Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear? Forum

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by Anonymous User » Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:21 pm

ToTransferOrNot wrote:bus cas does mean polo, at some places. Not for this interview though.

Slacks, dress shirt w/o tie, blazer is pretty much the only credited response here.
OP here. How essential is the blazer? I have one that's a bit beat up. Am I okay going into the interview with just shirt sleeves?

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by ToTransferOrNot » Sat Aug 21, 2010 9:23 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
ToTransferOrNot wrote:bus cas does mean polo, at some places. Not for this interview though.

Slacks, dress shirt w/o tie, blazer is pretty much the only credited response here.
OP here. How essential is the blazer? I have one that's a bit beat up. Am I okay going into the interview with just shirt sleeves?
Every guy should have a good navy blazer anyway - go buy one that isn't beat up. That said, no blazer > visibly beat-up blazer.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by mbw » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:00 pm

I went looking for a picture, but forgot how to link it (duh)...

There's a pic, and description, on this page: http://www.focusonstyle.com/In-Focus/Fa ... othesstyle

Essentially, slacks, blazer, dress shirt with or without a tie. I'm old school (being, well, old and all,) so I would go with tie - although a more casual style.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by clintonius » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:44 pm

mbw wrote:I went looking for a picture, but forgot how to link it (duh)...

There's a pic, and description, on this page: http://www.focusonstyle.com/In-Focus/Fa ... othesstyle

Essentially, slacks, blazer, dress shirt with or without a tie. I'm old school (being, well, old and all,) so I would go with tie - although a more casual style.
That web site uses a photo of Steven Seagal to illustrate "approachable, conscientious, less authoritative, flexible, and relaxed." Don't listen to it. (Also, you don't need a jacket for business casual, though it won't hurt, as long as you avoid ties and make sure it's a blazer with slacks instead of a suit)

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kazu

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by kazu » Sat Aug 21, 2010 11:51 pm

clintonius wrote:]That web site uses a photo of Steven Seagal to illustrate "approachable, conscientious, less authoritative, flexible, and relaxed."
:lol:

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by smokyroom26 » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:14 am

Anonymous User wrote:OP here. This is anonymous because this is probably the only firm at my school's OCI with this dress code so it would out me as having a CB with the firm.

It's going to be hot as hell where I'm interviewing so I'm not going to wear a blazer. Is this a faux paus? I'll wear a long-sleeved shirt, but I have a feeling the partners interviewing me will look at me like I'm retarded if I wear a jacket or blazer.

What I'll wear: blue shirt, black slacks and shoes, black belt, superman underwear

edit: and, of course, black socks

Thumbs up.

Don't wear a blazer if it's a million degrees out.

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vamedic03

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by vamedic03 » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:33 am

Action Jackson wrote:
vamedic03 wrote:
Anonymous User wrote:dress shirt, slacks, dress shoes, no tie, no jacket?
No. You should wear dress shirt, slacks, tie, and sports coat or blazer - this will certainly meet or exceed their expectations of business casual. Its always better to be better dressed than you need to be rather than underdressed.
Not really. If they say business casual and you show up wearing a tie that means you either didn't read the email/listened to their instructions or you're SUPER stuffy. If you're lucky the first person that sees might mention that you didn't need the tie and you can take it off, but if not you might come off looking poorly.
This is BS - a tie isn't super stuffy and, honestly, is often times part of business casual... Maybe west coast it'd be OK to not have a tie...

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by romothesavior » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:06 pm

vamedic03 wrote:
This is BS - a tie isn't super stuffy and, honestly, is often times part of business casual... Maybe west coast it'd be OK to not have a tie...
Eh... for what the OP will be wearing (dress slacks, a dress shirt, and possibly a blazer), a tie instantly turns that into NOT business casual.

OP, follow the instructions. Do not wear a tie. If you really want to be safe, I guess you could put a tie in your inside pocket of the blazer and put it on if you get a chance and you feel the need. But this place is saying to go with business casual, so go with business casual.

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ms9

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by ms9 » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:21 pm

Exactly what romothesavior said.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:22 pm

OP - if the firm is Quinn Emanuel, then I wouldn't over think it. They have no dress code - so they were just recommending business casual so you don't feel out of place when you visit. The people interviewing you will likely be in jeans, shorts, and flip-flops. No need to wear a blazer if you don't want to.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by hiro86 » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:27 pm

When going through recruiting in undergrad, business casual meant dress shirt with dress pants, no tie and no jacket (for 99% of the guys). There was one kid that wore a jacket to interviews that were business casual and he definitely stood out, but not in a good way. I understand that law is supposed to more formal or whatever, but you can't go wrong with straightforward business casual. Wearing a jacket is totally unnecessary and is much more likely to be out of place. I've never heard of a workplace that is business casual where a lot of people still wear jackets. And also, a tie is not part of any business casual that I have seen.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by iiifly » Sun Aug 22, 2010 12:37 pm

OK let me inject me two cents into this. Background: I am involved in hiring decisions at a consulting firm which I still work for full time (I attend LS part time).

It is best to not over dress and at the same time not to under dress either. Think of it as a bell shaped curve with the middle being the points you get for matching the firm's style. The more you over dress the less points you get, and the more you under dress the less points you'll get (OK, perhaps you'll get penalized more on the under dressing side of the spectrum). WITH THAT SAID, find out what their dress code is and match it exactly - and you will have an UNDUE advantage over other candidates that sets you apart. It's subconscious, it'll make them feel like you fit right in to their "style."

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by dougroberts » Sun Aug 22, 2010 2:14 pm

Perhaps you could go with a Dress shirt (preferably white with light square outlines -- makes you look smart), and high-quality wool v-neck sweater on top (color matching the square outlines), and charcoal gray slacks. No tie.

Sort of like this man:
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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by ClerkGuy2010 » Sun Aug 22, 2010 3:34 pm

What city? Business casual in San Fran means something different than business casual in NYC.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by Pearalegal » Sun Aug 22, 2010 3:47 pm

This has gotten out of hand. In the vast majority of the country, business casual means slacks, with a button down shirt and leather belt and shoes. I've been to big law firms all over the country, and this is what the men wear in almost all of them on a day-to-day basis.

Make sure you're clean and not wrinkled, you'll be fine. Its hot as heck, so a blazer is actually a faux pas. Plus, you'll be sweaty and icky, and that's never a good impression.

Don't wear a tie.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by nematoad » Sun Aug 22, 2010 3:53 pm

ToTransferOrNot wrote:
Renzo wrote:1. Put on a suit

2. Pretend you just got out of work, and you're going to meet the guys for a beer, but you don't have time to change

3. Remove the amount of clothing you feel would be appropriate for such an occasion

4. There! You're business casual!
No. Wearing a full suit without a tie just looks hokey. Bus cas = non-"suited" pants/jacket.
well then you'd be one of few to leave your jacket on when you're hangin with your brosers. aren't suit pants pretty much the same thing as slacks? I actually really like this renzo.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by Anonymous User » Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:12 pm

ClerkGuy2010 wrote:What city? Business casual in San Fran means something different than business casual in NYC.
OP here. We're talkin west coast business casual

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by The Real Jack McCoy » Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:15 pm

clintonius wrote:
mbw wrote:I went looking for a picture, but forgot how to link it (duh)...

There's a pic, and description, on this page: http://www.focusonstyle.com/In-Focus/Fa ... othesstyle

Essentially, slacks, blazer, dress shirt with or without a tie. I'm old school (being, well, old and all,) so I would go with tie - although a more casual style.
That web site uses a photo of Steven Seagal to illustrate "approachable, conscientious, less authoritative, flexible, and relaxed."Don't listen to it. (Also, you don't need a jacket for business casual, though it won't hurt, as long as you avoid ties and make sure it's a blazer with slacks instead of a suit)
Also an acceptable response.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by nematoad » Sun Aug 22, 2010 4:18 pm

Anonymous User wrote:
ClerkGuy2010 wrote:What city? Business casual in San Fran means something different than business casual in NYC.
OP here. We're talkin west coast business casual
o well in that case just check out http://www.jcrew.com it's fun to be fashionable.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by underdawg » Sun Aug 22, 2010 5:41 pm

i prefer to wear shirt + tie but no jacket. i thought biz-cas means dress shirt and pants + either (1) nothing, (2) tie, (3) jacket.

iuno
Last edited by underdawg on Sun Jan 28, 2018 12:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by CG614 » Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:14 am

I can't believe this thread has 40+ posts. Sometimes, I feel like law students lack common sense. Don't sweat the small stuff, your choice of outfit, if at a minimum appropriate, will not be nearly as important as your charisma. The fact that you are stressing this small detail so much, does not give me confidence that you will fit in with their more laid back approach to firm life. Best of luck.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by vamedic03 » Mon Aug 23, 2010 8:39 am

CG614 wrote:I can't believe this thread has 40+ posts. Sometimes, I feel like law students lack common sense. Don't sweat the small stuff, your choice of outfit, if at a minimum appropriate, will not be nearly as important as your charisma. The fact that you are stressing this small detail so much, does not give me confidence that you will fit in with their more laid back approach to firm life. Best of luck.
Really?! Thanks for the 0L advice... OCI and CB's are extremely stressful regardless of the firm culture, and, even firms that are business casual don't necessarily take a "laid back approach"

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by PKSebben » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:25 am

iiifly wrote:OK let me inject me two cents into this. Background: I am involved in hiring decisions at a consulting firm which I still work for full time (I attend LS part time).

It is best to not over dress and at the same time not to under dress either. Think of it as a bell shaped curve with the middle being the points you get for matching the firm's style. The more you over dress the less points you get, and the more you under dress the less points you'll get (OK, perhaps you'll get penalized more on the under dressing side of the spectrum). WITH THAT SAID, find out what their dress code is and match it exactly - and you will have an UNDUE advantage over other candidates that sets you apart. It's subconscious, it'll make them feel like you fit right in to their "style."
the capitalization and the use of the word "undue" in this post makes me lol. I like how people go to law school and everything they write has to include words they learned this year. If he learns the firm culture and does something that matches it, it's not really an "undue" advantage. It's certainly not an UNDUE advantage.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by ClerkGuy2010 » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:28 am

Anonymous User wrote:
ClerkGuy2010 wrote:What city? Business casual in San Fran means something different than business casual in NYC.
OP here. We're talkin west coast business casual
Then I can't imagine that even a tie or blazer is necessary. A nice button-up shirt with black slacks will be plenty and will look really sharp.

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Re: Firm told me to wear business casual to a CB. What to wear?

Post by Stanford4Me » Mon Aug 23, 2010 11:29 am

CG614 wrote:I'd wear something business casual.

Seriously? What are you waiting for?

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