What Not to Wear to Work: Velour Track Suit
Re-posting this. And admitting, although I still feel the same about the public wearing of velour track suits, that my tone was more dictatorial than I generally intend. For that, I apologize.
Seriously.
Some people have no clue. Unfortunately, most of them don’t read fashion blogs, or other sources of clues. Like the woman in the very nice vintage clothing store I was just in, who was wearing a brown velour tracksuit (with black tee-shirt) and a ponytail! This was no teeny-bopper, either, she had to be in her early 40s.
Since this is a conversation, where would you wear a velour track suit? And what’s your opinion of the professional appearance of a ponytail?
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Wear Your College Colors Day
Have I mentioned that the hero is 6′3″ and hairy?
According to his firm’s office cheerleading squad, tomorrow is “Wear Your College Colors Day”. Although college logo shirt is the basis of the local “after-dinner-grocery-shopping” uniform template, it is not part of his regular idiom. Nor mine. So when he fw’d the notice that wearing college colors to work on Friday September 2 was being encouraged, my mind raced quickly through the options: dd and I both attend schools sporting some version of vampire-wear for their school colors and the school the hero and I graduated from has the blues. No options worth $pending on.
But there was one other option: the local community college system, from which dd earned her AA. Although I can’t tell you what their official color scheme is, their mascot is BIGFOOT! This I discovered last spring, when I was a student at one of the schools. I even bought a shirt. Mine is a beautiful muted brown with the word “Bigfoot” written in ivory script; this “Sasquatch State” shirt is what the hero will be wearing to work tomorrow.
The best part? It was $9.99 less 20% AND I convinced them to give me the hanger. he hee.
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The Feminine Suit
Due to the cyclical nature of fashion, the ladylike suit, although out-of-favor for a time, is in its comeback season. There are lots of good reasons to buy one now:
- Fabric technology continues to improve. Avoid a plastic-looking suit. Research has shown that many people associate obviously synthetic fabrics with negative character qualities.
- Easter is April 24th this year. A feminine suit is a lovely alternative to an easter egg pastel dress.
- Suits which are sold as separates allow you to buy the size(s) you need even if you don’t wear the same size jacket and skirt. You can also buy two trousers, or a skirt and trousers, to avoid unequal wear to the matching pieces.
- Unlike many contemporary styles of dresses and sweaters, people generally understand suits. That does not include the ”mini-skirt suit”.
Now through March 6th, take $100 off a suit at The Limited. A suit consists of any jacket with either a pant, skirt, or dress. Shop The Limited Online.
Do suits work in your idiom? Why or why not?
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Do Boots Work in Business?
Do boots work in business? In 1996, according to John T Molloy, the answer was no. From the book The New Women’s Dress for Success:
Boots do not work in business. Every couple of years the fashion industry brings them back and tells women they can wear boots to work. It is not so; even the most conservative boots do not work very well.
quoted from googlebooks.
I am going to suggest two reasons why that is (mostly) no longer true:
- Mr Molloy’s very well-researched book came out early in the “business casual” work environment revolution.
- Sarah Palin.
One of the reasons certain looks are not accepted is that they are not expected. Someone needs to get people used to seeing it; for example, seeing boots worn with a business look. Presently our eyes are quite accustomed to boots with pretty much everything. I still think knee-high boots, worn with a knee-length skirt, look most conventionally professional.
A footwear treat for president’s day: Shop Shoes.com and Receive 25% off Sale + Free Shipping with DEAL25
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Polos Are NOT Business Casual for Women
The quintessential business casual uniform template for men:
khakis + leather shoes + polo shirt
If only it were so easy for women! Consider the following insightful comment made (several years ago) by Mella DP:
My job: engineering consulting. That often means having to demonstrate credibility in the executive conference room and on the plant floor on the same day. Dressing in a way that works for both situations is tricky. It’s easier for the guys - most men can wear chinos and a polo shirt and and sturdy shoes and look decent and functional (if a little dull). Most women in a similar outfit would look like an Applebees hostess. (Emphasis added.)
Indeed!
The other primary reason, IMO, polos don’t work for women’s business casual is this: historically the polo is athletic wear, making it fall into the leisure category. Although I’m not entirely certain why it is otherwise for men.
My advice? When you hear the word “polo” substitute “sweater”.
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What to Wear to the Office Christmas Party
The number one search term cluster leading googlers to this site is indicated by the title above. And the number one choice of most American women for the evening holiday party is the LBD, aka Little Boring Dress. So I challenged myself to produce a list of color alternatives. If I were Great, Grand Fashionplate, the gathering would look like a Christmas tree; each woman would be an ornament.
Color possibilities:
- white
- metallic
- one of many reds
- purple
- midnight blue
- forest green
- teal
- royal blue
- cobalt
On a scale of one to ten, identify your preference: blending in or standing out?
If your preference is strongly “blending in” AND you look good in black, by all means wear it. PLEASE — no cleavage and no thighs! Oh, and strapless only works if it stays solidly in place.
Click on picture for more info about any of the dresses pictured. The first one is only plus size. Most of them are on sale!
Btw, the hero caught me building this post and offered to buy the paisley one for me for Christmas. 
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Sarah Palin’s Legs?
Recently I was checking my referral stats, something I haven’t done in well over a year, and noticed a rather surprising cluster of search terms - having to do with Sarah Palin, and specifically her legs. Riddle me this: what do googlers expect to find here when they click on over from that search?
(Since I get the majority of my news from internet and radio, I confess I had not noticed the resemblance between Christine O’Donnell and Sarah Palin. Nor do I make much of it. IMO, they are both sporting a look which works for their physicality, their personality, and their politicality. lol)
I confess, I have wondered who Sarah Palin’s stylist was and what her wardrobe philosophy might be. So I looked it up.
Forbes published an article last December, which included the following advice from stylist Lisa Kline:
Edit Your Closet
The first thing Kline does is go through a new client’s existing wardrobe to see what’s worth keeping. “I look for quality rather than quantity,” she says. Get rid of “anything that looks worn–anything with pulls or pilling,” Kline says. Dump poor-quality pieces, too. Hang on to good basics, such as tops in solid colors or simple prints, cashmere sweaters and “fine suiting, even if it’s not in style right now,” Kline says. “You can fix it with tailoring.”
Of even greater interest is the NYTimes article which explains, from the stylist’s point of view, how the “wardrobegate” incident unfolded. Please, before you leave any politically-charged comments here, read the article. Then consider the following question:
How prepared could you be in three days to look respectable in the national spotlight?
“The campaign advisers realized the kids, everybody, needed to be dressed,” Ms. Kline said. “This was a family that was about to stand before the world, and they just came with their everyday-life clothes.”
With less than 24 hours before the Palins’ national debut on the tarmac, it was decided that the luxury retailer Neiman Marcus, which has a store in Minneapolis, offered the best available selection for the circumstances. Arrangements were made for a private early-morning trip.
Neiman Marcus opened for Ms. Kline and her assistant at 7 a.m. on Wednesday, she said, and the two split up and spent a rushed 90 minutes or so gathering what they needed. Ms. Palin and her family were not there; nor was anyone from the campaign. Instead, the two stylists relied on a couple of salesclerks and a store manager.
“There was no conversation. There was no chitchat. It was just, ‘We need two pairs of pants in size yadada,’ ”
The previous year’s NYtimes article included comments by stylist-to-the-stars Leslie Fremar indicating that the fee charged for stylist and other services, including tailoring and an assistant, was not out of line.
“At first glance, it seems high,” Ms. Fremar said. “I think most people don’t realize what it costs for an independent contractor to do these services. They think it’s just clothes.”
Hopefully, this gives Sarah Palin stalkers something to look at. No pictures though.
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Do the Men in the Office “Get” the Ladies’ Clothes?
Find this post and others on modesty at The Modesty Blog Carnival at Is This Modest.
For your amusement, and no other reason, I offer this small polemic essay, which I was required earlier in the quarter to write. Sadly, while according to the professor this is true and well-written, I have been unable to find a suitable venue (Letters to the Editor, etc) where it would be accepted for publication. Nevertheless, I enjoyed it, and hoped you might too!
Pardon Me, Your Underwear is Showing
Forgive me for pointing out the obvious, but shouldn’t anyone who can hold a job also be able to tell the difference between a skirt and a slip? A blouse and a bra? Trousers and tights? How is it that women today attain professional status without being able to distinguish between workwear and underwear? Like the proverbial emperor, they have been hoodwinked by enterprising clothiers; nevertheless, their colleagues see their nakedness.
That women enjoy men’s ignorance is demonstrated by their indifference. If a male co-worker declared her “cami” not a shirt, today’s professional woman might respond condescendingly that it is the style these days. Or perhaps she’d just smile, pat him on the head, and ignore the comment altogether.
Seemingly some basics of interpersonal communication are being overlooked in many offices. Clothing conveys a message. Many men, and not a few women, do not speak What Not to Wear. Professional women wearing underwear as business clothing run the very real risk of being misunderstood.
Guys, why not just be honest? Walk right up to that colleague and say, “Excuse me, did you know you forgot your shirt?”
Ladies, at least have the decency to be embarrassed when you realize you’re not wearing any clothes.
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Back to School as Teacher
Consider the wisdom expressed by my friend Kyle, a substitute teacher studying for her Masters:
Much as I would like to dress as a hippie, I dress respectable when I am teaching. I am amazed at how many teachers sport jeans and sweatshirts(sometimes principals). It is too hard to get respect as it is and I feel it is my duty to provide as much of a positive role model as possible. On the brighter side, in one of my classes someone brought up that she always wears colorful clothing to interest students. I thought that was interesting. It explains why sometimes I see teacher dressing like they live in Hawaii.
from facebook comments on my post about Chase Bank’s dress code. Clearly, it makes a different with what age group you are working, but she makes a good point about establishing respect.
The Cliff-notes on achieving an authoritative ensemble:
- avoid leisure elements
- adopt an upper layer: blazer, cardigan, tailored vest
- choose high authority color combos: high contrast (such as navy/white), neutrals (gray, taupe, ivory, and so on), or monochromatic (but probably not a playful color, like orange)
- use serious, coordinated accessories. Save the fun stuff for after your authority is well-established
Establishing yourself in a new setting offers a great opportunity to match your visual impression to your unique personality. My rule of thumb has been to dress scrupulously in my own unique idiom for the first three weeks of any new commitment. After that I loosen up.
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Chase Bank Right on Dress Code
There is a Chase branch in our neighborhood Fred Meyer. As I have never been a WaMu customer, this does not cause any particular emotional reaction for me. I have noticed, recently, what they wear.
You see, Chase, as many of you may already be aware, has a strict dress code. And in my mind, that’s a good thing. Does anyone else remember the days when bank tellers dressed professionally? Over the past several years, I have been increasingly appalled by the varieties of lingerie and other leisurewear showing up in banks. Honestly, though, the workers themselves can hardly be blamed; they just don’t know better. But Chase is teaching them.
For one, Chase employees are required to wear Chase logo clothing available through their apparel program. And then, they are provided with guidelines on how to do so professionally:
- shirts must be buttoned up.
- no visible undergarments, with the one preppy exception: the white crew-neck tee. (Actually, they also allow a tee or turtleneck in the same color as the shirt also.)
- shirts have to fit!
- the employee may wear any color trouser or skirt as long as it is black. Cut, fit, and styling must be simple and professional.
- and more.
Based on their job, Chase employees fall into one of two “Apparel Categories”: classic (business casual) and professional (formal business).
When I spot one of these people in the Fred Meyer parking lot, they catch my eye - for a good reason. They look put together. Ironically, their shirts are the same color as the Fred Meyer polo worn by the cashiers; since I am acquainted with a number of the cashiers, I notice the color first. But then I notice the fit. In a tailored shirt constructed to fit the feminine figure and black trousers, it’s little wonder the young ladies look, well, business casual. And the young men? Chase blue shirt, black sweater vest and trousers.
Tellers working for other banks would do well to take notice and put together their own “classic” look. More importantly, companies wishing to inspire client confidence would do well to consider the impact the appearance of their employees has on their corporate image.
(twinhill.com faqs for the Chase Apparel program, accessed June 30, 2010. no affiliation. also: chase_dressguidelines.doc.)
