THE PROBLEM  问题

I've recently got a new boss who differs from the old one in what he wears. He has abandoned suits in favour of linen jackets and khaki trousers and no tie. My team mates have stopped wearing ties as well and are in chinos and open-necked shirts. I object to this as:
我最近有了一位新老板，他的穿着和原来那位很不一样。他不穿西装，喜欢穿亚麻夹克和卡其布长裤，而且不打领带。团队中的男同事也已经不打领带了，他们现在穿斜纹棉布裤和开领衬衫。我反对这种做法，因为：

a) they look terrible; b) they are guilty of brown-nosing; and c) my suits are expensive and I like wearing them. So far I am sticking to my guns, but increasingly I feel that I stick out from the others. Does this matter?
1）他们看上去很糟糕；
2）他们犯了阿谀奉承的毛病；
3）我的西装很贵，而且我喜欢穿。

迄今为止，我还是固执己见，但我觉得自己和其他人的距离越来越远了。这要紧吗？

LUCY'S ANSWER

Yes, it does matter. All offices have uniforms, just as all schools do. In some schools the uniform is so strict that you get a detention if your tie knot is too loose. In others there is no stated uniform but every pupil knows that the dress stakes are high: they are judged not just by their brand of sweatpants but by precisely how low-slung they are.
是的，这非常要紧。所有的办公室都有制服，就像所有的学校都有校服一样。有些学校对校服的要求非常严格，如果你的领带结太松，就会被留堂。还有一些学校没有规定的校服，但每个学生都知道对服饰的要求很高：判断它们的不仅仅是运动裤的牌子，确切地讲，是看腰裤到底低到什么程度。

Your old boss wisely insisted on a strict uniform, which was easy as everyone knew what to wear and, as long as their suits weren't too ill-fitting, everyone could look relatively nice. Your new boss has swept away the old code by breaking it himself. But that doesn't mean he has eliminated rules. There are rules, only they are harder to read.
你原来的老板精明地选择了坚持穿制服。这很容易，因为所有人都知道该穿什么，只要他们的套装不是太不合身，每个人看起来都相对比较精神。而你的新老板亲自将过去的规范一扫而空。但这并不意味着他排除了规定的存在。其实是有规定的，只是它们比较难理解。
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