I’m a software engineer by trade. I wear a coat and tie every day. And it’s not stuffy at all.
My appearance is part of the total package that I deliver to my clients. They pay a lot of money for my service and they get excellence in every facet.
If they are more casual, I go to the bow tie.
Nope. Not stuffy. I look great and smell good!
Contractors are different than employees. You’re not supposed to be part of the team. Also Minnesota isn’t Tucson. Here a suit is stuffy, especially in the software industry. Most folks wear shorts year round, jeans are fairly standard, band or nerd t-shirts. Somebody walking around here in a suit will make everybody assume they decided to bring in a grief counselor for this round of layoffs.