Do Finance Ppl actually look down on reversible belts? WTF?

Started reading through Bill's new book "Discussion Materials: Tales of a Rookie Wall Street Investment Banker" and he mentions that bankers look upon reversible belts and Nike crew socks with contempt. To those in the industry, is this actually the case? Sounds so superficial and petty to me

19 Comments
 

To the OP, it's really only analysts like this who 'look down' on people who dress appropriately but not in line with their carefully cultivated ideas of 'class'. Largely a reflection of insecurity at being at the bottom of a long ladder. It's the same kind of person who would tell his/her friends that 'Lloyd Bankfein is so cool for wearing a Swatch, he DGAF' while making fun of a fellow analyst for doing the same.

Dress neatly, relatively conservatively, and look well-groomed and no-one will care beyond that.

 

How many people can actually tell a polyester tie from a silk one? Probably less than people think.

In an era when people ask you why you're so dressed up(at least where I come from) just because you've tucked in your jean-shirt or are wearing some kind of lulu slim fit flex-chinos with trainers and a "blazer", I don't put too much stock in people's ability to tell whether you're sporting leather or vibram soles. Also, as far as I can tell the 'rules' are much more mixed up nowadays compared to thirty years ago when certain forms of dress were still the norm, so a senior md may bat an eye at your collar width while the vp thinks you look too stuffy with that tie and your roommate thinks you're just spiffy.

 

How many people can actually tell a polyester tie from a silk one? Probably less than people think.

In an era when people ask you why you're so dressed up(at least where I come from) just because you've tucked in your jean-shirt or are wearing some kind of lulu slim fit flex-chinos with trainers and a "blazer", I don't put too much stock in people's ability to tell whether you're sporting leather or vibram soles. Also, as far as I can tell the 'rules' are much more mixed up nowadays compared to thirty years ago when certain forms of dress were still the norm, so a senior md may bat an eye at your collar width while the vp thinks you look too stuffy with that tie and your roommate thinks you're just spiffy.

Yes, there are plenty of people in IB who care about attire and can recognize the brand of a tie on sight. Many people wear "the uniform" of typical brands / materials because it's easy to simply conform when you have plenty of other problems to deal with.

If you want to save money on a polyester tie or have vibram soled shoes, you might get teased for it at some point. If you wear nike white tube socks with your dress clothes, you will 100% be made fun of and people will continue to laugh about it for a while after you stop. 

It's up to you whether you care

 

It’s not as if you can’t fix this? Buy a new belt and get better socks maybe? They’re not even more expensive just in a different category. People should know there’s an unspoken dress code at banks. I personally don’t care but I completely understand it.

 

I don't understand the reversible belt problem but the nike socks with dress shoes sounds hideous. There are different price tiers of dress socks so you should be able to get the same price or cheaper dress socks. The black puffy cotton ribbing and white nike check showing when you sit down... that's a problem.

 

I actually had to look up what a reversible belt was.

Still not sure why you would need two colors, though? Are you planning on selling used cars in your spare time? 

I don't know... Yeah. Almost definitely yes.
 

Not sure how someone would know that you're wearing a reversible belt.....if you can tell, you're staring too hard at someone's belt area if you know what I mean...

Side note...I just hate those belts because they're flimsy and the buckles always seem to fall apart. That's my only reason for looking down on them.

 

Et architecto aut atque hic. Exercitationem beatae quo eum corporis et exercitationem quam. Placeat dolorem commodi blanditiis reiciendis. Hic quia mollitia voluptatibus nesciunt suscipit. Facilis aliquid quod ducimus vitae neque. Sint consequuntur dicta ut. Necessitatibus adipisci dolore eius.

Quibusdam nemo eum ipsum tempore id. Fugiat ut dolores qui tempore. Odio sunt nemo at aperiam. Ad consequatur facilis laudantium voluptas impedit sapiente qui nesciunt. Aut ab nisi accusamus saepe repellendus voluptas at.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 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

June 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

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (15) $434
  • Associates (44) $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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
3
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
5
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
6
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
7
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
8
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
bolo up's picture
bolo up
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...”