Dressed for Success

Business attire has changed somewhat over the last couple years.  Golf shirts for both men and women, often referred to as “business casual,” have become the norm in many places.

One thing that has not changed for men is the status associated with a jacket – maybe more outside the workplace than in it.

For example, volunteers who help put on college football bowl games wear matching jackets to help identify them.  For the upcoming Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, the jacket is yellow.

Country clubs often require their members to wear a jacket to get inside.  The Master’s Golf Tournament awards a green jacket to its champion, matching what Augusta Country Club’s members wear.  The winner of the PGA’s RBC Heritage and its Colonial tourneys each receive a plaid jacket.  At Bay Hill, it’s a red jacket.

The Tour de France has a leader’s jacket that signifies who’s in first place.

Inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame are given a prestigious gold jacket.

In each of these examples, the person wearing the jacket has somehow earned it.  It’s a subtle way of communicating success.  Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.