Business Casual

I watched the movie Wall Street this week. Do you remember it?

It was an Oscar-winner from 1987, directed by Oliver Stone and starred Michael Douglas as an incredibly wealthy but unscrupulous trader and Charlie Sheen as a young, desperately-eager-to-make-it-big stockbroker. I wanted to remind myself of the movie and its plot because a sequel is on its way. To be released in September, the sequel also stars Michael Douglas as the same character, Gordon Gekko.

I found the movie itself to be just “okay,” with a predictable plot line. But that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy myself! Because let me tell you, I did. Wow, there are countless handsome young men in this movie. And they are all wearing suits. Handsome. Tailored. Suits.

It made me yearn for a time when men wore suits regularly. Now, I only see a man in a suit (including my own) at weddings or funerals. And it’s a real shame, because a suit on a man is a beautiful thing.

And then I got to thinking about this whole “business casual” thing. Who came up with business casual anyway? I’d like to know so that I can tell them what a major disservice they have done for me — and women everywhere.

I think men look good in two types of clothing: casual (Levi jeans and a t-shirt) or formal (a good suit). Notice that this doesn’t include “business casual.” No matter what size a man is, I think these two types of wear can be universally flattering.

But I have yet to see a man look good wearing “business casual.” Have you? All I seem to see are men that look like this:

Neither the “proper” or “improper” forms of business casual in this image do anything for me.

I really just think business casual was a bad idea. Even for women. I would personally prefer to wear a business suit every day. It would make things so much simpler for me, actually because you don’t have to worry about trying to match a suit together! Just go into a store, buy the suit — voila! — an outfit. Love it.  

In fact, the idea of working in a “suit only” environment is so appealing, I would consider it a major employment perk. More handy, certainly, than a gym facility I would never use anyways (despite intentions otherwise!). Besides, a gym wouldn’t even be necessary if people wore well-tailored suits that comfortably cover any lumps and bumps our middle-aged bodies may have.

Instead, one never knows what kind of atrocities they will face when walking into the office … will it be leggings? flip flops? skinny jeans? or just the sad, defeated look of men in pleated khaki pants.