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Why do you think the suit is dead? Don't know about other places, but at least in NoCal high status people don't wear suits. Since the only function of a suit

by pfedor 14y ago

Why do you think the suit is dead? Don't know about other places, but at least in NoCal high status people don't wear suits. Since the only function of a suit is status signaling, it seems just a matter of time until everyone else catches up and suits will be replaced by bike jerseys or whatever.

Silhouette 14y ago
Don't know about other places, but at least in NoCal high status people don't wear suits. There seems to be a kind of inverse snobbery about smart dress at the moment, as if the 50-year-old CEOs of huge tech firms think that by taking off their tie we're going to think they're one of us, or the 25-year-old founder of a trendy start-up is going to convince us of their business savvy by wearing a T-shirt and trainers while giving a presentation. Since the only function of a suit is status signaling Really? I happen to think that smart dress looks better on me than casual anyway, but even without that, suits are fairly practical garments. A well-made suit is comfortable to wear all day. Suits have an easily removable jacket if you're hot, yet provide useful shelter for the elements if it's cold/wet outside. They have plenty of handy pockets for pens, phones, etc.
- kamaal 14y ago
  >>Really? I happen to think that smart dress looks better on me than casual anyway, Your argument appears wrong because you assume the definition of a 'smart dress' involves wearing a suit. The definition of 'smart dressing' has been changing rapidly. The very fact that demands for suits is less, shows the trend of clothing around the world. Back during the days of slavery/aristocracy- costly clothing was automatically a status signal. What you are seeing currently are just echoes of that culture. I would consider it stupid to spend so much on costly clothing. I am hiring people to write program, not for modeling.
keiferski 14y ago
Since the only function of a suit is status signaling No, it's not. Just as you like hacking / biking / whatever, many people enjoy looking good by wearing well-made clothing.
rapind 14y ago
Status signalling via wearable fashion is alive and well. There are hipsters living in my neighbourhood who spend well over $1k (average decent suit cost) on their outfits. If anything, I suspect people on average are spending more on clothes around here.
bradleyjg 14y ago
I know it may not seem that way sometimes, but NoCal is not the entire world - nor does the entire world take their cultural cues from NoCal. The suit is very much alive in NY, in London, the entire legal world, and in many other places. That's just during the day. For formal events / outings it is SF that is the extreme outlier. In the rest of the country if you are going to a fancy restaurant, a wedding, an awards dinner or the like you wear a suit. The original rational for the suit actually still holds for these occasions - it removes the need to constantly chase the latest fashions, as many woman and all hipsters must.
- fusiongyro 14y ago
  "Extreme" outlier may be going a bit far. I live in the Southwest (NM). I found myself at a formal, Conservative Jewish funeral a couple weeks ago and half of us were wearing jeans. I was slightly overdressed just in slacks and a nice button-up. One out of the last four job candidates that's interviewed here came in anything fancier than that. I've been to four or five weddings out here, and never seen a shortage of bluejeans; seems like only the people in the wedding are expected to dress up out here. The only people I see consistently dressing in suits are lawyers, but they can waltz into court wearing cowboy hats and bolo ties with their suits without arousing a weird look. We all have different experiences I guess, but the further West you go, the less formal the attire, and California isn't really as "extreme" as you may think.
  - pc86 14y ago
    Maybe it's just me, but wearing jeans to a wedding or funeral and not wearing a jacket and tie to a interview immediately signal disrespect and that the guest/candidate is too lazy to put in the requisite effort.
    - fusiongyro 14y ago
      It's not just you, but it's also not everyone else. It's a regionalism.
      - 14y ago
nl 14y ago
Since the only function of a suit is status signaling Jack Dorsey has whole articles written about the suits he wears. I think he is high status however you measure it. Anyway, it is also function signalling. Suited people are those people who talk to other suited people. Don't know about other places, but at least in NoCal high status people don't wear suits. Yes, I understand that. I even said "In my experience location and field of work makes a bigger difference to suit wearing than anything else." Somewhat surprisingly for those of us in technology, the Silicon Valley look hasn't proved very influential in the fashion world.
vidarh 14y ago
NoCal is bizarro world for people living pretty much anywhere else. It is also tiny. High status people who are high enough status to get recognized regularly don't need status symbols to signal their status. But that breaks apart in bigger environments, and out comes the suits.

by pfedor 14y ago

Silhouette 14y ago

Don't know about other places, but at least in NoCal high status people don't wear suits. There seems to be a kind of inverse snobbery about smart dress at the moment, as if the 50-year-old CEOs of huge tech firms think that by taking off their tie we're going to think they're one of us, or the 25-year-old founder of a trendy start-up is going to convince us of their business savvy by wearing a T-shirt and trainers while giving a presentation. Since the only function of a suit is status signaling Really? I happen to think that smart dress looks better on me than casual anyway, but even without that, suits are fairly practical garments. A well-made suit is comfortable to wear all day. Suits have an easily removable jacket if you're hot, yet provide useful shelter for the elements if it's cold/wet outside. They have plenty of handy pockets for pens, phones, etc.

kamaal 14y ago
>>Really? I happen to think that smart dress looks better on me than casual anyway, Your argument appears wrong because you assume the definition of a 'smart dress' involves wearing a suit. The definition of 'smart dressing' has been changing rapidly. The very fact that demands for suits is less, shows the trend of clothing around the world. Back during the days of slavery/aristocracy- costly clothing was automatically a status signal. What you are seeing currently are just echoes of that culture. I would consider it stupid to spend so much on costly clothing. I am hiring people to write program, not for modeling.

keiferski 14y ago

Since the only function of a suit is status signaling No, it's not. Just as you like hacking / biking / whatever, many people enjoy looking good by wearing well-made clothing.

rapind 14y ago

Status signalling via wearable fashion is alive and well. There are hipsters living in my neighbourhood who spend well over $1k (average decent suit cost) on their outfits. If anything, I suspect people on average are spending more on clothes around here.

bradleyjg 14y ago

I know it may not seem that way sometimes, but NoCal is not the entire world - nor does the entire world take their cultural cues from NoCal. The suit is very much alive in NY, in London, the entire legal world, and in many other places. That's just during the day. For formal events / outings it is SF that is the extreme outlier. In the rest of the country if you are going to a fancy restaurant, a wedding, an awards dinner or the like you wear a suit. The original rational for the suit actually still holds for these occasions - it removes the need to constantly chase the latest fashions, as many woman and all hipsters must.

fusiongyro 14y ago
"Extreme" outlier may be going a bit far. I live in the Southwest (NM). I found myself at a formal, Conservative Jewish funeral a couple weeks ago and half of us were wearing jeans. I was slightly overdressed just in slacks and a nice button-up. One out of the last four job candidates that's interviewed here came in anything fancier than that. I've been to four or five weddings out here, and never seen a shortage of bluejeans; seems like only the people in the wedding are expected to dress up out here. The only people I see consistently dressing in suits are lawyers, but they can waltz into court wearing cowboy hats and bolo ties with their suits without arousing a weird look. We all have different experiences I guess, but the further West you go, the less formal the attire, and California isn't really as "extreme" as you may think.
- pc86 14y ago
  Maybe it's just me, but wearing jeans to a wedding or funeral and not wearing a jacket and tie to a interview immediately signal disrespect and that the guest/candidate is too lazy to put in the requisite effort.
  - fusiongyro 14y ago
    It's not just you, but it's also not everyone else. It's a regionalism.
    - 14y ago

nl 14y ago

Since the only function of a suit is status signaling Jack Dorsey has whole articles written about the suits he wears. I think he is high status however you measure it. Anyway, it is also function signalling. Suited people are those people who talk to other suited people. Don't know about other places, but at least in NoCal high status people don't wear suits. Yes, I understand that. I even said "In my experience location and field of work makes a bigger difference to suit wearing than anything else." Somewhat surprisingly for those of us in technology, the Silicon Valley look hasn't proved very influential in the fashion world.

vidarh 14y ago

NoCal is bizarro world for people living pretty much anywhere else. It is also tiny. High status people who are high enough status to get recognized regularly don't need status symbols to signal their status. But that breaks apart in bigger environments, and out comes the suits.