corporation and lowbie schmuck:  Pay them less but don't expect them to dress up.  They can't even afford medical/dental/eyecare at the minimum wage that most corporations would love to offer, so wishing in one hand and s%$##&^g in the other might be the level of grooming to expect next. 

  I'm happy with dressiung for client meetings and being comfortable in jeans on most average research days in musty archives. 

  I am more interested in meeting with clients who "get it" and with contractors who are astute and aware of their industry.  Smart people, whether homeless and dissheveled or in a suit and tie, impress me, no the clothes they wear.

When you are at a county clerk's office doing searches, the computers are usually dirty (keyboards) I use to carry clorox wipes with me and wipe down the keyboard before I used it, not to mention handling paper which has been touched by thousands of other searchers, etc.. and generally the restrooms aren't the cleanest either.

I always wore jeans and teeshirts when I was doing searches.

The only ones you would see in a suit and tie were attorneys.

And am still wearing jeans in teeshirts in my office.

Obviously if I was going out to visit clients that would not be the case.

I can assure you that I do not own a pair of fuzzy bunny slippers.  However, I typically wear a shirt and tie with blue jeans to work.  I do find that since I opened by law practice I am "dressing up" more often, but I do my best to maintain a casual working environment while still presenting a professional image. 

Back when I was doing a lot of loan closings, I used to wear a suit because I thought it was expected of me.  However, I realized at some point that my customers were always dressed casually for the closings and I felt that I was over-dressed and possibly intimidating.  So, I started dressing a little more casually - business casual, I guess.

Ok. Glad you clarified that point.

Thanks for your feedback.

Today I am wearing a skirt, blouse and heels; yesterday I had on jeans and a baggy T.  There is little rhyme or reason to the way I dress most days but more often than not I guess I adhere to the business casual look and expect that my staff look quasi-professional.  I do allow staff to wear nice jeans, no rips tears, etc.,  but prefer that they wear dress slacks with a nice shirt.  There is no written dress code to speak of but we have all come to the point, after working together for the last 12 years, where we dress "up" on days we know we are going to have a lot of people in our office for closings, and "down" when we know it likely just going to be us in the office.

It is true that most people when they enter our office for closing are usually dressed somewhat casually and sometimes downright raggedy (we work with a lot of investors who come from the job sites) and I think that suits and ties are too much but there are times when I miss the good old days of "dressing for success".

I'm 30 so I'll offer you my views on the subject from the perspective of a younger generation.  I've been in the industry since I was 18 and consulting to title companies since I was 21.  On the whole I think our society has become "too casual".  I remember the days when dinner at Olive Garden was a dress nice event.  Now people don't even dress nice for church.

I wear skirts and dresses almost every day but that is matter of comfort and preference and most of them are just a casual a style as jeans and t-shirt.  That being said, I work from home with no co-workers and care for two small children. 

Being an owner and a consultant at such a young age and my "peers" and clients generally being 30+ years my senior has certainly affected my style choices.  Often the older generation I was meeting with were dressed in suits so I've learned to dress to match.   When I go out to meet with clients or conduct a closing I wear nice business style skirt and shirt but not necessarily a suit.  I would expect those I'm meeting with to be dressed similarly, however I've found most buyers and sellers are dressed for the move and not for the closing.  The real estate agents will be wearing anything from a suit which can be a bit overdone and intimidating to scruffy jeans and a t-shirt which does nothing to command respect especially when what comes out of their mouth is a dumb as their attire.

I think a middle ground in appearance and cost is appropriate for professional meetings and see nothing wrong with casual but clean dress for the daily grind.

I read a quarterly journal that forecasts trends, social, political and business trends.  That journal is of the opinion that we will be seeing a return to "elegance" in our society.  I wouldn't disagree.  It's fun to get dressed up and more and more we can get dressed up with no place to go.  An element of elegance in facets of life would be refreshing and perhaps even inspiring.

As for make-up, I rarely wear it.  It used to be because I'm allergic and it would make me itch.  I've found natural products but now it's a matter of time.  Not only because of the children but also I'm finding I have to work harder and longer and still seem to earn less and less.  My time is better spent working than applying makeup.  I reserve make up for special occassions.

If you are in a business office, at the very least, everyone should be dressed business casual - men in button down shirts or dress polo, slacks/trousers, kakhi's etc and women in the same if they choose not to wear a casusal dress.  You should LOOK like you actually prepared yourself to go to work: comb your hair, brush your teeth, wash your face, etc.

I work from a home, office, most of my client shave never even met me face to face, but those who have were presented a very professional looking vendor when we met in their office. (I even shined my shoes!)  Most of our communication is via email or phone, but there again, conversations are always polite and business-like. (Did you realize you can actual be too casual on the phone or via email too??)

If you are going to a meeting, UNLESS it stipulates, business casual, you'd better dress up.  Ditto on attending a closing.  Remember, you are handling LEGAL documents for someone's very expensive home purchase (regardless of the actual $, it's probably that person's single largest life transaction.)  They don't want some "dude/chick" strolling in, in jeans and a tee! 

As to spending time in the vaults, that is a personal decision if you are an independent.  If you are an employee, then whatever your office dictates is what you wear.

As to make-up, please go to work looking like you are WORKING, not clubbing.  There IS a difference between the two.

I am not "old school", I am business "school".   As professionals in an overall industry that is somewhat looked down upon (Realtors, title abstractors, title agents still viewed as sometimes "unnecessary evils") - we should work that much harder to ensure the confidence and image we want to project.

If offices were smart, they'd invest in some nice company shirts, require everyone wear the "uniform" and customize their look to further their brand.  Remember the "gold coats"?  There ya go. . .

Signing off from my remote vacation cabin in the desert, via satellite, in my flip flops and jammies (LOL)

victoria

"Return to Elegance" would be greatly welcome.  It's interesting as it takes money to go out "on the town" and in hard times people certainly do save up and savor such a rare treat, so their ability to get decked out to the nines is an infrequent treat.

I enjoy being rather casual at the county since we keep overhead low by operating at the  public offices out of laptops.  Our people are all contractors and I would not think to impose upon them any dress code, as such might contravene contracts and create liability for them being employees.

Unless I am meeting a specific clilent, I tend to go "research casural";  often wearing a button-down and jeans with a cap that displays our business name.  It helps people find me readily when the county refers people my d irection. 

Clothes?  Forget that, we take the optional part literally.  Keeps the laundry bills down, there's none of that "what shall I wear today" business. 

One could call us an Abstracting COLONY. 

I think how one dresses is there choice, but that does not excuse indecency. I used to dress more, but now I were jeans, they are clean and so am I. However I think the college student searching gas and oil in sweat shorts pulled below his rump for all to see his underwear, in a runpled shirt, with his knitted cap when we were having a scorching heatwave showed no repect for himself, his job, employer or those around him who may not want to know the color of his underwear that day. When not wearing the knitted cap, he had bed head.  That was his go to work attire...did I mention the flip flops? I'm told thats the style of young people. If thats the case, its a shame they think so little of themselves .

When it comes to people, I judge them by their cover. I do not harp on the pointless issues (seasonal styles, colors choices, etc) but more upon general respect shown for their own person and group.

I agree with Marian on the respect point whole heartedly. It is easy to tell when someone has given up in life, just glance at their attire. That person will not fight for the well being on your company, they will not endure hardships to succeed in life, they will not stand up for the things that they believe in.

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