In my opinion when I get my full suit on, my confidence flows out easier and I am more energetic. I've done a couple of the video HireVue interviews and I always put on my full suit down to the shoes, despite only my upper body being shown on camera. It's all about establishing confidence and professionalism.

i really don't understand business professional clothing. I'm missing the part of the brain that makes me enjoy spending lots of money on clothing so I can look fancy while pounding a keyboard. However many businesses want you to dress up a lot. I think it's partially a general mistrust of what people would wear if it's not dictated. Offensive shirts, etc.

The suit is to make the working environment professional. If the job requires only being on the phone and everyone is dressed casually, it does not make things better.

Logically, yes you do have a point. But just that there are some psychological effects of being dressed professionally.

It goes beyond creating a "professional" work environment among employees. Offices function as client-facing locations as well, so you have to throw the perception concern into the mix. If a client is visiting the office for a meeting, they may be attending in business attire as well. That being said, businesses may not want them to get a glance at a bullpen full of overworked employees in casual clothing. Attire may not be indication of quality of work product or commitment to the job, but companies want to make sure they "look their best" in the event a potential source of revenue gets a view of their inner-workings.

My group at my old IB use to sit on the same floor as the CEO / executive team and had a few of the larger conference rooms (compared to other floors) that were used for meetings with people outside the firm. We had a fairly strict full suit and tie policy for Monday - Thursday.

I'm kind of a traditionalist, but believe in the following:

1.) If you solely work on the phone, but unexpectadly every other month get pulled into client meeting by your boss, you should wear a suit to work everyday.

2.) If you solely work on the phone but work on a floor that serves as a place for client facing meetings or a place of meeting for high level management, you should wear a suit to work everyday.

3.) When there is no chance in hell of you being seen by the client or any other individual outside of the firm, then and only then are you allowed to wear business casual. And no, business casual does not include polos or kakis.

Suits and work clothing in general is just a pissing contest to establish wealth. Out here in CA we are definitely not about suits, but people substitute wearing 'Gamos for Yeezys. Same concept, different form factor.

EDIT for MS; k.

If your goal is to do nothing buy "pound" the phone and make charts all day, guess what, you won't progress very far.

1) You wear a suit because you never know when you will have to meet with a client, meet with another banking/lawyer/professional.

2) You wear a suit because you are a professional and it is the uniform of business. You are representing your firm, your education, your industry.

I get no tie policies and have worked for a number of business casual places, but I still wore a blazer, loafers, nice slacks, etc.

IMO, if you want to wear gym shorts all day and look like you are casual AF, you might want to serve ice cream or work at a surf shop.

I believe the original concept behind the suit standard is to neutralize everyone in the workplace, turning us into hives of similarly-dressed, (allegedly) status-neutral, white collar drones. I mean, can you really tell a banker from a lawyer walking down the street?

Today suits are mostly all about the client ... it is a crucial matter of integrity and relationship-building. Meetings with clients extend beyond the conference room. Say you got noticed in a meeting a few weeks before, and one day you're walking along Madison ave, wearing sweatpants and a college hoodie to the office because you're "on the phone all day". If the client spots and recognizes you this immediately sends a red flag, giving your md and the bank a bad rep... communicating that the work culture isn't "sharp". It takes only once.

When I worked in San Francisco the opposite was true. The md made us opt for more laid-back, business-casual looks because expensive suits and accessories made us look "overpriced" and too "Wall Street", which would totally blow his relationship-building with the techies.

Gives a new meaning to the term "business model"...

I fucking hate wearing professional clothes if I don't have to. Really pushing casual Fridays sometimes but dgaf.

A couple reasons: 1) The people making the rules are most likely senior level male decision makers who have to wear suits all day for important meetings. If they have to have this obligation why shouldn't you?

2) In the 1% chance that an important client walks by, he can see you wearing a suit, which reflect wells on the company... and following on this comment..

3)Because you are most likely a younger guy, have a job where hundreds of people applied to, so the supply is plentiful, and because the older decision makers do not give two shits what some 23 year old analyst thinks the point of wearing a suit is.

If this were silicon valley, where the supply for talent isn't as plentiful, then management will actually give a fuck what we think.

So you are presentable when clients come to the office... impromptu client or networking lunches/dinners/drinks...