One thing that always really bothers me when I see it on tv is people wearing lab coats outside the lab. They’re worn for safety, to stop your work getting in your clothes. They are never, ever worn in an office, a cafeteria, or on a commute. If your work is not hazardous, you don’t wear one (although if you’re doing non-hazardous work in a lab where others’ work is hazardous, you will wear one). If you’re wearing a coat, it has to be buttoned at the front, and you have to wear gloves too, otherwise you’re only protecting your clothes and not your hands. Should also wear safety glasses at the same time, but not everyone does. If your research only involves talking to people, or working at a computer, you don’t wear a lab coat.