What are guys wearing in the office these days?

Incoming analyst in NY here. My bank said we're neat/smart casual--is this still a white/blue collared shirt but with khakis instead of dress pants?

What about shoes? Seems like people are leaning more towards dress sneakers now and I was looking at these (or maybe the brown leather ones?) but wanted to hear what others have seen in the office: https://www.colehaan.com/originalgrand-wingtip-ox…

8 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I'm beyond disenchanted with dress codes nowadays. Smart casual, neat casual, semi formal, smart formal, casual formal, cocktail summer casual, black tie option, summer black tie casual - pick which ones I made up. 

Anyway - If you want to set yourself apart (somewhat) you wear actual dress shoes with well fitting dress pants and a button down shirt. I always recommend starting out a bit overkill, and then adjusting to the tenor of the group/bank. I also suggest always dressing a bit nicer than others, but that's up to you. Depending on the place, you might be able to wear nice dressier/dark jeans with button down shirts. Add a blazer if you are feeling it. About the only thing that hasn't changed - when they say business or formal, wear a suit with a tie and real leather shoes. If a client is involved - default to that. 

What you'll actually see is everything across the board - some people might wear golf shirts with chinos and cole haans, others may wear what I mentioned with cole haans - in fact just buy a pair or two of cole haans, as you'll end up wearing them regardless and they are pretty comfortable. Great travel shoes. 

 

I completely agree with Addinator. All I would add i what I'm seeing on the street tends to be slim fit dress pants, slim button downs (normally blue and white), and no jacket/tie. Shoes range from leather dress shoes to white leather sneakers and everything in between (including the ones you linked). The biggest thing is making sure your clothes fit well.  

Also, as cliché as it sounds, make sure you feel comfortable in what you are wearing. Personally, I'm a big fan of a suit with no tie for day to day. Even though I'm more overdressed than ~60% of my coworkers, the confidence of not stressing about if I'm underdressed, if my clothes are too trendy, etc. makes me feel better when giving presentations, pitching deals, etc. and that translates to work product. All that to say, wear what you feel good in as long as you aren't dressing significantly different from your coworkers - this is not a fashion show.

 

REPE firm here. We wear khakis or slacks and a button down. With dress shoes, boots, or low key sneakers. I've been wearing some adidas and no one has said anything about it. No one wears a tie. The firm lets us know when a client comes in and we dress up for that. Maybe I'd have a better image if I dressed up more. But it feels nice not having to do dry cleaning or having my feet hurt at the end of the day. It gets old real quick.

 

Asperiores doloremque odio numquam. Est mollitia aliquid voluptates eaque id molestiae libero itaque. Nulla similique eius ullam cumque fugit.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.3%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 02 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.3%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.7%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.9%
  • Morgan Stanley 06 98.3%
  • Goldman Sachs 01 97.7%
  • JPMorgan No 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (45) $258
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (79) $150
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (73) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
6
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
7
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
8
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
9
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
10
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”