The stench of Manhattan’s sidewalks in early July was particularly thick as garbage bags ripened during five days of heat. Those with flexible work dress codes seized the opportunity to wear linens, open-toed shoes, and even shorts—which still offered little, if any, respite from the conditions outside. But when it comes to dressing for the office during the heat of summer, there’s no respite or leniency for at least one group of men: those in the finance sector.
“I wore the wrong socks today,” Adam, who was interning in the financial department of the Conrad Hotel for the summer, told me on a day when the mercury was surpassing 100 degrees. As he was preparing to eat some Italian dishes for lunch, a group of World Cup tourists wearing breezy shorts and floppy hats passed by. But Adam still came to work in what he described as his usual getup of a single-breasted navy blue Ted Baker suit, a bright white Tommy Hilfiger button-down and a pair of brown sneaker loafers. There was one anomaly in his fit affected by the weather: exposed ankles.
“It was so hot, I decided to wear ankle socks,” he admitted. “In general, you really shouldn’t be showing as much ankle as I am. It’s not necessarily business-professional.”
Wandering around the Financial District, I also encountered an AMX advisor sitting in the air conditioning inside the food court in Lower Manhattan’s Brookfield Place, which shares a spacious layout with several financial institutions, including American Express, Brookfield Asset Management and RBC Capital Markets. While most of his coworkers were already gone for the Fourth of July holidays, he wanted to get the next week off to a good start. He left his jacket at home and wore a necktie to relieve the heat, but still wore a sharp royal Oxford shirt, creased trousers and wing-tipped brogues. When asked what would happen if he came to work wearing shorts, he laughed out loud.
Once she gathered herself, she said, “I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Of course, finance workers aren’t the only ones expected to work in a heat wave. I saw many legal professionals wiping sweat from their foreheads with jacket sleeves and tie tips. Security guards are also expected to wear heavy uniforms – rain, shine, or shine. (“Torture” was the word used by a high-rise building concierge when I asked him to describe the experience of traveling in a black suit in 103-degree weather.) Fleet Week also sees dozens of service members walking around in the scorching heat of Manhattan in immaculate dress uniforms. Even New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani appeared on air In his signature suit and tie advising residents to remain calm. It’s also worth mentioning that when the sun is at its most relentless, those who come into direct contact with it – construction workers or road repairers – are not in French cuffs but in heavy-duty workwear.
While interacting with people in the finance department, I learned that figuring out the uniform and maintaining it regardless of the temperature is important to understand the culture of the industry.
“You totally want to be part of the pack,” said finance content creator Jonathan Tristan, who advises Wall Street pledges on TikTok under the alias Your Finance Brother. “It’s always funny when I’m coming home at 10:00 or 11:00, and it’s still hot. I see people going out, and I put on a suit and tie, just going to bed.” On his TikTok, Tristan offers a series of style tips from his years in investment banking. From keeping an eye on your superior’s status to paying attention to the width of your lapel, much of his style advice ultimately boils down to translating the unspoken nuances of the industry’s suit mandates.
