Before getting on with part two of my take on GQ‘s list of Silicon Valley’s worst dressed men, I must give them a shout out for having created it in the first place. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. If you thought my opinions from last week’s part one were strong, you’ll have to continue the journey as we keep going through the rest of the list here.
From my studio window overlooking downtown San Jose, I look directly at the Adobe buildings. Shantanu Narayen heads up the company, and maybe he should take a walk over and visit with me. He does another thing that many men in Silicon Valley do, which is to “power down a suit.” But the look lacks any vibe that says my favorite word, “Chillaxed,” a hybrid of the concepts of being chilled out and relaxed. The shoulders are so broad on this jacket that they should have invisible speakers that yell “De-fense!” like a football cheer! The sleeves are clearly too long as they wrinkle up as he feigns the faux chillaxed look with hand in pocket. The jeans go against everything I believe in as far as jeans go. You may even recall I just wrote about premium denim jeans two weeks ago, and these jeans are definitely not premium in any way. Really, Shantanu has a look that illustrates a lack of style and vision, when his company is all about both. I’m absolutely sure he has it, because he’s the CEO, but it’s a wonder to me how and why he doesn’t convey it on behalf of his company. Call me Shantanu. I’m truly a block away from your office.
I’ve never even heard of Ben Huh, CEO of ICanHasCheezburger.com. So when I saw that he was listed, I said, Ben who? Maybe someone over at GQ knows more about him than me, but a grown man wearing kitty cat T-shirts just can’t be taken too seriously. Whatever.
Steve Jobs is always photographed wearing the same black mock turtleneck, jeans, and sneakers. All ill fitting – well maybe except for the sneakers – and all sloppy looking. He looks like a Palo Alto homeowner who wears black while doing yard work just because he can. Is that what he thinks of the work he does at his beloved Apple? I’ve written about Jobs’ image in prior Metro Silicon Valley ‘Style’ columns, and his being on the list is more than right on. Even the iPhone gets a makeover, but what about the Apple founder’s outfit? It’s been very well publicized that Jobs has been experiencing serious health issues, causing him to lose weight. But when you see him in this familiar set of clothes, it emphasizes his troubles. Apple’s a very strong, resilient company. I think its nimble quality takes after its company founder. If he simply wore new and improved versions of his iconic uniform, he’d visually represent his full inner strength, and be a stronger visual representative of Apple.
Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg topped GQ’s list, and although he changes his clothes, nothing seems to look like it belongs to him. With a borrowed fashion sense taken from clothes that look as though they were recycled from a donation center, it’s no wonder that so many people see his appearance as a disgrace. I’ve posted about Zuckerberg’s lack of style before, too. My point essentially remains the same. There’s one great way that Mark Zuckerberg could ‘save face,’ and that would be to put some effort into developing a style that he defines, instead of allowing this shapeless style to visually define him. The thing about style is that it shows people where you’re headed, just as many people are looking to see where Zuckerberg is headed.
It would be a pleasure to work with any of the gentlemen on GQ‘s list, were they to call. But the most significant point in sharing my thoughts about these guys is that you don’t need to be famous to end up on someone’s “worst” list, and with some effort, you can avoid being on such a list and even make it onto the “best” list. Yes, it’s great when people are talking about you, and when they’re not talking about you any longer that’s when you should worry. But you know what? When you’re being talked about for looking great, that sounds a helluva lot better than being talked about for looking like a schlub.
Joseph Rosenfeld helps high-profile individuals revitalize, manage, and be secure in their personal visual brand. Visit JosephRosenfeld.com for details.
One thing I’ve noticed is that these gentlemen are wearing blue jeans. Joseph with your assistance they can maintain their casual look and feel good about how they appear. They need to come see you!
Kathy, blue jeans are *the* Silicon Valley uniform staple these days. They personify the “everyman” concept, yet in most cases I observe that most men at this level of visibility and responsibility lack the polish equivalent to their positions. One can only hope that they start thinking about this more, whether they come to see me or not. My door is always open, of course.
Joseph, such choices. They are a big dinner plate of “big wigs” found at the diner I call “Silly Silicon Valley”.
Hey, even good diner food has its place. If you go to the Palo Alto Creamery for diner ‘eats’ you know where you’re going, and the place is an authentic diner. If you’re the CEO of a mega-major company, why try to soft-shoe your presence like you’re low grade cornfed hamburger when, in fact you’re kobe beef?
I like your article on the CEOs dress. Because they are CEOs they can get away with it. Others of us can’t. Lot’s of CEOs do that. What should they be wearing? Also, in the high tech world, techies culture is to dress down. What do you think?
Hi and thanks for taking the time to comment. You’re right that CEOs get away with this when others can’t, mostly because they’re in another [elite] zone. And even though I note this parenthetically, it is more to force the emphasis on the fact that the CEOs who want to come across as the everyman [these are men we're talking about, after all] are most definitely not like everyman. Dressing down to appeal to the common folk isn’t fooling anyone.
Not all CEOs do this, however. Not even in Silicon Valley. John Chambers, CEO of Cisco comes to mind, as does Oracle’s Larry Ellison. The thing about these two men is that they know they represent the face of – and set a tone for – their companies.
For those not at the CEO level but still involved in high tech, the rules are significantly varied. An engineer who is not public facing is not expected to dress up at work so he “fits in” with the team culture of his or her work place. However engineers who are at a managerial level who interface with others are expected to uplevel their appearance in subtle ways. Still, this also depends on the overall culture of the company.
When clients come to work with me who are engineers [and there are many of them at all levels from the top down] we consider the culture of their company, the role they play, the goals they have – both professionally and personally – and what their personal style is and how that interplays with the rest of the information. Dressing today is like dancing a tango: you have to be flexible-minded to strike the right balance for yourself and for the people with whom you are dealing and able to meet or exceed everyone’s expectations while remaining true to your core personal values at all times.
Hope this gives you some food for thought. – Joseph