Dressing for work in an American corporation

[CloserToFiftyThanTwenty]

Just that - what is essential to look professional in a US blue chip company? I'm assuming a suit / day dress is standard wear, along with decent shoes and bag. But what about the subtle stuff: manicure / hair / make up / tights?

Any advice much appreciated!

What if you....don't have an engagement ring???!! And are married!!!!

OP embrace your own style and don't turn into one of these corporate machines.

My progression at one (in)famous investment bank was hindered by my individual sense of style. And it wasn't even that far out there! .

(having said that, had I been exceptional at my job it might not have been an issue; I was good, but not that good)

Asking a colleague in the UK how much their engagement ring cost would be on a par with enquiring as to their favourite sexual position.

NYC corporate life sounds stressful!

On my tights comment:

Huge generalization alert: American women don't wear opaque pantyhose or tights except in very cold weather in some northern cities. I have never owned a pair and if I wanted to buy them, I would have to go online. No stores where I am sell them even in the winter.

There was a thread in S and B about different color opaque tights and what looked good with which color tights, including yellow. Yes, that would be seen as eccentric in the US. Another thread was about wearing black opaque tights with a cocktail dress for a Christmas party. I have never seen that in the US.

This thread is fascinating. And slightly horrifying.

Asking how much an engagement ring costs would be considered rude in the South. Mine is a small diamond solitaire that was my grandmother's (I came fully provided with an engagement ring, much to DH's approval). It is obviously an antique. People do say, "Is that a family piece?" That's perfectly acceptable, and even expected, in my neck of the woods.

I don't think I could live in a country where such minor variations in dress would be regarded as eccentric. It sounds both dull and oppressive. And ridiculously old-fashioned. I have very standard, pretty boring dress sense, although I do wear opaque tights , but the idea of these clothing 'rules' makes me want to march along the streets wearing a neon tutu and flippers or something .

Actually on second thoughts British people would be less offended at being asked about their sex life than being asked about the cost of their engagement ring.

Correction. I did own several pairs of opaque tights when I lived in Scotland. For warmth.

holmes But "minor" is relative. Yellow opaque tights with a navy blue dress (I think that was one of the suggestions from that thread) would not be seen as a minor variation where I live. It would be a major variation.

I started off laughing at this thread but I feel slightly depressed now. Whats the point of earning all that money if you then have to spend it on black trouser suits and massive engagement rings?

And whilst I can't pretend to be an ethical shopper, I do think buying fake bags is a bit shitty, especially when someone is presumably on a mahoosive salary.

It all sounds so deliciously vulgar

Wouldn't it be great if Su Pollard was given a job at Goldman Sachs HQ. She'd shake things up a bit.

Now that's eccentric.

Yellow tights = malvolio

You have a point there

the only thing that would keep me going in ' the big 4' ( wtaf)
is the way I can say panty hose without everyone laughing

panty hose panty hose panty hose panty hose panty hose
panty hose panty hose panty hose panty hose panty hose

Also love ' pant suit'

the americans do LOVE a white turtle neck too. ew

The thing about the bags is that if fakes are widely used then a "status" bag becomes a standard part of the uniform even at the paygrades which couldn't reasonably afford them. So your choice at middle management level becomes either buy fake or spend a wholly unreasonable amount of money on the real thing. It doesn't matter whether it's a good copy or not, I just don't ever buy fakes; it's a personal quirk.

Exactly Seneca - the fact that the colour of my tights would be a major enough thing to mark me as eccentric would bother me. There are often some pretty outlandish outfits in photos from the catwalk shoots which I might describe as eccentric, but you rarely see anyone in rl wearing them. What's surprising and a bit alarming on this thread is how narrow (and expensive!) the definition of 'socially acceptable' attire seems to be in some places.

'The Big 4' is a standard global term in banking and accountancy.

White turtle necks are unforgivable though. Maybe, and I mean maybe, okay on a golfer.

I googled Yellow Tights Outfit and got this lot. I have to say, not many of these women would make it past the eagle eye of Catbert from HR in my London office either. (office dress code forbids open toed shoes, sun dresses and "extremes of fashion")

No white turtle necks for me either.

...But my physics teacher in the 1980s used to wear mustard yellow tights with grey dresses and she looked awesome. She had a collection of tights in every colour of the rainbow, and she's my style role model - actually she's inspired me to wear purple opaques to the cinema tomorrow.

i knew what teh big four is really,, just was sniggering at its wankerishness

It's so weird that people are saying that opaque tights are unknown in the US - when I lived there I used to buy them from Banana Republic for God's sake! Hardly if the beaten track. I ha navy, grey and black pairs which I wore to my American corporate job throughout the winter and no-one raised an eyebrow. And believe me, I was told/questioned about stuff that was 'unacceptable'. Curiouser and curiouser.

Even worse than white turtle necks are fake turtle necks like these things. I don't think anyone can actually wear them anymore, hope they're just a throwback to a darker age.