THE PROBLEM 问题
I've recently got a new boss who differs from the old one in what he wears. He has abandoned suits in favour of linen jackets and khaki trousers and no tie. My team mates have stopped wearing ties as well and are in chinos and open-necked shirts. I object to this as:
我最近有了一位新老板，他的穿着和原来那位很不一样。他不穿西装，喜欢穿亚麻夹克和卡其布长裤，而且不打领带。团队中的男同事也已经不打领带了，他们现在穿斜纹棉布裤和开领衬衫。我反对这种做法，因为： 【职场点睛】喜怒无常的投行老板
a) they look terrible; b) they are guilty of brown-nosing; and c) my suits are expensive and I like wearing them. So far I am sticking to my guns, but increasingly I feel that I stick out from the others. Does this matter?
1）他们看上去很糟糕；
2）他们犯了阿谀奉承的毛病；
3）我的西装很贵，而且我喜欢穿。
迄今为止，我还是固执己见，但我觉得自己和其他人的距离越来越远了。这要紧吗？
LUCY'S ANSWER
Yes, it does matter. All offices have uniforms, just as all schools do. In some schools the uniform is so strict that you get a detention if your tie knot is too loose. In others there is no stated uniform but every pupil knows that the dress stakes are high: they are judged not just by their brand of sweatpants but by precisely how low-slung they are.
是的，这非常要紧。所有的办公室都有制服，就像所有的学校都有校服一样。有些学校对校服的要求非常严格，如果你的领带结太松，就会被留堂。还有一些学校没有规定的校服，但每个学生都知道对服饰的要求很高：判断它们的不仅仅是运动裤的牌子，确切地讲，是看腰裤到底低到什么程度。
Your old boss wisely insisted on a strict uniform, which was easy as everyone knew what to wear and, as long as their suits weren't too ill-fitting, everyone could look relatively nice. Your new boss has swept away the old code by breaking it himself. But that doesn't mean he has eliminated rules. There are rules, only they are harder to read.
你原来的老板精明地选择了坚持穿制服。这很容易，因为所有人都知道该穿什么，只要他们的套装不是太不合身，每个人看起来都相对比较精神。而你的新老板亲自将过去的规范一扫而空。但这并不意味着他排除了规定的存在。其实是有规定的，只是它们比较难理解。
Your colleagues have decided to take no risks in simply dressing like him. I can quite believe they look horrible - "business casual" is a hideous phrase for a hideous look. But I don't agree that they are sucking up. They are just belonging, which is what success in offices is all about.
你的同事决定不冒任何风险，简单地和他穿类似的衣服。我非常相信，他们看起来会比较恐怖--"商务休闲"是为可怕装束创造的一个可怕短语。但我不同意他们吸纳了这种做法。他们只是在追随，这是在办公室获得成功的全部所在。
Your boss won't be looking at their chinos and thinking: great trousers, great chap, I want to promote him. Instead he won't be thinking about their chinos at all, which is what one wants. If, by contrast, you continue in the old uniform, your suits become a statement. They say that you are conservative, formal and a stickler.
你的老板不会看着他们的斜纹棉布裤想：很不错的裤子，很不错的小伙子，我想升他的职。相反，他根本就不会考虑他们的斜纹棉布裤（或许那个人想这样）。形成对比的是，如果你继续穿原来的制服，那么你的西装就会成为一种代言。它们说明你保守、正式，而且固执己见。
Possibly this is your image, and it works for you. If you can make a virtue of difference, stick with it. Otherwise I would go out and buy the nicest smart casual clothes you can find.
或许这就是你的形象，它对你起作用。如果你想与众不同，那就坚持。要不就出去买些你能找到的最好看的休闲装。
Keep your suits, though. I predict that the pendulum is about to swing back. In fact this new boss of yours is a couple of seasons behind the fashion. I bet the next boss will bring back strict uniform as the first thing he does.
不过，留着你的西装。我预计钟摆会摆回来的。实际上，你的这位新老板就是时尚背后的流行季。我敢打赌，下一位老板要做的第一件事就是把严格的制服带回来。
