Nearly two years after relaxing the dress code for its tech staff, Goldman Sachs has announced a "firm wide flexible dress code" for its workforce of 36,000, Financial Times reports. The announcement came in the form of a memo from CEO David Solomon—who moonlights as an EDM DJ—as well as the bank's CFO and COO. The new strictures for office dress were designed to appeal to younger employees and prospects, putting Goldman Sachs on similar footing to competitors like JP Morgan Chase, which also embraces (nominally, at least) a more casual look.

Presumably, some bankers and banker-adjacent people are very happy today. I, though, am not. Because, according to reports, the memo announcing the new Goldman Sachs dress code is pretty vague. "Of course, casual dress is not appropriate every day and for every interaction, and we trust you will consistently exercise good judgment in this regard," it reads. "All of us know what is and is not appropriate for the workplace."

That last line? It's damning. Because I already know what the banker bros of GS are going to do now that the suit-and-tie rules are out the window. We all do, down in the deepest, darkest corners of our hearts. Because we've seen it. These dudes are going to wear vests like their very lives depend on it.



Can I be certain of this? No. But then again, I've been told the big banks couldn't have been certain everything was going to go directly to shit in 2008. Nothing is knowable in its entirety! The world is chaos! But I'm betting on it. Because even though the combo of khakis, dress shirt, and fleece vest is colloquially referred to as the "Midtown uniform," it's ingrained in the financial industry at large. One quirk of language, one different take on meme-ification, and it'd be the "Wall Street uniform."

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Young Goldman Sachs dudes—and I'm talking about men specifically here, because their dress codes have historically been more strict, while women are left to navigate a plethora of vagaries—have not been forced to learn how to dress for work according to their own rules. They've simply thrown on a suit and tie and gone about their business. I have no doubt these guys, socialized for sameness, will gravitate toward an already-accepted de facto uniform.

But what do I know? I've never worked in banking! Hell, I wear track pants to work sometimes, just for fun. So, maybe I'm calling this one all wrong. Maybe we're on the cusp of something great in the world of banker style. But I doubt it. Screw pork bellies: It's time to go big on vest, chino, and gingham futures.

Jonathan Evans Jonathan Evans is the style director of Esquire, covering all things fashion, grooming, accessories, and, of course, sneakers.

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