Skip navigation

 Login or Register | Member Centre

Suitable: Work Couture

Jeans issue won't fade

AMY VERNER

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 11:01 AM EDT 25/04/08

The problem is that not all jeans are created equal ...Read the full article

This conversation is closed

  1. Buenaventura Durruti from Canada writes: Luckily I'm not suited for work that would require to wear anything nicer than jeans and a t-shirt. I make enough money to maintain my lifestyle, have a job that lets me feel constructive and I can wear pretty much whatever I want to work. I can't help but feel a little bit sorry for all those poor schmucks who have to wear a suit to be taken seriously.
  2. Dan Thomas from Canada writes: Saying it doesn't make it so. $220 for a pair of jeans? Never. Ever.
  3. LM F from Toronto, Canada writes: My boss has a strict no-jeans policy on casual Fridays. The guys can wear chinos, polo shirts, and topsiders with no socks, but it leaves no alternatives for women; we have to wear dress pants/a dress/or skirts, heels as per usual. I'm used to it by now (most other places I've worked allowed jeans on Friday) but as a rushed single working mom, there are some Friday mornings when I so wish I could throw on a flattering pair of jeans and a nice top and be out the door. Not to mention meeting friends for drinks after work on the Friday's my son is with his dad ... it would be great to already be dressed for a casual patio.
  4. Arron D from Ottawa, Canada writes: what kind of lunatic pays over $100 for a pair of jeans? I get all squirrelly thinking of even buying 501's retail. Must be nice to be rich, good looking and stupid.
  5. Peter Walker from Canada writes: $25, no more for a good lasting pair of jeans.
  6. Dave C from Toronto, Canada writes: I'm generally pretty thrifty and loathe to spend unnecessary dough, but with that said, branding anyone who spends a hundred bucks on a pair of jeans as "lunatic" is rather broad strokes. In my business and many others today, some decent denim coupled with a sensible top (from a clean t-shirt to full-on dress shirt and jacket depending on how high up the food chain you've risen) is pretty much a de facto uniform. 501s and $30 thrift-store models might be fine for the weekend and puttering around the mall or garden, but unfortunately they look awfully odd and out of place with dressier accompaniments.

    So you shell out $100 for "dress jeans" and call it a workday - it's still WAY cheaper than the assorted suits, ties, vests, cardigans, loafers, oxfords, shoe shining and dry cleaning required of previous generations and high-powered lawyers. I feel like I'm getting much more value out of spending $150 a year on a pair of jeans rather than laundering one of my suits.
  7. Erik D. from Ottawa, Canada writes: Work in High Tech, every day is casual day, no need to spend a fortune to buy clothes to go to work...
  8. In a Fog from Toronto, Canada writes: I don't believe that jeans should be worn in office environments no matter how much they cost or how good they look. The same applies for t-shirts.
    I once worked in an office where the female summer students stretched the rule began wearing low-cut, skin tight jeans and shirts that didn't reach the waist. I cannot say that I am impressed with women who show to much chest at work. It's hard to take them seriously.
    For the men, jeans and t-shirts are never a fashion issue. They just want to dress down. The direction says it all.
  9. Stephen McPherson from Bradford, Canada writes: So here's how shallow the work place rules on "jeans" really are. Almost unanamously, when we talk about "jeans" we are talking about blue denim. Blue denim still today has the stigma of prison wear associated with it. Some of your posters are still carrying the baggage of class conciousness when it comes to clothing. I can tell you first hand that wearing the "right stuff" won't get you that promotion. you can put all the lip stick you want on a pig, but its still a pig.

    You can wear the same cut of clothing in a slightly different colour and material and it becomes completely acceptable. For example, I have worked at a few places where "blue denim" was not allowed, but you could feel well within the rules wearing a pair of corduroy "jeans" or brushed cotton "jeans", etc. As long as in wasn't blue denim you were OK. So when you have stupidity like this rampant in the land, its no wonder there's so much confusion about "business casual". If you're not prepared to belly up in a pair of horse appropriate boots,; a tooled leather belt and a big silver buckle - leave the denim on the store shelf. It looks ridiculous with sneakers and a tee.
  10. Rachel Jerome from Canada writes: You can tell when it is Friday in downtown Calgary. The denim is everywhere. If you are not wearing jeans, people can tell you are downtown to work in retail or starbucks. Even the front end people at the banks are in jeans.

    Despite our reputation for being a cow town, Calgary is a very professional environment.
  11. David Wilson from Rio, Brazil writes: this is a 'top story'????? - have you people at the Globe and mail lost your minds?
  12. H M from Canada writes: Before I got transferred, NICE jeans on friday, with a really nice shirt or a blazer was acceptable friday ear, as long as we donated to that week's charity.
    Got transferred, no jeans. However, new location never requires suits, only dress pants and nice shirt. I feel it is a fair (and cheaper) tradeoff.

    And I think hell would freeze over (looking out the window, I think it may have happened) before I paid over $60 for a pair of jeans. I spend about 44% of my (awake) time at work, on my way to work, or doing something for work. If I cannot wear them to work, I cannot justify spending that much on them.

    Oh, and capri-length dress pants are perfectly acceptable and encouraged as summer gear, here.
  13. tom h from Canada writes: I love the way a good chunk of this article tells us how to not look fat in our jeans/casual attire. Does the author think that EVERYONE in the office world is overweight? Some of us take care of ourselves, and don't need $200 jeans to make our butts look good!
  14. david eddie from Canada writes: Dave C from Toronto, Canada writes: "I'm getting much more value out of spending $150 a year on a pair of jeans rather than laundering one of my suits." a couple years ago I spent $500 on a pair of jeans-- these limited-edition levis that were a replica of a single pair of some miner's jeans in the levi museum in san francisco, only 300 (of the replica) ever made. they came in a little bag that said 59/300 and the shopkeeper said I should keep the bag because that would help their "resale value." everyone-- including, I should say, my wife (it took my a long time before I could even bring myself to tell her what they cost)-- thought I was crazy. Gill Deacon on her short lived talk-show called me a "plum fool" when I tried to explain to her, on air, what had driven me to spend so much. but as it's turned out it's the only purchase of the past few years I DON'T regret. I wear them every day. I will wear them every day for years, if not decades. they are deteriorating beautifully. In these jeans, I flatter myself, I am too. I can't wear anything else. I'm spoiled for other pants. If I launder these levis (rarely) and they aren't dry by morning (I would never throw them in the dryer) and I have to wear other, lesser pants, I feel uncomfortable all day. Best money I ever spent, apart from $150 on first-date dinner with her who is now my wife. As it was in high school, so it is now: nothing beats a beloved, just-right pair of jeans.
  15. M K from Canada writes: Uhhh...slightly off topic, but what is the magic about Friday for casual clothes? Either casual clothes are allowed or not; is the work any different on a Friday? Do you not meet clients on a Friday? Its so inane. Either allow casual all the time or just don't at any time! I'm in hospitality, with the requisite 7-day workweek...but we don't have casual Saturday or Sunday; you wear what is appropriate for your work when at work, whenever that is.
  16. Christa Bedwin from Canmore, Canada writes: This article is about white-collar workers wearing blue-collar attire, but designers have made it white-collar attire with fashionable cuts (or maybe not, and that's what the debate is about).

    If you really want casual Fridays, join the naked-collar crowd (telecommute from home). I'm about to have a conference call in my bath robe, and earn a much-better-than-decent hourly wage while wearing my bathrobe.

    Telecommuting not only alleviates fashion worries, it's good for the environment. And more bosses than ever are open to this modern, intelligent method of working. It can save the office money on overhead costs, and save you money on Friday casual jeans!

    Think about asking your boss about one day a week from home, if your job suits it.
  17. Lance M from Canada writes: Blue jeans were originally created for miners in California, they are blue collar work wear. Paying out hundreds of dollars for an item of clothing meant to take a great deal of hard wear and be easy to clean makes sense from the perspective of having to buy a few pairs and have them last for years, but not as a fashion item!
  18. Pepper Gee from Toronto, Canada writes: I work in sales - I have done so all of my career and I once wore jeans to work on a Friday. Of course, that Friday a client in one of the banks wanted to meet... how embarassing. I have never, ever worn jeans to work again.
  19. Some Thoughts from Canada writes: Trivial really...I remember in grad school when we had a young speaker, fresh off his Ph.D. come in to give a talk on his research-he wore a business suit! What was he thinking? (I wore my least acid-damaged jeans)...funny thing is, he was not taken very seriously by the audience, due to his attire. Jeans, a t-shirt and Birkenstocks-now, that would have been the ticket! Lots of fun (mostly California-based companies in high tech,IT, biotech) don't have a dress-code and they are able to attract and retain the creative types needed to succeed today.
  20. Sue City from Ottawa, Canada writes: "This week marks the first anniversary of this column and I, for one, have been amazed by how much ground there is to cover when it comes to work attire."

    Me too. Will you shut up about it already.
  21. Nolan Cody from Calgary, Canada writes: Rachel has it exactly right when it comes to Calgary. Monday through Thursday are business casual days, Friday is JEANS ONLY day.

    I recently had a job interview on a Friday. I gave it serious thought, and decided to wear blue jeans. As I anticipated my interviewer was wearing blue jeans, and I got the job.

    There is a law firm in my building, and most of the Laywers are wearing jeans on Friday.

    The nickname is Cowtown, we might as well enjoy the perks that come along with that.
  22. stand up mimi from Vancouver, Canada writes: Arron D from Ottawa, Canada writes: "what kind of lunatic pays over $100 for a pair of jeans? I get all squirrelly thinking of even buying 501's retail. Must be nice to be rich, good looking and stupid."

    501s are not what they used to be. They are no more durable than any other pair of jeans that are manufactured in China (whether that is the fault of the factory or the designer is not the issue). It's not easy to find a decent pair of jeans any more, thanks to market forces that are ever downgrading our clothing to throwaway quality. So if a good pair of jeans cost $100 or so I'll buy them, provided they really are well made. And I'll wear them at work, since there is no benefit to dressing up in my current office. Nobody cares.
  23. The Religious Left from Canada writes:
    When did wearing a suit become a bad thing instead of something you could be proud to wear? When I went to work I dressed well. I had a few suits that fit me and felt great. I believe they made me look good and professional as well. I never observed casual Fridays, simply because I was already wearing exactly what I wanted: a good looking professional suit. A well tailored suit is just as comfortable as a T-shirt, and makes the statement that you come to a job to work.

    I have plenty of time to sit around my house in a T-shirt and smoke pot and play video games.
  24. Was Canadian from New York, United States writes: I like having a seperate wardrobe for work - it keeps work from 'infecting' my home life (and vice versa). I don't wear the same clothes to work that I wear at home - even if working in the office on weekends.
    I don't think being "dressing down" is synonymous with creativity; it is probably more closely tied to lack of fashion sense, or laziness.
  25. M D from Ottawa, Canada writes: Cow Town: But when you are wearing cowboy boots with a suit, that is the biggest redneck giveaway.
  26. Jim Rock from Toronto, Canada writes: More of Amy's useless drivel. Who cares what a small percentage of Torontonians think is "proper". It's simply a vain attempt to self define something so they can see them selves superior to most other folks. These rules of "proper attire" apply to maybe 1% of the people in Toronto and round down to 0% looking at the whole country. These are not universally applicable rules.
  27. P N from Edmonton, Canada writes: I am a lawyer in Edmonton. My firm is small and specializes in labour law, exclusively on the union/employee side. My clients are mostly pretty casual - no banks, insurance companies or even companies period. I wear jeans almost every day - on days where I know I am meeting with a client I will wear a tie and jacket with the jeans. I have spent a fair bit of money on jeans, but I am so much happier going to work in jeans rather than wearing dress pants and I certainly haven't spent as much on jeans as I would have on suits and pants if that was my everyday wardrobe.

    Of course, if I am in court or at another hearing, I wear a suit and I enjoy dressing up. I just don't want to dress up all the time. My clients seem fine with my style and I am comfortable that the quality of my advice and advocacy will quickly overcome any misgivings they may have about my attire.

    One issue that does come up (and it may expose the fashion elitist in me) is that there are jeans and then there are jeans. I'd like to think that I look crisp and stylish with my jeans and whatever else, but the same cannot be said for others. Also, it is a tricky thing to explain to your assistant why his or her jeans are not appropriate, but yours are ok. Unfortunately saying nothing can lead to an anything goes attitude and, in my office it more or less has. Thankfully no one has pushed the boundaries too much, but it could happen. On the other hand, I have concluded that simply banishing denim from the workplace will not make people fashionable or professional looking - they can just look unprofessional in different ways.

    So, for now I'm still wearing jeans every day.
  28. Modern Observer from Ottawa, Canada writes: Arron D from Ottawa, Canada writes: "what kind of lunatic pays over $100 for a pair of jeans? I get all squirrelly thinking of even buying 501's retail. Must be nice to be rich, good looking and stupid."

    What a depressingly familiar refrain coming from Ottawa. As much as I do love living here, in terms of grooming this is a city dominated by abysmal standards in personal dress and hairstyles for both genders. Relatively few people have much of a clue regarding what dressing well is about. So Arron D, your proud, smug comment is not a surprise.

    That said, "$100 jeans" will work where it can be appreciated, both by the wearer and those circles the wearer frequents and for many more reasons than the likes of "Arron D" will ever understand. For most places in Ottawa it would sadly be a complete waste, but it may be perfectly appropriate in many places in Montreal, Toronto, and certainly Calgary.
  29. Mary from Ajax from Georgetown, Canada writes: There's another way to look at this - and it happened to me once. I will never wear jeans again. I had a "surprise" meeting sprung on me once, unplanned, and with some of the bigwigs of the company in attendance. Two of us had jeans and the rest were in suits.

    Nope. No jeans for me.
  30. Ed Long from white Rock, Canada writes: I'm west coast, small beach town ... jeans are okay if worn with a jacket/suit/sports .... casual type non-jean pants are more the regular wear in my real estate office ... I wore dress pants, shirt and tie today .... some people thought I was doing a big deal, some thought I was due in court.

    I prefer dress pants, wool and blends, and whatever top.

    Jeans remind me I'm on my time and relaxing.
  31. E Dome from Toonieville, Canada writes: I work in the head office of a large company. Tech graduate, PhD, etc. Jeans are my uniform, with a decent shirt, sometimes sweather. I never wear anything but jeans, including during meetings with CEO. If you have to hide behind some ironed textile, you did not come prepared to that meeting.
  32. J Alfred Prufrock from Calgary, Canada writes: Sadly, the president of our company hails from Toronto - no casual Fridays here! Our company is certainly the exception rather than the rule, and I think we look pompous in our suits when meeting with others in their casual-wear.

    C'est la guerre...
  33. Bill Smith from The wilds of the GTA, Canada writes: Funny how denim causes controversy in the workplace. As for high end jeans, I used be a fan of the GAP but after trying on a middle higher end brand and I looked so much better in them and the pants were cut with a much better grade of denim than what you will find in a mall brand.

    I think what should be put forth is don't look like a slob. you can wear jeans with a dress shirt, loafers or brogues and sports jacket or fine knit sweater and look really on the ball. I have been in meetings with people who looked like they slept in their formal business attire and it left me shaking my head.

    A real fashion crime in the workplace is novelty ties.
  34. Josiah Smith from Japan writes: $220 for a pair of jeans!? What, have the makers started paying their sweatshop workers a decent wage?

    But seriously, suits and related office wear have nothing realistically to do with professionalis and everything to do with power relations. I have more expensive clothing than you, therefore, I am superior to you. I wear what the boss wears, and so he is more likely to favour me than he is you.

    The lawyer in the areticle said to always dress equal to or a notch above the people you are meeting. The purpose is to put you in a dominant position.

    Japan's government organizations have 'Cool Biz' from June through September, where we don't have to wear neck ties. Does my ability to do my job suddenly drop because I don't have a piece of cloth or silk around my neck and my body temperature has dropped two degrees? No.

    But some people insist that's not professional. I guess professionalism has nothing to do with skill, attitude or behaviour, and everything to do with slavish imitation of the clothing style of the people on top.
  35. Harbinger from Out West from Prince George, Canada writes: The price of a pair of denim blue jeans? It is called mark up. Mark up makes the world go around. The fancier and more expensive rent and atmosphere definately dictates mark up. On everything. Hooray fer capitalism. 'Cept fer the oil companies.
  36. Jimmy K from Toronto, Canada writes: No. Any dude buying seven or true religon is way too stylish (and rich) to waste time reading this article. They don't need your help.

    Stick to the basics, Amy.
  37. sheila valentine from Canada writes: I have never considered jeans appropriate office wear and it is not really what you wear but how you wear it.Jeans were meant to be casual and are too casual to have the class a business suit has the same as sandles and clogs and bare feet are not as appropriate as a good pump with dress nylons not bare legs.Nor are tank tops meant to be office but they are sport wear casual so if worn a blouse should cover the parts they don't..That said there are offices that require casual such as shipping/handling non client meet/greet types so if tehse garments save wear and tear and are priority so be it.Unfortunately what you wear as a woman in a work environment says a lot.If men must wear suit and ties take the hint and dress office.Pride in dress denotes pride in work to some.
  38. this is just my opinion from Toronto, Canada writes: Josiah Smith from Japan writes: ...suits and related office wear have nothing realistically to do with professionalism and everything to do with power relations. I have more expensive clothing than you, therefore, I am superior to you. I wear what the boss wears, and so he is more likely to favour me than he is you.

    The lawyer in the article said to always dress equal to or a notch above the people you are meeting. The purpose is to put you in a dominant position.

    Well put, Josiah! I'm surprised that you're the only person (including Amy Verner) to mention this. If it's Tuesday then the guy in Hugo Boss can tell the Tip Top guy what to do. If it's casual Friday then the guy wearing Seven can tell the Levis guy what to do. Nothing changes except the fabric.
  39. Archie 1954 from Vancouver, Canada writes: I am a business consultant in Vancouver who wears jeans all the time at work but not blue jeans. I wear brown, black and beige and I must admit that if I have booked a meeting I wear a suit that day. I just feel much more comfortable in jeans.
  40. Jeri Ann from The Suburb, Canada writes: A good personality is the best dress code.
  41. Bruce Banner from Toronto, Canada writes: The Religious Left from Canada writes: "I have plenty of time to sit around my house in a T-shirt and smoke pot and play video games." Well said indeed sir!

    Peter Walker writes: "$25, no more for a good lasting pair of jeans." It is impossible to find anything "good" and "lasting" for $25. You must be referring to a pair of your cheesy Wranglers. You probably wear white sweat socks with black dress pants.

    I have never understood the concept of "Casual Fridays" - even with the contribution to charity. I always felt that it was some token gesture by senior management to placate the plebes who squirm in suits like they are on a pew in their Sunday best. I guess it depends on your line of work but, for me, jeans at work is a slippery slope to a slovenly appearance and an indolent attitude. First jeans, next you can't be bothered with fashion worries until you wind up on the other end of a teleconference in Canmore wearing a bathrobe. Shudder...
  42. John McMortimer-Boyles from An Undisclosed Underground Location Safe From Nuclear Attack, Canada writes: Yes, I have to agree with the comments of some on $100 jeans.

    I get all mine at Marks Work Wearhouse for under $30 a pair, and they seem to last forever. I don't see much point in paying double that or more for a designer label that does the same job.

    While we do have a casual Friday where I can wear jeans, the thing I like most about where I work is I don't have to wear a tie.
  43. Miss Lam from Toronto, Canada writes: This is curious - most comments are left by men!
    I work in an architectural office and when we aren't meeting a client or making a presentation, jeans of any colour are ok, on any level of management. Dressing with some attitude is fine in our office as long as we are tidy (nothing hanging out) and for most part is a welcome change. I mix it up from approachable casual (including jeans) to business attire. For most people here, suits in our office only make an appearance when meeting the big clients.
  44. J.C. Davies from Canada writes:
    "For most people here, suits in our office only make an appearance when meeting the big clients. "

    And how dooes this make the "little" clients feel?
  45. Andrea L. from Ottawa, Canada writes: I definitely wear jeans to work: as an administrator who is constantly into filing cabinets, changing toner cartridges, handling lots of paper and doing lots of running around in general, I am not about to spend hundreds of dollars for a suit that could be ruined in a matter of minutes (and don't get me started on how bad all the dry-cleaning can be for both the wallet and the environment).

    I wear a combination of tailored items (jackets, dresses and suiting separates - I'm not a total slob), knits (sweaters, wraps) and more casual pieces (ie jeans). When I am ready to move up the corporate ladder, I will change my look to suit the position I am looking to land. In the meantime, my look is tailored enough to show that I mean business and relaxed enough to maintain approachability, which is key in my line of work.
  46. Rachel Jerome from Calgary, Canada writes: By the way, the Gap (and many others) cuts their jeans in stacks in the factory. That is why they are so cheap. Yes $60 for jeans is cheap. Because they are cut in stacks, the bottom pair is larger than the top pair. That is why you can't go buy size X and get the same feel every time. So being someone whose legs, behind and other pairs are not made out of a cookie cutter why should be jeans be those of the masses!

    Calgary money does buy you better jeans AND my friends, that is our best kept secret.

Comments are closed

Thanks for your interest in commenting on this article, however we are no longer accepting submissions. If you would like, you may send a letter to the editor.

Report an abusive comment to our editorial staff

close

Alert us about this comment

Please let us know if this reader’s comment breaks the editor's rules and is obscene, abusive, threatening, unlawful, harassing, defamatory, profane or racially offensive by selecting the appropriate option to describe the problem.

Do not use this to complain about comments that don’t break the rules, for example those comments that you disagree with or contain spelling errors or multiple postings.

Back to top