This column by Lucy Kellaway in the Financial Times is spot on (HT: Maoxian). It doesn't apply to many of us in the US today, because today's a holiday for many. But it applies to your job, any job searches, and your career. A bit:
The casual look, which we used to celebrate as a sign of egalitarianism
and unstuffiness, now looks sloppy. When Stephen Hester, head of Royal
Bank of Scotland, was photographed on a recent Sunday leaving the
Treasury in jeans and an extraordinary beige gilet with suede patches
on the shoulders, the punters did not like it. One wrote to the
Financial Times claiming that Mr Hester appeared to be wearing the very
same M&S slippers that this reader got for Christmas. The fashion
scales have fallen from our eyes. We now see that men in casual clothes
look simply awful; and we also are starting to suspect that a man who
is casual with his clothes may be casual with our money.
Actually, Kellaway's column doesn't just apply because of this economy. It really has made sense since the tech boom ended.
Look, I where dress-casual attire plenty of time. Most of the time. But part of being a grown up is knowing how to function as one when needed. And that includes dressing like an adult when the occasion arises. It's simple to do. And can be done without spending a fortune. If you're interested, you can read a post about this from 2007.
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