My Brother's Keeper

George B., a native New Yorker, is a 31 year young Operations Manager for a top REIT.
He graduated from an HBCU with a degree in mechanical engineering, and as a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Aside from his experience on television, stage, and film, he has over 10 year experience working in an engineering related field as well as a couple of years working “Wall Street.” Currently residing in Howard County, MD, George B. is a professional, a husband, and active in his community. In his spare time he enjoys a variety of activities such as golf, writing poetry, building computers, and working on his amateur stand up comedy routine.

“I am here to share my experiences, thoughts, and opinions with my brothers out there who may need to take heed. Through my life I will continue to do what I can to contribute to the better making of men”

George B., is available for speaking engagements and comments. Feel free to contact him at Georgeb06@verizon.net

 

What suits you may not be best suited

Just about everyday we stand in front of our closets and ask ourselves the same question; “What am I going to wear today?” Depending on the intended destination or agenda for the day, that answer may vary. In time I will address a number of those possible answers, but for now lets focus on Monday through Friday, 9 am to 5 pm shall we?

Obviously there an insurmountable amount of jobs/careers that require or dictate how you answer the posed question; from works boots and jeans, a uniform, khakis and a polo shirt, to a full suit and tie; commonly referred to as “business attire.” My focus will be on “business attire,” and helping those out there who needs a little more clarity on its definition.

Let us assume that you have a job that requires you to wear a full suit. There is still a grey area that I have witnessed many men, black men, get lost in. To put it simply, just because the jacket has lapels and matches the pants does not necessarily make it acceptable in corporate America. As most professionals will tell you, the classic corporate world business attire will consist of at least 3 suits; blue, gray, and black; which can be expanded with subtleties such as pin stripes, shades, and fabrics. Add to that a pair of black shoes (a must), brown shoes (a reasonable necessity), and a pair of cordovan; and you are pretty much covered. Keep a healthy supply of white collared shirts and a decent amount of ties in the rotation, and you’ve got the basics covered.

I am not going to dive into the details of style and fashion right now. Perhaps in future articles I can get into the specifics of how to put it all together for that winning look, but for now I want to address one tragic mistake that so many of us make.

Pimps wear suits; we’ve seen the image…a green suit with a ¾ length jacket, light green shirt with the white collar and white French cuffs, silk tie that looks Versace”ish,” large cuff links with stones of all sorts, that gold plated chain tucked under the collar but dangling in front of the tie, and lets not forget the green “gators” or “skins” to bring it all together. While this may be protocol at the player’s ball, generally speaking it has no place in corporate America. Of course that is an extreme, but generally speaking the very fashionable suits you might find while browsing the Stacey Adams website won’t be found in many board rooms.

While working in the Wall Street circuit I was one of a few black men in a large crowd of financial advisors, institutional investors, and mutual fund wholesalers. Sitting on my right was one of the VPs of my company (a white guy) and to my left, a brother in a tan suit with red pinstripes, one of those ties, a multicolored shirt, and a pair of gaudy cuff links…and of course he was rockin’ his “skins” (looked like he stuck his foot into the ass of a brown alligator and came to work). The VP says to me, “check out his outfit, that’s cool huh?” I knew he was poking fun, but what he didn’t know was my level of embarrassment for myself, and that guy.

Of course this simple rule doesn’t apply to all situations. You may work in a high fashion industry, entertainment, or maybe you work for Stacey Adams; but for the rest of us, I think we should stick to these basic guidelines. They say “clothes don’t make the man,” while this is true they do add to the impression you make on others and those others may be making decisions about your career. Don’t let them look at you and see the cool black guy who dresses in the funky suits (that they will compliment you on and talk about when you’re not in the room).

For real my brothers; it is cool to be cool, so save those suits for when you are out on the town. When it’s time to go to work..it’s time to go to work and handle business. If necessary play the game until you can change the game.

But that’s just my opinion, I could be wrong.