Account Handling Prêt à Porter

Mike, you asked me for a question to start your blog off. I know you are wanting to encourage serious debate but let me be a bit left of field and get to the root of what’s bugging me. Maybe I am getting old but I am not sure our younger account handlers have quite got the measure of what they should be wearing in client meetings. Particularly the guys. Does anyone else find this? Any advice?

OK, interesting question particularly for you. I remember a few years ago some of my female industry friends felt it was inappropriate for some girls in agencies to be wearing crop-tops at work. But I don’t remember you, my friend, getting on the barricades about this. So with this knowledge I will be taking a more balanced view in my answer. And sorry ladies I might just limit myself to what I know but I would encourage you to give me your views on the female perspective. So here goes...

Let’s face it. It’s been 10 years since the start of the decline of the tie in agencies. And although Mark Jacobs and friends have reintroduced it in the skinny form as a sort of “nouvelle vague” new wave, it hasn’t led to wholesale re-adoption. When someone proposed the theory of ties would come back in with the recession, I was interested in whether the theory would have as much credence as the one about length of women’s skirts and the health of the economy. But considering the acuteness of the crunch in certain agency disciplines, I see no change - the theory does not float. In fact the lack of tie thing has impacted on the wearing of suits by account handlers.

Surely modern times require modern thinking? Or, in other words, we need a dress code to suit the time we operate in. And we operate in a post-modernist world - full of fragmentation and cross-referencing. We are a result of where we have come from and what is currently happening to break down the old barriers- and it doesn't feel reversible.

Though , you are definitely not alone in your comments. At one agency I went into recently, one of the directors was complaining about the scruffiness of one of his account directors and I had to agree with him. But with the current vogue for beards, the mishmash themes of the high street and shoe-systems which were developed for rugged treks of the Andes, it is easy to appear like a colour-blind devotee of Joaquin Phoenix fresh from the Inca trail.

Having worked in a very informal agency with a mix of quite formal clients, I have seen the potential minefield that you are alluding to. My only sartorial tips are 1) always get the shoes right, 2) dress for expectations and 3) don’t confuse the concepts of fashion and style.

The shoe thing is funny as I don’t immediately check out people’s shoes but am one of these people who think you can tell quite a lot from shoes. I know that when I looked down at the shoes of quite an impressive agency CEO, I recognised in them the scuffs and flaws from his playground childhood. And, as I say, I do not seek shoes out but I know loads of people who do.

Dressing according to people’s expectations is not just about varying your clothes for meetings at the client offices but if you have a boss like you, my friend, one needs to know what signals are being given out by one's attire.

And getting fashion to work in a stylish way is an art in itself - colleagues and I amuse ourselves in surreal discussions about current use of double-denim in streetwear. Anyway I do not feel qualified to offer up state of art advice in this area other than what I have said in relation to clients and colleagues but I will end this post by referring to one of my favourite photo blogs who definitely understands style and where fashion fits into it: thesartorialist.blogspot.com

...and if you are still struggling with the reference to Joaquin Phoenix you may want to check out this as well...