Out of college, I interviewed at a finance firm where it was made clear to me that the junior people wore blue dress shirts and only the senior people wore white.
I didn't end up getting the job but I consider it a bullet dodged. It was like a white-collar McDonalds where you had to "earn" the white collar.
It may amuse you to know that in some prisons, the guards wear dark-coloured shirts, and their supervisors wear white. The nickname “white shirt” is used for supervisors. Think of that the next time someone says their dress code is for managers to wear white shirts!
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There is a historical reason for dark-coloured clothes being associated with people of lower social status/rank. In earlier times, poor fabrics didn’t dye bery well, so the only way to get an even tone was to use a dark colour.
To get a white fabric or pastel shade (like cream), you needed to start with better fabrics, higher-quality dyes, and have the dying done by experienced craftspeople.
The result was that light-coloured clothes became associated with wealth and prestige. This has carried through to this day, even if the rationale for it has been obsolete for a century or more.
I didn't end up getting the job but I consider it a bullet dodged. It was like a white-collar McDonalds where you had to "earn" the white collar.