The debate about whether people should dress smartly at work or if work quality outweighs appearance still lingers. In my opinion, it depends entirely on the context.
Dress codes have several purposes. For instance, they allow people to recognize employees in a supermarket or a doctor in a hospital. Furthermore, they are also meant to transmit maturity, knowledge, experience, etc. Therefore, dress codes, particularly at companies, are important overall. However, there are some contexts where wearing more casual clothing may be acceptable. In my case, as a professor at college and researcher, I switch between two well differentiated clothing styles. Indeed, when I am in the classroom I always wear formal clothing. The reasons are simple: looking formal puts a “professional” distance between me and the students. It reminds them that, though I am young and look friendly, I am not their friend. In addition, this clothing makes me feel confident in a way that makes the undergraduates see in me a professional and experienced professor.
In my research job, on the other hand, I am almost invisible to society. I work mostly alone in my office and sometimes at home. Thus, formal clothing makes no sense in this case, and consequently, a more relaxed garment is permissible. Furthermore, wearing any kind of formal clothing would be seen as exotic by other researchers and thus it would feel awkward. Here, what matters is whether you are working as hard as it is expected.
In summary, as my case points out, the context defines whether dressing smartly is mandatory or not. What is more, sometimes ” dressing smartly” could mean wearing highly casual clothing.