When I started MicroSolutions I was 24 years old. I had just gotten fired from my job and was sleeping on the floor of a 3 bedroom apartment with 5 other guys living there. I didn't have a closet or a bed, but I had 2 suits.
I bought both of those polyester wonders, one Grey pinstripe, the other blue pinstripe for a total of $99 dollars plus tax. To go with those fashion forward wonders, I had several white polo button downs that I had purchased used from a re-sale shop, and a couple ties that I had bought on sale or had gotten as hand me downs from friends.
I wore those babies when it was cold. I wore them when it was 100 degrees plus. I ironed them and when I could I got them dry cleaned. MicroSolutions was started in June and over the next 7 years , starting with those first 2 suits, I wore a suit every work day. I bought new suits as the business grew. I bought shirts and ties and shoes new instead of used. I went 7 years without a vacation to make that company work, but I didn't go a work day without a suit.
Someone had once told me that you wear to work what your customers wear to work. That seemed to make sense to me, so I followed it, and expected those who worked for me to follow it as well.
After I sold MicroSolutions I decided that I never would wear a suit again. I was able to hold true to that while I was making a lot of money trading stocks for the next 5 years, but then Todd and I started AudioNet which would morph into Broadcast.com.
With our new business, I decided that I would have to wear a suit, but would modify the rule so that I would only wear a suit when someone I was selling to was wearing a suit. If they were selling to me, I didn't care if they were wearing a tux. I was going to go comfortable and not wear a suit.
When Broadcast.com was sold, the suit went out the window completely. I vowed to never wear one again other than weddings and funerals, and only then because it wasn't worth the hassle to deal with people asking why you didn't wear a suit. I'm certain the people getting married dint care, and I don't think anyone is going to be looking down at me wondering why I showed up at their funeral without a suit. Suits make no sense whatsoever.
Why am I such a suit hater ? I'm not a suit hater, I just could never think of any good reason for any sane person to wear a suit in the first place.
Exactly what purpose does a suit serve ? Why in the world are so many people required to wear a suit to work ? Do the clothes make the man or woman in the western world today ? Does wearing a tie make us work harder or smarter ? Is this a conspiracy by the clothing, fabric or dry cleaning industry to take our money ?
Or are we all just lemmings following a standard we all know makes zero sense, but we follow because we are afraid not to ?
If you are a CEO , are there not better things your employees could spend money on than multiple suits, ties, dress shirts, dress shoes, dress socks, dry cleaning, and all the other associated costs ? Gee, no suits would be the same as giving your employees a tax free raise. Think that might make them happy ? Or do employees consider having to spend money on suits a perk ?
Now I understand some people think wearing a suit provides them with a certain level of stature. It gives them confidence. It helps them feel good about themselves. Well let me be the first to tell you that if you feel like you need a suit to gain that confidence, you got problems. The minute you open your mouth, all those people who might think you have a great suit, forget about the suit and have to deal with the person wearing it.
Is there a reason other than "thats just the way it is" ? Haven't you looked at someone in a suit, trying to look important and just thought how stupid and out of place it is ? Why do we do this to ourselves ?
I know this all is a crazy rant, but come on now. If you have had to wear a suit to work every day, haven't you wondered why ? If you are the CEO or in charge of a company, haven't you wondered yourself why you are making your employees waste all that money and come to work and spend the day in uncomfortable clothing ?
Give your suit wearing employees a raise. Tell them every day is casual day.
Why I Don't Wear a Suit and Can't Figure Out Why Anyone Does !
Reader Comments
(Page 2)22. The reason to where a suit is to dress like a man.
First, there are clothes for public consumption: clothing in which to present yourself to others and thereby convey an elevated message about yourself. These are types of clothes you wear to work, to the store, out on the town, at a wedding, at church, at parties, or wherever people are going to see you. The primary objective here is that you look presentable, that you are civilized, a gentleman and not a beast.
The other type of clothing is that which serves a pure functional purpose: that is, that which you wear for yard work, fixing your car, an evening at home, a Saturday washing the house or cleaning, or just knocking around the park with kids. Everyone knows what type of clothes these are. They can all be bought at Wal-Mart or thrift stores, and they are made of cotton.
The great dressing error of our time is to confuse the two. Or more precisely: people think that it is perfectly okay to present yourself to others in clothes which serve a purely functional purpose. They say this is fine because it is comfortable – as if the only thing that matters in life is comfort. Well, it is also comfortable not to shave and not to bathe, and we have a word for people like that: slobs. If you don't want to be a slob, you have to live with a bit of discomfort.
If men could absorb that simple lesson, the world would be a much more beautiful place in which to live. Elevated dressing causes people to behave better. Crime might fall. Manners would begin to come back. People might clean up their language. They might listen to better music and read better books. Something resembling civilization might return.
Posted at 4:33PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Chris
23. Background makes foreground. This goes for movies, it goes for dressing, it goes for living. Here's an example: If I go to a party and eight different people come over to me and say, "Gee, that's a great looking tie," as soon as I get home, I take the tie off and put it in the shredder. Screw the tie! I'm not there to make the tie look good. The tie is there to make me look good. That's what I mean by background makes foreground.
Posted at 4:33PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Robert Evans
24. This was an excellent post. I think dressing up for work is overplayed, and I feel the same way about school uniforms. We want conformity in this society; everyone to look the same, and it's silly. I work for myself and I do trainings for teachers. I currently wear a suit but it seems silly at times when I see teachers in front of me that are casual and comfortable. I may relax it in the near future unless I'm trying to sell myself (not literally, really).
Posted at 4:33PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Lamarr Wilson
25. Ideas rule. At least those with some real substance. Suits are just style over substance. And for many in the corporate pecking order who are afraid of competing in a meritocracy, it's a way to keep score.
Posted at 4:34PM on Jan 16th 2007 by jim wegerbauer
26. I completely agree and luckily have the luxury of not wearing a suit to work. Granted I work in broadcast production, so the idea of anyone editing, filming, etc in a suit would look rather funny. its a hands on job...
On the other hand, I wonder if this is the culture you believe in for the Mavs? I take it you don't agree with the NBA dress policy and we know players dont.
And on a side note, as I read this, I can't help but think of Terdema! I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ussery at a special function before a Mavs game, and man did he look "smart" in his suite. Granted, he is an extremely well spoken, well educated, eloquent person, and the suite fits him well.. but I just wonder if he isn't the ying to your yang? I can't see him sitting around the office all day in sweat pants doing his Lawyer thing... lol
Posted at 4:44PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Matt Price
27. Why do I get the feeling that everyone commenting is wearing tacky khakis and a much to old, collar curled under at the tips, un-tucked polo shirt to work.
I can picture quite a few people at my office jumping on the anti-suit bandwagon and taking it way too far. Especially when they believe Mark Cuban is reinforcing their laziness.
I routinely give presentations about the design and look of my company's products. One of my major points is that when competition gets close, style decides.
When you are the brightest you have some leeway, but when you are racing neck in neck with other people or companies every little edge makes a difference. Appearance is powerful. To deny that is insane. I would advise always looking noticeably more refined than those around you that might be competing with you in any way for anything. That probably includes throwing in the occasional suit.
Having style is actually a skill. A skill that can be practiced and improved upon. A skill that can be measured. A skill that can have intelligence applied to it. Don't get lazy.
The suit isn't your enemy. It is a tool in your arsenal. When and where you use it is at your discretion, but don't start getting the mental attitude that the suit is your enemy.
Posted at 4:45PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Chad Meeks
28. My wife thinks I look good in a suit.
I love my wife.
You do the math.
Posted at 4:50PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Scott Yates
29. I don't think there's anything wrong with questioning conventional assumptions. I also believe that business dress standards probably have relaxed considerably in the recent past.
That being said, there often is good logic behind common assumptions. In this case, why stop at suits? Why do we brush our hair? Why do (some of us) wear deodorant? Why do we engage in any sort of personal hygiene?
I think there's a reasonable explanation for all of these behaviors -- business and society value it when people take the time to look presentable.
I'd like to think that sales contracts and job positions and everything else is rewarded based on merit. But frankly, for a number of industries, it's not always that easy to differentiate yourself from a competitor. Sales pitches sound the same, resumes look similar, and a lot of decisions get made on totally subjective rationales. With that in mind, yeah, I think it makes a lot of sense to look as presentable as possible. It may not be the most comfortable, and I agree it may be overkill to have that everyday. But if dressing up conveys a sense of professionalism that clients value (whether that's fair or not), then it's not just some thoughtless tradition.
Posted at 4:57PM on Jan 16th 2007 by JJ
30. I agree to some degree, but the problem arises when people who have no sensibility end up wearing cut-off jeans, ripped jeans, a mullet or worse...
As a business owner you have to set limits otherwise people will take advantage of it and end up making you and your company look bad.
If I have a group of salesmen and women I sure would want them making a good impression on my clients and potential clients cause most people won't respect the decision to let my employees where whatever they want. If I want clients I'm forced to portray a certain image to get and maintain those clients.
This also goes hand in hand with a previous post about golf courses making you wear a collared shirt. I myself have been mad at this knowing good and well that I looked fine (nice khaki pants, black v-neck sweater covered by a nice golf jacket), but this golf club in Las Vegas still made me buy a $100 collared shirt. As mad as I was, I still understand that their job isn't to decide if my wardrobe looks nice enough, it's to help me with the best possible service and to enforce certain guidelines to ensure others don't take advantage of the rules and end up wearing cut-off jeans and a cut-off Metallica shirt. The same goes for upscale nightclubs.
Point is... people want to be surrounded with like minded people and want to do business with people they trust and can associate with and the way you portray yourself sends a loud message about who you are.
I'm sure there's plenty of people that would do a great job wearing jeans and a t-shirt in any kind of business, but it's the people they do business with that might not see past their exterior and as a business owner I sure don't want anything negatively labeling my employees.
There's still plenty of room for individuality even while having to wear a "monkey suit".
As the great Jerry Seinfeld once said... "Women must have developed the suit since they already say we all act the same, why not make them all dress the same".
Bryan
Posted at 5:03PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Bryan Hauer - Blog
31. I seldom wear suits, but always have a tie. Occassionally depending on the weather, I will wear a sport coat.
Why? Because my boss likes it. If my boss likes it (and she has complemented me on the way I dress) then I shall continue.
Why? Because I am judged on the way I look and act as well as the way I perform.
Mark? (Does anybody call you Mr. Cuban?) You are also judged on the way you look and act (duh) but with a gazillion dollars, you have options the rest of us don't enjoy.
I guess that's another reason I "hate" you. You don't have to wear a suit and/or tie.
How about a post on "Why I don't fly commercial, and can't figure out why anyone does."
hehehe
Posted at 5:08PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Duffer
32. Right ON Mark! I work at a TV station and only the sales guys wear suits. The GM wears a suit about half of the time. I have two suits. One that I bought in 1991 and the other in 1997. I only wore them a few times; two job interviews, a court date, and a few weddings. That's it. I had a roommate that spent a fortune having his suits dry cleaned every week. There are better ways to spend ones' money. Yeah I like looking good but a suit? No way!
Who invented the freaking tie? How does someone come up with such thing?
Posted at 5:10PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Jose
33. I can sympathize with your thinking, but I personally like wearing a suit every now and then because they just plain look good. And if they are comfortable (i.e. tailored properly) I feel good too.
I'm lucky to work at a place where I can wear jeans and a shirt if I want, and most of the time I do. But nothing quite matches the feeling of wearing a nice suit. As a bonus, chicks dig them as well.
When the NBA instituted the dress code, my belief was that within a few weeks, the players would actually enjoy having to wear suits. It would force them to ramp up their style, and since they have money to burn, they can assemble a top-notch wardrobe. It's easy to see that those guys look a lot sharper now, and I bet most of them would say they've enjoyed wearing stuff that's a lot higher quality than they otherwise would have.
34. I agree with comments 19 and 32 plus:
Of course it is expensive wearing a suit and keeping this kind of apparel tidy. But it simply is the best looking way a man can dress himself. Be it with or without tie, leave the jacket on or not - the suit with its huge bandwidth of fitting situations is just perfect as it is. Except for the beach etc. of course.
And if you ever go to Europe and watch some truly beautifully dressed people, say in Milan, you'll throw all that teeeee shirt stuff in the trash. And get a decent Brioni.
Posted at 5:35PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Tilman
35. Hey Mark,
Several thoughts:
1. In our society, there is a perceived "level of respect" a person should give to anyone they speak to... when you dress ratty to meet me, when you don't listen, do you really care about me or my business?
Another thought: the "more attractive people are more successful" studies that most of us have seen... Dressing well may be considered a (non-surgical) way to look more attractive, and become more successful, earning more money.
Althought they go into other areas of attractiveness such as height and weight, one article is here:
"Surprise! Pretty people earn more - Fed Reserve study shows beautiful people make about 5% more than their average counterparts."
Link: http://money.cnn.com/2005/04/08/news/funny/beautiful_money/
Personally, I see it as just another social construct that gives us familiarity with our surroundings. Most people in SciFi shows look like goofs in their "uniforms" but they really aren't substantially different from our methods of dress. A tie is really just a soft, fancy belt for your neck. 8-)
Just a thought... 8-)
Posted at 5:42PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Charlie Nichols
36. A couple of reasons for suit wearing -
1) It takes effort to put on fancy clothes. You have to tie the tie, tuck in the shirt, shine the shoes, dry clean the clothes, etc etc etc. If an employee wears a special outfit that requires effort to keep up and get dressed in, it shows a certain commitment to being professional. Some may believe that if their employees look around and see people who all make that effort, it will make them feel pressured to act professionally. Is this true? Maybe for some kinds of people.
2) Don't underestimate the significance of tradition. There is no logical reason why we do almost anything exactly the way we do it. People wouldn't be able to operate if they didn't have millions of traditions, big and small, to follow. Why can't we just change the tradition? The older a tradition is, the more set in stone it seems and the less compelled people feel to question it. This freedom from questioning a tradition allows people to go on with their every day lives.
Finally, I am all for banishing suits. Those are my best arguments for not doing so, but if I were running an office, i would want to set an example for my employees that things should be questioned, that they aren't lemmings and that they need to think for themselves. THey can keep all their other traditions, that'll keep them sane.
37. Mark,
You’d look good in anything. Not everyone is that lucky.
I like a man in a suit. I like a man in a t-shirt and jeans but the best accessory by far is a killer smile.
My favorite store is Victoria’s Secret but I’d never think of going in to work in my bra and underwear. I’m pretty sure I get fired.
Posted at 6:01PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Toni Marano
38. Well the reason people wear suit is probably because it looks better than the alternative: whatever that may be.
Clothes are a form of communication just like body language or posture. It conveys to the other person an idea of the type of person you are. That idea is a positive one. Now you can act like a clown and negate any benefit a suit brings. But wearing a suit is like putting your best foot forward. When you are trying to make a sale it is all about gaining an extra edge on the competition. All things being equal if your competition wore a suit and you did not, well you LOSE!
That is my point.
Posted at 6:03PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Antonio Howell
40. to poster 4. While it is a shame you had to start out with cc debt, buying a suit and tie and certainly a better reason to go into debt than most of the reasons that people do at age 21.
Posted at 6:05PM on Jan 16th 2007 by superdave
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21. Amen from a fellow suit hater. IMO suits only reinforce the tendency to look at people superficially. Any idiot can buy clothes. True (relevant) story from the Valley. A well-respected Silcon Valley law firm was pitching a perspective client who was a recently funded startup. Their entire exec team was there but no one was introduced w/ titles mostly dressed in high-end business casual (no one wears suits in the Valley) and one guy in jeans. The partners from the law firm paid little attention to the guy in jeans who, turns out was the CEO. Bad move. No business.
Moral of the story: Better to judge the man, not the clothes.
Posted at 4:25PM on Jan 16th 2007 by Mike G