What to Wear for Class Presentation

[UTVol085]

I have a senior-level international management course that requires us to act like a "highly paid consultants" for a board of directors for a company (our group has Ritz Carlton). The dress is described as professional business casual. The thing is, students at my school can't dress. They think "dressing up" means tucking a polo or button up shirt into a pair of khakis with deck shoes. Sometimes it's almost pitiful how poorly they dress, especially since we're finance and international business majors and many kids at my school have money.

The professor always wears a suit for these things though, and sometimes during class. Would it look bad to wear a three piece, because I don't own any "business casual" clothes like regular khakis or polo shirts and deck shoes. All my clothes are either casual (jeans and t-shirts, etc...) or pretty nice suits, which a consultant would wear during this situation.

What should I do? Drop the waistcoat or the jacket and tie all together?

 

[HomerJ]

Definitely wear a suit and tie. Drop the waistcoat.

 

[overdog]

Regular khakis and polos are not business casual, they are casual. Business casual is a dress shirt with or without tie, dress trousers, and sport coat.

 

[metaphacts]

"The thing is, students at my school can't dress. They think "dressing up" means tucking a polo or button up shirt into a pair of khakis with deck shoes. Sometimes it's almost pitiful how poorly they dress, especially since we're finance and international business majors and many kids at my school have money."

I believe this is due hearing Rocky Top 1,797 times in a 2 hour time frame. It's either that or overexposure to the wrong shade of orange.

 

[Brian278]

Originally Posted by overdog

Regular khakis and polos are not business casual, they are casual. Business casual is a dress shirt with or without tie, dress trousers, and sport coat.
Business casual does not mean sportcoat or tie, at least they certainly aren't required anymore.

 

[bowtielover]

You should one up your professor, so unless he wears a waistcoat I would just wear the jacket and tie. Don't let the other studens make you feel over dressed, they are under dressed and are only jealous because you know more about dressing for the ocasion then they do. Hopeful they will see how nice you look in your suit and will be led by great example.

 

[Connemara]

Originally Posted by bowtielover

You should one up your professor,
What a brilliant idea.

 

[lawyerdad]

It's pretty clear bowtielover just dropped a "not".

 

[FidelCashflow]

Originally Posted by bowtielover

Don't let the other studens make you feel over dressed, they are under dressed and are only jealous because you know more about dressing for the ocasion then they do.
+1. Wear a tuxedo with huge tails to show those f****rs who's boss!

 

[ms244]

Originally Posted by FidelCashflow

+1. Wear a tuxedo with huge tails to show those f****rs who's boss!

Don't forget the monocle and the top hat, and possibly a cane if you are in the labor intensive industries.

 

[UTVol085]

Don't forget the monocle and the top hat, and possibly a cane if you are in the labor intensive industries.

Reminds me of a piece about the poor on "The Daily Show" where the guy wore a white tie tux with tails.
http://www.thedailyshow.com/video/in...tragically-hip

Haha, I forgot my username obviously alluded to my school! I think it all goes back to high school where kids hated to wear suits, thinking it's funny to wear birkenstock clogs with khakis to "semi-formal" dances.

The prof. did say something to the effect "so on presentation day you all come in with your three piece suits looking sharp and get to feel like an exec", which made me think I'd get another opportunity to wear a suit. Really do like wearing them after buying two custom made ones in Korea a few months back. The best bet may be to convince my team to wear them...

 

[Frrrank]

Don't let the other students make you feel over dressed, they are under dressed

I couldn't concur more strongly with BowTieLover. In high school, and later in college, when I was in bow ties daily and suits any time I could come up with even a fraction of an excuse (I would say there were many more days I was IN a suit with my bow ties than not, depending on the temperature and time of year), I felt PROPERLY dressed, never OVERdressed. Even today, in the puked-down standards of "business casual," a grotesquery if ever there was one, I'm in my suits and bow ties, regardless of how many khaki-sporting, polo-shirt-clad philistines with whom I'm required to associate. Frrrank

 

[MrDaniels]

Wear the jacket and pants...save the vest for a big date. Be sure to wear a REAL business shirt, not some button-down from The Gap. Wear a smart-looking tie with the proper knot for the collar and shiny black shoes. Get an A.

 

[LabelKing]

I would wear a discreet flower like a pink carnation, not quite as bright as a red carnation.

 

[Canadian]

As somebody who's wore professional clothes since freshman year of university, get as dressed up as you can for a presentation without going into formal wear.

You will feel better about yourself if you look good, and professors may let a few minor gaffes slide if they see you put a degree of thought into how you look.

At minimum, a charcoal grey suit is appropriate, probably with a tie.

Canadian