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This essay is trying to take something pretty simple and extrapolate a whole bunch of deep metaphysical meaning. The simple thing is this: up until about 25 ye
by leroy_masochist 7y ago
This essay is trying to take something pretty simple and extrapolate a whole bunch of deep metaphysical meaning.
The simple thing is this: up until about 25 years ago, investment banks were overwhelmingly populated by Ivy League grads who went to private high schools in the Northeast -- i.e., preppies. This cohort is still way overrepresented on the Street, but in the 80s it was literally like 70% of the warm bodies in bulge-bracket investment banks, hedge funds, and private equity firms. Thus, the fact that people on Wall Street still dress super-preppy is largely a function of the basic "dress like your boss" phenomenon. The people running large firms learned sartorial norms from their bosses in the 90s when they were analysts, and analysts today are learning from them.
Fashion groupthink pervades pretty much every career field. Military officers are keeping the braided leather belt industry in business through their demand for appropriate civilian attire; engineers in SV dress like slobs; people in the apparel industry wear tight black things. The observations in the essay strike me as a bunch of "so what".
At least he quoted Matt Levine, I'll give him that.
- dboshardy 7y agoWhat you said is true, but why can that not also mean that power is tied to dress/appearance? There's nothing that deep or metaphysical here, it's pretty straightforward.
- leroy_masochist 7y ago> There's nothing that deep or metaphysical here, it's pretty straightforward. Did you read the article? Here are a few choice passages: > The importance of the Patagonia vest is that it is both an evolution of the business-casual costume and a reversion to the waistcoat of the ancient three-piece suit. The fleece vest harmonizes with values that have been invested in the suit since its emergence, in the second half of the seventeenth century. > In its metaphysical proclamation that “all of us know what is and is not appropriate for the workplace,” the memo bespeaks a Babylonian code of unspoken rules. It says that professional conduct is identical to ruling-class savoir-faire, and its manners are too circumspect to say much else. > The panorama of the scene is a tribute to Ralph Lauren’s prophetic vision: sportswear that’s attached to the traditional garb of monied masculinity by means of it all being stitched together with an invented crest.
- mistermann 7y agoTo me what the author is getting at relates to "All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players", or the movie American Psycho.
- skizm 7y ago> SV dress like slobs Fair, but I'd say most (at least more than other industries) people in tech dress how they want. Businesses everywhere are trending toward more casual wear simply because, given the choice, most people would rather dress down. Tech just jumped right to the logical conclusion faster: dress how you want and how you're going to be most productive as long as you're not disrupting others.
- Balgair 7y agoNah, the dress code in SV/Tech is a pair of dark jeans and a plaid button down in muted weft patterns (ie. not a yellow base), no ties, clasp belts (if at all).
- notyourwork 7y agoAs I head to work I have to disagree with these generalization which would include me as part of your beard oil plaid demographic.
- armenarmen 7y agoI don’t get the down votes, this is basically the national costume of SV/Tech
- tomjakubowski 7y agoHahhhh. In LA tech there's a similar look with a muted pattern print button down, but maybe a short-sleeved work shirt with ditsy prints.
- groby_b 7y agoYeah, no, they don't unless they're established in a position of power. You can dress as you want in SV as long as it's close to the standard. Try going to work in nicer clothes. You'll get plenty of comments. You're the outsider in the group. People question if you belong. No, of course you won't be told that you can't dress that way. You'll still feel it. It will still affect you.
- 7y ago
- blancheneige 7y agoYeah, the author is obviously a geed.
- nateburke 7y agoSupporting data point from 10 years ago in NYC: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlDmux7Tk4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROlDmux7Tk4 Banker: suit Consultant: patagonia vest Tech: not represented
- sdinsn 7y ago> engineers in SV dress like slobs I don't think so. /r/malefashionadvice seems to be a popular place among young SV engineers.