In upper management, corporate finance and private banks, dark suits are the rule as in many countries. In most other industries you will encounter countless types of attire. Lower-ranking employees often wear casual clothes and jeans are quite common. The Swiss may be admired for a few things, but clothing is probably not among them.

Most striking is a style sometimes described as the “Swiss German style,” which the author of this book recently had the privilege of observing on a live specimen: greenish suit, pink shirt, brown shoes, a superb tie covered with bright flowers—the kind you see on shower curtains—and, the finishing touch, a pair of glasses with heavy blue plastic frames.