East coast girls are hip, I really dig those styles they wear

I was recently copied on the following e-mail correspondence:

Last year you provided me with quite a bit of information regarding [REDACTED] that I shared with those in attendance. (I think it helped distract the crowd from the fact that I was the only guy there who didn't wear a suit.)

I have lived in California for over a quarter century now, and I have worked for tech companies for most of that time. And I am well aware that the attire that I wear here is substantially different from the attire that I would be wearing at a brokerage firm in New York City.

As I write this, I am in a "dressy" mode - namely, I have long sleeves on my dark red shirt. And my shoes even have laces.

Suit and tie? I don't think I've worn those since my father's funeral several months ago - despite the fact that I've been to church numerous times over the last several months. Yes, the churches in California are a little more casual also.

As much as I would prefer that the world valued content over appearance, I am forced to admit that if I wore my dark red shirt with no tie into certain business environments, I would not be taken seriously.

But it works the other way also. If one of my (non-executive) co-workers were to show up at my cubicle in a suit and tie, or in a business dress, my first inclination would be to ask which customer was in town. Or if the person was going to a job interview. Or if THAT person's father had died.

Attire still matters.