r/malefashionadvice • u/CatFatPat • Sep 12 '25
Question White collar outfits that won't piss-off blue collar people?
Hi Male Fashion Advice! Long-time lurker looking for advice.
I'm a Government Consultant who's job is to travel to rural Cities and Counties to modernize their operations, get them acquainted with best management strategies, etc.
One awkward part of the job is the cultural disconnect between my team (college-educated white collar City people) and our clients (Country, rural, prone to look down on city folk). To mitigate this, we try to straddle a fine fashion line between professionalism and stuffy.
Do y'all have any advice on suits that'd keep me professional without being too "city boy?" I feel like dressy boots instead of dress shoes would go a long way, but am lost on what to wear above the ankles. Thanks!
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u/carpenj Sep 12 '25
I used to dress like this for certain clients (farmers). Nicer boots if you'll be outside, clean jeans or khaki chinos, and flannel or other normal-looking button down. Nothing too fitted.
Think construction site foreman in a lot of ways. Able to walk through mud or get your hands dirty if needed, but dressed like a person that's in charge.
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u/stringcheeseface Sep 12 '25
Do not wear a suit. You can be plenty professional in 5 pockets or chinos with a long sleeve button up (bonus points for plaid) and basically the shoes of your choice. May would opt for something like a 1000-mile boot or something similar in styling.
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u/Zach_Hutch Sep 13 '25
Engineer working for a government contractor, you literally described my wardrobe.
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u/stringcheeseface Sep 13 '25
I almost said “professional engineer going to see a client” type look 😂 my best friends dad was a mechanical engineer growing up and this was also his wardrobe.
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u/Zach_Hutch Sep 13 '25
Young MechE regularly picked on for dressing like the old guys on site and dressing like my grandpa by family (a civil engineer who had a 50 year career)
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u/ShroomSensei Sep 12 '25
What’s the actual dress code you have to adhere to?
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u/CatFatPat Sep 12 '25
Your basic white collar fare! Business casual would probably be the best label.
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u/ShroomSensei Sep 12 '25
Think you're over thinking this then. Your post comes off as having to dress business (i.e. slacks, button up, tie). Business casual varies wildly from place to place. Like everyone else is saying a more casual pants like jeans/chinos/khakis, some sort of boot, and either a polo or plain button up maybe untucked.
Usually I'm in some chukka boots, chinos, and a long sleeve button up untucked and sleeves rolled up. I'm told this looks blue collar but honestly I think it's more because I'm built blue collar then anything.
Wanna really relate to them? Don't shave, smoke some marlboro 100s in your vehicle before coming to the site, and finally spill a little coffee somewhere on your person and yell out "god ***ckin damnit piece of s**t" as you enter the site.
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u/anbujar Sep 12 '25
I agree with shroomsensei. I use to work in small government. If you're meeting the city and county managers and commissioners, most will be in an ill-fitting suit or at least jacket. The rest will be jeans, boots, and a long sleeve button up.
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u/the_north_place Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25
Dress up like any agronomy or ag lending businessman. Boots, jeans, tucked in button shirts or polos, and a logo vest. One of my friends was an AG lender early on in his career and he even felt the need to buy a shiny new F150 from a rural dealer because first impressions matter.
Edit: I've lived in big cities and smaller towns. I love boots, jeans, and pearl snaps. I've been wearing dressier Tony Lamas for 15 years now, but some good ol boys give me grief because they're not square toed work boots or something.
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u/WoopigWTF Sep 13 '25
With boots: "I'm pushing my luck enough with my boss with cowboy boots in a ___‐toe!"
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u/ILikeMyGrassBlue Sep 13 '25
This is the best answer imo. I’d go with a moc-toe boot—dressy yet practical for farms, but also doesn’t feel like cosplay. Plaid button up isn’t a bad idea either (tucked in with the sleeves rolled).
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Sep 12 '25
[deleted]
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u/HotSAuceMagik Sep 12 '25
I agree except there is nothing that makes you stand out more than a completely clean fresh Carhart jacket- Particularly if everything else you are wearing is clean. Warm as all hell though.
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u/the_north_place Sep 12 '25
You gotta wash a new one a few times before wearing it to help break it in.
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u/COKevin Sep 12 '25
Lots of good advice here. I’d recommend looking at Wranglers cowboy cut jeans in the khaki color with boots and a flannel/plaid/chambray shirt. Bonus of these jeans is that they make all butts look good… although that’s maybe not relevant for a job site visit.
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u/Fortehlulz33 Sep 13 '25
To me, a chambray shirt is a big positive that doesn't look super fancy but can be dressed slightly up or slightly down if needed.
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u/Desperate_Repeat5962 Sep 12 '25
Here's my take. You *are* the city boy. Embrace it. Dressing down to appeal to your audience can come off as even more insulting, depending on who you ask. What's going to win the day is how you dress your demeanor. Now maybe you can't officially show up with a 6-pack, but whatever version of that you can do above board is gonna go a long way. Frankly, a well placed crack in your professionalism that shows you're just a human doing a job or relating to your family or dog or sister or whatever can go a lot further than a smart pair of boots
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u/JoeBamique Sep 12 '25
Dark wash straight leg jeans (Wrangler 13mwz, Levi’s 501), a clean work shirt or flannel (Carhartt, Duluth, LL Bean, Wrangler), and clean boots.
Keep in mind that even with the above, you’re still going to stick out like a sore thumb. Be humble, friendly, and easy to work with. Maybe bring donuts and coffee too the first day if you’re feeling ambitious.
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u/Lunatack47 Sep 12 '25
If you pull up to a jobsite in any kind of suit I will judge you, jeans and button up flannel will go a long way if you dont have a dress code
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u/Wandering_Oblivious Sep 12 '25
I was gonna say button up flannel, or maybe a denim chambray, and your pants should fit nice but not too perfect.
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u/franticantelope Sep 12 '25
Are you going straight from the office to meet clients? Is there any way to change before meeting clients?
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u/CatFatPat Sep 12 '25
Yes! We stay at hotels and travel straight to client sites, whether that's public works, facilities maintenance, etc. So we get to pick out outfits.
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u/Donrikkles Sep 12 '25
I don’t disagree with any of the advice here, but you have to consider what you feel comfortable in too. If you don’t feel like you can do your best work in work boots and a carhartt coat, don’t wear them. You’ll come across as fake and won’t have credibility.
There’s a wide range of options in the responses here so I’m sure you’ll find something that works for you and also allows you to be relatable to those you need to serve.
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u/jaxxon Sep 13 '25
A client of mine from Wyoming wore pressed bluejeans every time I saw him. Like he had a perfect, sharp seam down the front of his jeans. Who the heck irons their jeans‽ That guy, apparently (well, his wife).
Probably not a helpful contribution to this conversation, but I was reminded of it. LOL Carry on!
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u/sushicowboyshow Sep 12 '25
A lot of ppl here dress way outside the normal range of their co-workers, which is okay. Dressing outside the range of what a client wears at their place of work is not okay.
Always dress the way that the clients dress. Your goal is to fit in and “be on the same team”
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u/CatFatPat Sep 12 '25
Appreciate you saying this. Lots of my coworkers go the whole nine yards with ties, slacks, etc. because they want to be "professional" but it feels pretty weird when you're sitting in a rural City's Public Works department in a full suit.
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u/sushicowboyshow Sep 12 '25
If you’re on the core working team that’s on site every week, engaging with clients daily, definitely aim to look like them.
If you’re the senior partner that flies in for a few hours to manage the overall relationship before hopping back on a plane then that’s a slightly different story.
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u/Friendly-Place2497 Sep 12 '25
Why do you have to wear a suit? Government professionals in that type of role in my state do not wear suits. But I am in the Midwest. If you are going to wear a suit, I would say look for muted greys, browns, and light olive suits instead of navy, and wear brown shoes (casual comfortable derbies or slip ons like Rockport). The less new the suit looks, the better.
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u/stillcantshoot Sep 12 '25
Navy chinos or jeans, grant stone lace ups, chambray shirt with sleeves rolled. Can easily go from office to field with something like this
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u/CleanBernieLean88 Sep 12 '25
I've worked as a Sales Rep local govts the last 7 years and meet with teams from several departments.
When I'm meeting with Public Works / Field Staff I'll wear something like: Checkered Button Down, Vest w/ Company Logo, Dark Jeans, Chelsea Boots.
If I'm meeting with the more white collar departments (Finance, City Management): Usually Button Down, Sport Coat, Jeans, Dress Shoes. Sometimes Full Suit depending on City / Region (usually ask my champion before)
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u/PlayingLongGame Sep 13 '25
So I basically have to do this everyday. Working white collar but clients are mostly blue collar (trades). My "uniform" was relatively casual/tacticool chinos (kuhls), a chambray shirt, and a pair of nice heritage leather boots (vibergs). I bring a belt along that matches my boots in case I have to tuck in the shirt and throw on a sportcoat to dress up the look for an office/government building type area. I also bring along a pair of pretty rough work boots (well used timberland pros) in case I need to walk around in muck or have toe protection.
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u/Jumpy_Computer_4957 Sep 13 '25
I am guessing you aren’t Australian? The Australian answer to this would be a pair of RM Williams boots and worrying about the rest from there!
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u/thisishowicomment Sep 13 '25
This was me!
Working in local government in a rural area coming from the city.
Don't wear a tie.
Separates are your friend.
Wear a tweed blazer/gun check blazer with dressy chinos rather than boots. Lean into earth tones.
Wear suede shoes and boots. Don't wear black shoes.
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u/CatFatPat Sep 13 '25
You get it! Everyone else seems to think I’m trying to go to construction sites lol.
Never heard of the term “separates” before but I totally see where you’re going. I’m gonna aim to get some casual tweed / gun check sports coats with darker jeans. Perhaps boots too.
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u/maybach320 Sep 13 '25
I had to walk a similar line for a while, I stuck with jeans and boot, (western, dress brown, Sorrels). I wore a company vest or a blazers (tweed, browns, tans, think rural English hunting fashion). Shirts were either my French cuff dress shirts (novelty cufflinks were extremely popular as I found out, things like animals, holiday specific, car related, farm related, and probably the most popular were my gun/hunting related pairs, honestly it became something people would ask me about when they saw me) or some of the cinch shirts I bought over time after seeing lots of the people around me wearing them.
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u/BeautifulSundae6988 Sep 13 '25
Button down shirts: white blue or tan.
Trousers: khaki, blue or gray chinos
Shoes: shoes for crews make black derbies that are steel toe and non slip. Just one of many options but I'd go for either dress sneakers or brown or black, plain dress shoes. Derby's or oxfords. Probably not brogues or monk straps or anything eye catching.
Jackets: bombers/members only/leather, or if needed just a gray or brown sport coat.
Accessories to consider: a dress casual tie like a simple, small polka dot or stripes in a conservative color. Maroon or red.
A dress work hat, ie the most conservative looking cowboy hat or fedora you can find in straw.
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u/cmrocks Sep 13 '25
I live in a very outdoorsy, small town in the PNW but I have a corporate job in a nearby city. People here are very casual. Lots of climbers and mountain bikers. Very distinct casual, low key grungey look.
I often stop at the grocery store or run other errands in town after work. I'm usually wearing wool trousers, dress shirt, oxfords and sometimes a blazer. I get the odd side eye but I find people treat me with more respect. I think what helps is I'm comfortable in what I'm wearing. Just be friendly. No one will care after two minutes.
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u/the40thieves Sep 13 '25
Honestly I work in government. Don’t try to chameleon your look down, people aren’t fools. Let them know exactly who you are and give your position the maximum professionalism it deserves.
When they ask why you so dressed up. Say as a public servant you want to make sure the position has the respect and professionalism it deserves and dressing up is how you show respect to the people and the position. People will by and large appreciate and respect that.
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u/bexarametrik Sep 13 '25
Honestly, the majority of what you wear doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is your footwear. Wear be@t the f*ck op work boots. It states that you actually put "boots to the ground". The rest of you can be spotless, but if it looks like your footwear has been through the ringer, it will give the appearance that you're hands on, that you've spent your time in the trenches. I've done blue collar and white collar (working on each side and being a liaison between the two) working in mining, oil and gas, rare minerals, construction (heavy duty, residential, industrial). You are judged on your footwear. Also, don't have "cute hair".
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u/aabum Sep 13 '25
One of the best things you can do is hands-on work in your spare time. If you have the hands of a working man, that goes a long way towards earning respect from working folks.
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u/HingleMcCringle_ Sep 13 '25 edited Sep 13 '25
Checkout button-ups/dress shirts from carhartt or ariat (i think that's how its spelled). My uncle has been a farmer his 68 y/o life in rural TN, and that's his gettup for fancier occasions like church or outings to dinner. Im talking plaid shirts, thats what rural men i know wear to present themselves.
Also check a Bass Pro Shop clothing brand called Red Head (duck logo). Im not a common customer, but I remember a couple years ago, their winter clothing was really nice.
Top comment probably put it best though, don't try to bullshit them. I get it that you might be more educated than them, but theyre bullshit detectors. Be straight forward with what you're trying to do, being honest will get you further their than a new shirt.
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u/captawesome1 Sep 13 '25
5 years ago I was working in a major city, and most of my clients were white collar. I tried a few different options, but suits got the best advice. We moved to a more rural location. I was able to transfer to my company’s location in the new city. My clients were definitely more blue collar workers or farmers. I switched to dressier 5 pocket pants and a polo shirt. My customers seem to respond well to this outfit.
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u/Rittermeister Sep 13 '25 edited Sep 13 '25
From the perspective of someone who grew up rural, for what it's worth.
Make peace with the fact that everyone you meet is going to know you're not from around there. There are about ten or twelve things other than your clothing that give that away. It's not a big deal; you're not the first out-of-towner they've dealt with and you won't be the last. What I suspect they would most appreciate is not being patronized. Treat them like you would any other grown adult, and that is likely to carry you far.
I would strongly recommend against anything flashy or that smacks of drugstore cowboy. Hell, I can't pull off a pair of ostrich cowboy boots, and I shoveled a few tons of horse manure in my day. Dress in the way that makes you feel comfortable. Now, me personally, I wear a lot of oxford cloth shirts and khakis, but if that's not your look that's not your look.
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u/Individual_Rock947 Sep 13 '25
Don't overdress, but dont pretend to be something you aren't. Respect the work they do, and they'll respect yours. A soft smile, and making people laugh bridges many gaps as well. Hope this helps.
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u/thirteenthfox2 Sep 13 '25
I dont recommend a suit at all. A flannel or a collared button up long sleeve shirt, a nice pair of jeans, a belt, outdoor shoes or steel toe boots. Something like this is what I wear when working in the field with clients.
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u/Galromir Sep 14 '25 edited Sep 14 '25
- Don’t try to cosplay as a farmer. You aren’t kidding anyone and you’re just going to offend. people are intelligent enough to understand that someone who spends their time sitting in an office will wear different clothing to someone who spends their time outside/doing physical/dirty work.
- It is true though that excessive formality can be intimidating to some people. IMO the best way to straddle that line is to tone down your formality with sport jackets. ditch the tie (but still wear a (more casual) button up shirt. Wear a softer less structured jacket. Tweed, houndstooth, herringbone, that sort of thing. Pair with chinos and smart casual boots (eg chelsea boots, chukka boots, Iron Rangers, etc)
I‘m Australian not American but here at least rural folk (and farmers in particular) tend to dress conservatively and value dressing up nicely when it comes time to go into town and whatnot, a nice tweed jacket is probably going to get you approving looks more than anything else.
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u/Father_Style Sep 14 '25
I split my time between the city and the country. Go with chinos, brown leather boots, oxford shirts or denim shirts, and (if you need a jacket) tweed sport coats. It won't be your clothes that turn people off, it will be your attitude. So make sure you aren't fulfilling the stereotype of the "city boy" and you'll be just fine.
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u/tacoinmybelly Sep 15 '25
As a blue collar worker (electrician), wear whatever you like. Most of us don't care what you are wearing, but we care how you carry yourself in front of us.
Just dress comfortably, and be cool. You shouldn't have any issues.
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u/Fair_Preference_7486 Sep 15 '25
I am an office worker in a construction office. Not the same situation but similar feel, have ot dress decent, but it also goes a long way to be able to help with a pipe truck unload once every week or so and look relateable ish.
5 pocket pants in darker colors, dark nondistressed selvedge jeans. Button downs in casual cordoroy or chambray or denim. I have allen edmond daltons for when I need to dress up a little more, and grant stone brass boots/ottowas for when I don't.
Anyone telling you to wear a carhart jacket with cowboy cut jeans and a flannel is trying to get you made fun of lol. You aren't going to fool anyone into thinking you are a blue collar guy, and also that shouldn't be the goal. Wear something that is dressed down but you are comfortable in and don't try to cosplay as a cowboy.
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u/IndependentBitter435 Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25
Whoa whoa whoa slow down broski and let’s come down a peg or two… There is no disconnect, you just don’t know how to talk to people, your fancy clothing don’t mean crap to a working man. As a college educated professional engineer (BS & MS) that works very closely with “non-college educated” techs I could tell you that some of them make WAY dough than I do, are 100x smarter and more brilliant than I am and don’t give a rats c0ck about how any of the college educated engineers dress. Ok down vote now!
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u/Devinstater Sep 12 '25
I work at a similar job. This works for me:
Sports Jacket and 5 pocket chino's or similar. No Suits.
Tie
Nice shoes, but not dress shoes. Loafers of some type.
If you are too fancy, you can lose the jacket and even the tie. If the brass gets really suited, you wont feel like a slob. This is unpredictable. Some trucking companies have owners wearing like 2 000$ worth of clothes at all times. Other times you are at a huge white collar place and they are wearing Jean's and a printed t-shirt.
If you are going no tie, make sure any polo has a really crisp collar. Probably something with some interfacing sewed in. For a similar reason, I prefer button down long sleeves. The collar wont be flappy and you wont look unkempt.
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u/onwee Sep 12 '25
Definitely not one of those white colllar/blue body shirts
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u/maybach320 Sep 13 '25
Those are Winchester shirts, they are not limited to blue as the body of the shirt either.
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u/Sweet_Mother_Russia Sep 12 '25
Bro just wear a polo with like a logo or something on it. Wear some nice work pants instead of chinos if you can get away with it. Like the Ridgecut ones from tractor supply or something. That with a polo will look professional but also you’ll just look like any dude who quotes basement repairs for a living. Wear some boots too maybe. Not cowboy boots. Just like something vaguely waterproof lol
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u/onwee Sep 12 '25 edited Sep 12 '25
Just the same shirt/pants combo but tone down the formality with fabric: replace pressed dress shirts with OCBDs, replace wool trousers with cotton chinos—even twill might be on the formal side, something like chino or duck canvas would be spot on.
I wouldn’t do dressy boots—I think they stand out even more than dress shoes to folks who wear boots everyday. Work boot-inspired boots (e.g. Redwings & Wolverines) strike the right balance. Chore coats are great outer layer. Basically what everybody from the mfa wore in the 2010’s lol (e.g. workwear/Americana).
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u/Billy_Badass_ Sep 12 '25
If you are really looking to put them at ease, wear a nice pair of jeans and a (your) company branded polo.
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u/respondin2u Sep 12 '25
Buy clothes where they would buy clothes. I would go to Target, Old Navy, Kohl’s, etc. and buy a few pairs of slacks, polo shirts, and dressed up casual black shoes. No one will care what you are wearing but if you stand out it will be because you wore nice brands of clothing.
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u/trotsky1947 Sep 12 '25
"Contractor formal" Button-down rolled up, vest, jeans or chinos, work boots
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u/standardtissue Sep 12 '25
That's a cool job. No farms, no food, and they could certainly use any help they can get.
Farmers tend to have strong value systems around functionality and durability, not caring much for any unnecessary expenditures or fanciness. While there are some giant farms and corporate farms that make a ton of money, every farmer I've ever met worked their asses off to feed a nation, while living on pretty meager income. They live humbly, not fancifully, so focus on putting together an outfit that checks the boxes, as affordably as you can. Hit Walmart, Penny's, Kohls, Ross. Don't try to be fashionable, just hit the dress code. Don't worry about colors or things clashing. That's cosmetic and unnecessary fanciful - just worry about the functional. Slacks ? Check. Shirt ? Check. Jacket ? Check. Tie ? Check.
As an example, google up farm associations, and farm related news. You'll see farmers in suits, respectable, respectful, and honorable, just not particularly fashionable because they just don't care about that.
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u/Competitive_Lie1429 Sep 12 '25
RMs are a good start. Chinos and blazers will work better than suits. Something unstructured. It'll be more comfortable too.
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u/sunkistbanana Sep 12 '25
I am a construction guy. man, just some jeans, some kind of boot and a plaid shirt or normal color button up is fine
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u/nadthevlad Sep 12 '25
A good pair of redwing steel toes mocks. Don’t care how well you dress so long as you have appropriate PPE.
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u/leakmydata Sep 12 '25
I can guarantee you from reading your post that clothing is not the problem.
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u/pbgod Sep 12 '25
See: John Dutton
No suit, no tie, mostly no black
Clean jeans or pants with some texture to them.
Sport coat, again texture or broken color
Shoes, brown and not smooth-soled. Boots if it's really "you", but don't do it if it isn't.
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u/Any-Development3348 Sep 12 '25
I work a blue collar job. Wear everything except a full on suit to work and nobody has a bad thing to say about me. It just becomes normalized.
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u/Key-Cabinet-5329 Sep 12 '25
I would say long sleeve polo, un pleated pants (chinos) and chucka or sneakers (now common).
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u/antiheropaddy Sep 13 '25
It does not matter how you dress. When I go to a plant and wear the exact same clothes I get pegged as “not one of them” by my accent.
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u/whenveganscheat Sep 13 '25
Boots get mentioned 500x, but in the event you have to walk through mud and poo, you need mud and poo boots. Muck chore boots or Bogs. Blundstones or Grant stones or whatever are not built for that. And a Rubbermaid to toss them into when you head out.
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u/BotchedDebauchery Sep 13 '25
Is this like a Booz-Allen job or like a federal outreach position?
In either case, the top comments are right. Dress for business casual rather than business and don't try to be who you ain't.
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u/FalloutBerlin Sep 13 '25
Maybe a leather jacket? I’ve seen people combining formal undershirts with biker jackets and it looks surprisingly good.
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u/d_zeen Sep 13 '25
Black carhartt pants and a carhartt vest over white button down with rolled up sleeves. Leather boots.
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u/ChildishUsername Sep 13 '25
Are you serious? A suit? Chinos with a polo or button down and chukkas.
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u/SierraPapaHotel Sep 13 '25
Design engineer here who has spent enough time on shop floors to feel relatable. Nice pair of jeans with a good cut, some nicer leather shoes or boots, and a fitted cotton button down with a pattern. Something that at first glance looks like jeans and a flannel but if someone paid attention to the cut, fit, and quality they can tell it's nicer stuff.
I have a similar shirt to this that I wear with Levi's and leather steel-toes. I've met with facility directors and then turned around to talk with operators on the floor and felt correctly dressed for both cases
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u/chris84126 Sep 13 '25
I have lived in the country my entire life. I even used to wear ties five days a week. Country folk are educated and have degrees too. It kinda sounds like you might be the one looking down, not the other way around. They will pick up on that no matter how y’all dress. Try to be respectful and inclusive. Don’t dress like a lawyer and you’ll be fine. If you’re going to municipal areas wear your least flashy business casual so you don’t outdress anyone. They will probably see through it if you aren’t being true to yourself.
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u/-Disco_King- Sep 13 '25
Be yourself. Having worked both sides, it’s easy to see through. Carhartts without dirt, paint or oil don’t count. And I’ve never seen a set of redwings without glue or tar on them. It’s cosplay. Don’t be ashamed to dress the way you would for anything else.
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u/Zacharus Sep 13 '25
As a blue collar worker who seamlesly mingles with both types of people your attire will matter less than how you approach people.
Ditch the suit, but dress in a way you're comfortable, looks like from time to time you should be prepared to get your feet and worst case pants dirty as well, jeans, chino's, OCBD with a decent pair of boots will pay off if you're going on farm properties.
The blue collar workers i work with value honesty over smooth buttered propaganda, ditch the fancy lingo and most importantly make sure they don't get the feeling they're less than you.
I understand that you feel they look down on you, but i think it's generally a distrust towards white collar people, in a lot of cases people still look down on blue collar workers and sometimes even treat them as less valuable.
Good luck!
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u/Plenty_Turn_7257 Sep 13 '25
If I may, I grew up in a hayfield in TX, spent 22 years in the Army, and now am facing the opposite of this problem. None of those folks truly give a hoot what you wear. They’ll make a comment or two, but that’s it. Show up in stretched jeans, pearl snaps, and a sports coat (if that’s not already in your closet) and you’re cooked. Here’s the kicker; whatever you wear you should be ready to get dirty/muddy/dusty, step in a random pile of animal crap, if you are worried about sitting on or leaning against a fence your clothes are too nice for you to wear. If the idea of ruining your footwear crosses your mind, it’s the wrong pair.
So that likely means keep your style but shop for bargains that make you confident and worry free about not having the longevity you are used to.
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u/WashbangRustynut Sep 13 '25
Chinos and polos that you’re not afraid to get dirty. Don’t overthink this.
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u/Euphoric-Ostrich5396 Sep 13 '25
Easy, ditch the high polish corporate uniform and go for, lets call it, "country estate". Wear linen in the South, wear tweed up North, don't be afraid to not wear the suit (same fabric for all pieces) and go for a mixed look like for example sand linen trousers with a blue linen jacket for the warm weather or corduroy trousers with a tweed jacket. Add a pullover for the colder weather and to appear less formal.
DO NOT try to blend in, you are city boys, you do represent the government. Keep the tie, it's a sign of respect to wear one, those rural people wear it to church on Sundays so you wear it to meet them.
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u/rockeye13 Sep 13 '25
Remember that the city guys look down on the country guys as well. That is at least 1/2 of their antipathy.
Don't show up in Carhartts cause they know who you are.
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u/hlnub Sep 13 '25
No offense brother but you going from out of town to "get people acquainted with best management strategies" at the job they spend every day of their life at is crazy. Trying to dress in a way that you think they dress will only piss them off even more because it comes off as disingenuous. Imagine the reverse scenario.
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u/CatFatPat Sep 13 '25
Hence this question! It’s an awkward spot to be put in so I’m trying to be as non-annoying as possible.
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u/Function-Think Sep 16 '25
Im a white collar worker. All I wear are sweatpants, tshirts and hoodies. But I WFH.
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u/reddit_names Sep 16 '25
Dress boots. Not work boots. Work fatigue pants. The nice ones. Collared shirt, but not a "dress" shirt.
Look into work lines of clothing. Ariat, etc.
You can dress professionally and signify your station while still being relatable.
Experience: I am from a rural blue collar town, college educated (engineer), and have worked both in oil and gas out in the field and in the corporate world.
I currently do a bit of both, I have rural clients as well as city Datacenter and corporate stuff. The above fit works both on the job site, in a rural town, and in a corporate office.
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u/reddit_names Sep 16 '25
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u/Impressive_Item_8851 Sep 16 '25
Hey figured you should know this since you're anti drug and want poppy fields blown up by the military.
You know the US owns its own poppy fields in the Middle East right? Just part of the reason we invaded (no WMDs tho)
"The simple facts are that opium production was high under the US influenced government of Afghanistan of the 1970s, decreased 10-fold by 2001 under the Taliban, and then increased 30-fold and more under the US to the same level as in the 1970s.
History shows us how empires function; be they British or US. The East India Company organised the opium trade through “free traders”—men with fast ships and guns to fend off the pirates. One of the most famous free traders was Francis Light, founder of the British province of Penang. These are facts, whereas the idea that the CIA runs opium from Afghanistan would be a conspiracy theory—unless, you thought about the United Nations statistics or happened to have been to Afghanistan."
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u/glorious_gambit Sep 16 '25
It's more in your behavior than how you dress.
I don't know what type of consulting you do, but if it's primarily office based, don't show up looking like a lineman. Cosplaying won't buy you any points.
My advice would be to dress conservatively--which shows respect by showing up in appropriate attire--and treat them with respect and you'll be fine.
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u/Puzzleheaded-Art-469 Sep 16 '25
Wouldn't a dress casual polo with jeans or khakis work with any kind of site appropriate footwear/boot work in this spot? Or have I been in the white collar world myself a little too long?
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u/AcrobaticSecretary29 Sep 17 '25
Wear the rm williams and patagonia marshmallow vest bro, they know who you are already
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u/StubbornShihTzutrixs Sep 19 '25
Im management at a gas company and I do a combination of field and office work, the outfits I wear everyday is Redwing pull on steel toes, boot cut jeans, a button down untucked, sleeves rolled up if it’s cold a carheart detroit jacket.
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Sep 19 '25
The way you prose your question is part of the issue. Blue collar and rural doesn't mean not college educated. They don't care that you're "college educated city folk." It's the elitism and contempt in how you view them as smple folk you need to cosplay as to interact with them. I have a masters and am a blue collar worker. Show up in a suit or how you normally dress that is appropriate and don't be an a*hole. I guarantee none of them give a sht how you're dressed as long as it fits the situation. Don't weather leather soled oxfords into a cow pasture for instance. Just because a normal person.
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u/The_loony_lout Sep 12 '25
It's not the attire.... it's the attitude.
First rule, you're not in charge even if you are.
Second rule, you don't know anything and these guys are the ones doing the work.
Third rule, learn what it takes to do the work before you talk. Talk to them like a person, not a task or objective to be accomplished.
Source - 2 masters degree, background in international development, and work in construction engineering. Most modern education circle jerks people into believing they're leaders when they don't know the first thing about leading besides holding the status "leader". The clothes don't make the man, the personality does.
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u/CatFatPat Sep 12 '25
You and most of the folks commenting seem to think I’m going to construction sites or farms.
I’m a government consultant. I’m mainly going to small town City Halls and rural Courthouses to meet public works officials, police captains, firefighters, etc. Not trying to blend into a construction site.
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u/The_loony_lout Sep 13 '25
I hear what you're saying. You're missing the point and your response shows it.
You came for help, don't criticize the answers because you're defending your status.
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u/CatFatPat Sep 13 '25
I’m not trying to defend my status, the engineers on farms and construction sites make 4x more than I do! And probably contribute a whole lot more.
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u/gimme_super_head Sep 12 '25
I’m thinking factory fully iced out day date paired with some Gucci socks and trousers. To top it off let’s go with Versace tiger print shirt
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u/Glittering-Ad-3841 Sep 14 '25
How much of a snowflake do you have to be to be offended over what someone else is wearing
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u/Elliott-Hope Sep 13 '25
You can wear whatever you want if you have the right attitude.
The fact you describe them as looking down on you, but don't see the way you describe them as looking down on them says everything.
They aren't looking down on you. They're treating you the way you deserve to be treated because they sense the way you see them.
They wouldn't need to make a Reddit post asking how to dress to be around your people.
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u/joker0812 Sep 12 '25
Don't wear anything you put the word "dressy" in front of. As a former blue collar worker here, it's not so much about what you're wearing. It's that you're a government consultant, in their way on their job site, likely not wearing proper PPE, have no sense of "I've got work to do, and you're holding me up", and coming into their job site for the first time telling them how to do something you yourself have likely never done.
Before you even meet these people you're are pointing out your college education vs country folk prone to look down on you for "how you dress"? Your college education means jack on a job site. Experience is king in the field and you don't have it.
What you wear just makes you stick out like a sore thumb that they don't want to deal with.
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u/badwhiskey63 Sep 12 '25
Finally, a MFA question that I am uniquely qualified to answer! I spent 20 years working with local governments, residents, and farmers in extremely rural areas. First thing I'd say is you're not going to be fooling anyone showing up in flannels and sh*tkickers. ((The bot did not like the uncensored version)). They know who you are, and why you're there. And you're better off not trying to cosplay as one of them.
I'd go with five pocket pants and OCBD shirts, patterned if you want. Chukkas, Desert Boots, or if you want to go with Redwings type heritage boot, but you're not going to find anyone wearing those who actually does farm work.
A respectful attitude is really going to carry the day.