[muhfuhkuh]

Injecting formality into a construction site I can see: Steel-toed boots prevent smashed feet, hard hats stop brain damage, tool belts keep the floor/ground clear from obstacles.

What does a suit confer other than "you have to wear this because you do"? What are they, five years old?

[Duff]

People respect symbols of authority and perceive you as a bigshot.

I wear a suit for work when I meet with the various luminaries that I need to deal with (maybe 2-3 times a month). You get more respect. Waitresses are more attentive, and people listen to you more.

[gsharm]

It's interesting you say this. I've been experimenting with/without suits, on and off at my current place of work (an investment bank front office). What I've noticed is this:

1) If you're careful, you can get away with wearing jeans and trainers (I often wear black 501s with nike low nike cross trainers, and various casual shirts - no one really notices/cares, especially if you're in software).

2) Suits and neat shirt/trousers tend to be the "default" and perhaps signal safety/predictability more than commanding respect (which doesn't make sense since everyone wears suits around here, and everyone doesn't command everyone, so it's a shallow heuristic to use when making quick calls on people - I know some dumb people who wear suits, and smart ones who don't).

3) I've incidentally worn very casual stuff (jeans, no suit) for interviews and then actually worn suit/tie/etc on the job later, i.e. more out of curiosity/wanting to, than obedience. I do think in some ways they can be nicer to wear. If you go more into studying design concepts, you start seeing some good elements in play within the standard template of what constitutes a suit (shirt, blazer, tie, boots, cufflinks, etc). Is there a better alternative? Not sure - I loved Steve Job's outfit too, though.

Imagine the Barrack Obama whitehouse photo with him in a hoodie. It wouldn't be unthinkable for him to do this, but I'm not sure it would communicate the right message to the general public (again, perhaps it's about projecting the idea of safety, stability, predictability, etc). In that sense, suits are a good communication facilitator.

A lot of jackasses wear suits, sure, but a lot of jackasses use iPhones, for example too. It doesn't mean they're a bad thing. The bigger problem perhaps with wearing a suit is that there are so many people wearing them now, many of them doing it because other people do it, rather than because they have some pure conviction to do so, that it has become a "red ocean" strategy, which naturally goes against the flow of innovation.

[Duff]

I don't really see the big deal about suits. I look good in them, and would wear them more but for the cost of acquiring and maintaining them.

Many folks, particularly in IT, dress like muppets. We have one guy who routinely wears track suits in the office, for example. It doesn't give off a good impression.