Your Younger Colleagues Think You Need to Dress Smarter, Study Finds

Career Climbers / 11th October 2018

A recent survey by Savile Row Company, London-based tailors of fine shirts and suits, found that more than half (56%) of millennials think their office would benefit from a smarter, better enforced dress code. What’s more, only around a third (34%) think their workplace colleagues dress smartly enough already.

The new data suggests that the perception of millennial attitudes around challenging conventional working environments might actually be changing. Only 7% of millennials believe dressing comfortably or fashionably is more important than being perceived as professional, whilst 77% agreed that dressing professionally means you are taken more seriously.

Justin Grau, fashion expert and publisher of Aspiring Gentlemen, said: “I believe the workplace really determines the way you should dress. If you work at say Google or Facebook, it is likely acceptable to dress casually, but if you work in a more traditional workplace where it is expected to dress ‘professionally’ you should dress at least at the average dress level.”

In comparison, another survey conducted by Savile Row discovered that nearly half of over-45-year-olds (42%) believe comfort is the most important factor for office attire. However, 53% of this age group agree with millennials that there should be an enforced dress code, with 65% dressing to look professional.

Smart Dress Equals Success?

Sophie Green, a fashion blogger who has worked in the professional clothing industry, says: “I have always been of the opinion that first impressions count in the workplace. Following fashion trends is less applicable in corporate roles, instead I’d recommend investing in good tailoring, be that a suit, tailored dress or similar. Whilst I believe that casual wear is becoming more commonplace in city roles (ties are less prevalent for example) I think when dressed smartly half the battle is already won.”

Jeffrey Doltis, Owner and Managing Director of The Savile Row Company, was not surprised by the results of the survey.  “We have certainly seen an increase in sales of our casual clothing, however, sales of formal shirts & suits have remained steady across all age groups. We have a large number of loyal, repeat customers which certainly goes to show that good tailoring never goes out of style!”

With many businesses relaxing working regulations, with benefits such as flexible working, you might think more of the workforce would be keen to see a relaxation in attire.

However, even though having the freedom to dress how they please is important, it’s evident the younger generation do still want to maintain a smarter dress code.