How you ever worn certain clothes to give others "the finger?"

[Patrick Hall]

I really thought we were talking about shirts only. Obviously.

Spambots sure are getting sophisticated. This one almost sounds sentient.

 

[avedwards]

I've been in the opposite situation before. One of the first placed I worked had a barely enforced smart casual dress code that leaned towards the casual end of smart casual. Before I started there I asked the owner if it would be OK if I wore considerably smarter clothes without making anyone uncomfortable, which he told me would be fine. I spent two happy years wearing a three piece suit nearly every day. Not only was everyone fine with it, it got to the stage where my colleagues would ask me if I was OK if I came in not wearing a full three piece suit and after I left I was repeatedly told how much my suits were missed in the office. I think what made my situation different to that asked in the OP's question was that everyone knew that I dressed smartly for my own satisfaction rather than to impress or make anyone else feel uncomfortable (and of course the company were one of those smart places that realised that how someone works is far more important than how they dress).

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

Now I think about it I did once wear leather trousers to the last day of a job I absolutely hated; to annoy the bosses. I think it rather backfired though because I was the one who looked a complete twit waiting in the bus queue at 5.45.

 

[Evan Everhart]

Have you ever worn certain clothes in a business/professional setting to effectively give others (especially superiors) "the finger?"

I was thinking today of the gentleman that was the director of internal audit at the firm I used to work for. He was a very serious, smart and formidable individual. His suits, accouterments and overall look was that of a CPA with good/timeless taste.

But he did wear "interesting" outerwear. He had this gorgeous black wool cloak for example (it must have cost as much as a nice economy car back then) that he wore during the colder months. It didn't look theatrical (on him.) It looked rather intimidating and thought provoking. He also wore what I now believe would be called an "opera cape."

For hats he wore (from what I can remember), homburgs, top hats and tricorns amongst others. Looking back they all seemed to be of superior quality. I really wished I had asked him why he wore such "odd" outerwear? He wasn't viewed as an eccentric within our firm given his seriousness and competence. He didn't really have client/customer contact so there were no issues there.

It has always made me wonder if such gear is acceptable in a business environment? It didn't seem to negatively impact his own career. My guess is that he wore what he did at least in part to give the finger to those consumed by office politics on matters like garb?

To be quite frank; it sounds as if you are describing Nero Wolf. I don't understand how your description of this individual, however, really leads in to your posting title of giving the finger. Wear what you wear for your own satisfaction, and to honor and respect your hosts, if there are any, as long as you maintain discretion (don't wear a morning coat to eat breakfast at Denny's, probably, and probably don't wear a tuxedo to church in the morning as it's an incorrect use of the ensemble), at least, that is my perspective on the subject; basically just maintain good taste in your circumstances. Other than being completely inappropriately dressed for your circumstances; wear what you will.

 

[Uhu]

Had a boss who was, let us say, an unpleasant chap. One day, whilst being chauffered to the office in his limousine, he spotted me walking to work in a Yankees cap. Apparently he was not a Yankees fan, as he had an underling instruct me to cease wearing said cap. From that point forward the Yankees cap was worn daily and, when in the office, placed prominently on my desk.

 

[Evan Everhart]

Had a boss who was, let us say, an unpleasant chap. One day, whilst being chauffered to the office in his limousine, he spotted me walking to work in a Yankees cap. Apparently he was not a Yankees fan, as he had an underling instruct me to cease wearing said cap. From that point forward the Yankees cap was worn daily and, when in the office, placed prominently on my desk.

I'd say this is more of a response to someone else's breach of good etiquette, manners, and propriety, and not an escalating one, and hence (as there always will be), stands as an example of a sort of exception to the rule, really though, it's just a stance for your own right to free speech and personal expression. No one has the right to take that away from you, unless your self expression is something like racism or some other such vileness. When I think of giving someone the finger, I imagine some internalized conversation with the perceived or pre-supposed opinion of another that just takes a bad turn and starts to make someone do things that they wouldn't normally do, solely to spite someone else, and for no other reason; in effect, allowing that other person to dictate your actions. A silly scenario, but one which I've seen often enough. I figure dress for what makes you happy, over all, and within reason, and if anyone has a problem with it, and you're not outside the bounds of good taste; they can suck an egg.

 

[Uhu]

Yes, but to me it was most certainly "the finger" in hat form.

 

[OC Fry]

I've always been somewhat of a sloppy dresser. I'm a land surveyor and we don't dress up much as we are usually covered in mud, dust, weeds, etc...

I always just give em the finger to give em the finger

 

[hatsRme]

I've always been somewhat of a sloppy dresser. I'm a land surveyor and we don't dress up much as we are usually covered in mud, dust, weeds, etc...

I always just give em the finger to give em the finger

Love it!

 

[PeterGunnLives]

I dress up all the time because I like to dress up.

And part of it is my way of expressing a certain contrarianism, as my region is very casual, and, dare I say, not especially style-conscious for the most part. People go to the store in sweats and pajamas. I go to a stage show at an elegant theatre in a suit and tie, and a lot of people there are wearing jeans and a t-shirt. When I go swing dancing at the only vintage ballroom in town, I'm one of the very few actually dressed up in a manner inspired by that era.

I tend to get random compliments from strangers on my sport coats, overcoats, etc. when I'm walking down the street.

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

In pyjamas?! How could anyone go outside in their pyjamas, aside from briefly putting out the bins?

Aside from this (for which I need a scotch and water to recover) I have to say I am far less bothered about what other people wear these days. I don't like the ultra lax attitude to dressing down at (semi-)formal engagements, but really what do I care? It just means I am always better dressed than a lot of other people even if I make just a minor effort. It's great.

 

[Mathematicus]

In pyjamas?! How could anyone go outside in their pyjamas, aside from briefly putting out the bins?

I even wouldn't do that. There is a guy here at university where I work that comes every day in sweatpants and t-shirt, even at meetings, conferences and seminars. Once I heard him saying that he does that because he loves running back home. But then why not use the Sport's centre and its FREE lockers to change?

He's giving a talk today. I'd bet he's wearing shorts, since it's about 25 in the sun outside.

 

[Dirk Wainscotting]

Addressing a crowd in shorts (unless it's a sports meeting) should be illegal.

There is a postman here who walks about in nothing but shorts and flip-flops in the summer and a sort of Yassir Arafat cloth on his head. Fair enough when it's hot and you're carting several thousand of letters about. I hope he's also doing it to annoy people.

 

[Mathematicus]

Flip flops... Now that summer is here there is an invasion of those. For some reasons I don't have much problems with (young undergraduate) girls wearing them but they are awful on men, especially if we are talking about staff members. I am not an important member of the community, but I always think that junior students look at ALL of us as models for their future professional life; and if you see your lecturer hanging around the deparment with a sagging t-shirt and flip-flops go figure...

 

[PeterGunnLives]

I insist on calling flip-flops "huarache sandals," whether that's technically accurate or not. And I view them specifically as summertime beach/pool/resort wear. I certainly can't picture Napolean Solo showing up to work at UNCLE headquarters wearing those.

 

[MisterCairo]

Addressing a crowd in shorts (unless it's a sports meeting) should be illegal.

Exhibit A:

 

[greatestescaper]

When I was younger my brother once I asked if I dress the way I do to bother him. I explained that I dress the way I do because I enjoy it, bothering him (now that I was made aware) was an added bonus... That's about the closest I've come to giving someone the finger by making the fashion choices I do. I frequently find myself overdressed, but have found that my wife and our closest friends often enjoy creating a reason for getting a bit more gussied up, even if it's dinner at home there's nothing to stop us from braking out the waistcoats, cuff links, candles and table linens. I find that for the most part it inspires great conversations.

That said, one of the funnier stories happened when my wife (at the time we were still dating) and I took my grandparents to visit the Alamo in San Antonio. There we are just outside the doors of the mission when some woman stops and asks if my wife and I were Amish. We told her no we were not. The woman then asked if we were re-enactors, again we told her we were not. This woman must have gone through four of five different labels before we were able to convince her that we were simply dressed in a style that we found appealing. I reckon I should add that I was wearing a cowboy hat, collared shirt, brown trousers, and boots. My wife had on a nice blouse, and a green skirt, and rope sandals. I always think it odd not to find people in boots out here, it is Texas after all.

Really though the funniest encounter was at Sul Ross State University, in Alpine, Tx (which has an Ag program and it's own registered brand). I was walking to class when another student, dressed like he was ready to play or watch a basketball game (except for his flipflops) actually stopped to ask me why I was dressed like a cowboy. I was genuinely surprised. It's not as though I was dressed in historic clothing, I had on a collared shirt, kerchief, jeans, boots, and a hat. Maybe not completely professional, but not exactly as though I'd jumped out of a John Wayne picture. So I just stopped, turned slowly around looking at the mountains, grass, and cactus, asked if we were still in Texas and then kept on going. I admittedly felt a little rude afterwards, but was not really sure how to respond to that. I mean, he made the choice to leave whatever city and come all the way out here. Did he not expect people to wear boots and hats? And even if you did not come out here thinking of Texas stereotypes, the University has it's own cattle, an arena, and a roping team. I can't possibly have been the only one he found dressed that way. It was certainly one of those, "here's your sign" moments.

I used to be a lot more defensive of myself, but now, at the end of it all I dress the way I feel most comfortable and appealing, and figure if I have the gall to dress this way I can handle the reactions. I only ask that folks have something to say that they say it to me and not behind my back, but really it doesn't matter either way. I usually just catalog it with the other comments and reactions.

 

[MisterCairo]

My wife and I were in Ontario's wine country this past weekend for our anniversary, and we also took in a play at Niagara-On-The-Lake's Shaw Festival (The Madness of George III).

For the Sunday, I wore my linen suit and an off-white collared shirt, and a recently purchased Stetson brand cap.

I received several positive comments from shop owners (including a recently arrived immigrant from Israel who thought it "brilliant", and an American man who asked where I got both suit and cap, as he'd just been telling his wife how he'd love to get my "exact look".

 

[Blowtorch]

A couple gigs back, the company switched from a casual dress code to a business casual dress code (no more jeans). I got some horrendous pants, one pair bright orange and one bright green, that were technically within the letter of the dress code, and wore them in protest.
Before that , when we were allowed to wear t shirts, at times I'd wear my "Union Thug" tee.
Management often looked nervous when they'd see me in that...

 

[Mathematicus]

Avoiding people trying to show up and stand out by means of glamourous pieces or with embarassing prints is the main advantage of adopting an INFORMAL dress code (in the strict sense, suit & tie for short). This has much resemblance with the benefits of "uniforms" in mixed enviroments, where it is better to avoid any visible social discrepancy.

In Italy there is no uniform in schools. There was a kind of it in the primary school of the past (when I went to primary school we were not admitted without that) but it has been removed because of some "pedagogical reasons". The result is that Italian classes are full of people without discipline and without any hint of respect towards other people: both lecturers and mates. There is a whole concept of "popularity" which is entirely based on the way they dress, and the most popular elements are usually the loudest and most fashion-forward dressed. They are, incidentally, also the most aggressive. They form bands and groups of similar people whose only purpose is to harass who doesn't look like them. More often than not, this behaviour ends creating young criminals but, most importantly, also frustrated people who are unable to choose their own personality without being in contrast with the forementioned.

There is a huge campaign against bullism in Italy; but NOBODY wants to admit that "allowing the students to express their own creativity letting them choose their favourite clothing style" (as they call allowing people to call in a public building with t-shirts saying "your mother is a whore") has the main responsibility to this social problem.

Now, don't take me wrong and think that I'm saying there is some "psychological motive" about this deterioration. The reasons are very concrete, I fear. The fact is that teachers and lecturers have stopped checking the appropriateness of the students look because they don't care. Also they use to dress even worse than some students, which is even more egregious if you want. There is a lack of EDUCATION about being dressed in a way that is both neutral, pleasant for everyone's eyes and professional.