While we stay-at-home moms spiff up in order to be taken seriously, working women around the country, perhaps around the world, vigorously defend their right to wear beach clothes to the office. Employers have had enough.
In WSJ.com’s The Office Cover-up, Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan addresses the culture clash perplexing managers: are increasingly casual styles creating an unprofessional workplace? As women, I believe we are vulnerable to the delusion that if a style is cute and current that makes it appropriate anywhere. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but if you show up to greet an important client wearing flip-flops, your boss just might send you home and take over your meeting for you.
I believe we’re entering a new era of business dress codes. For example:
Emprise Bank in Wichita, Kan., which allows business-casual attire during the summer, says it was getting so many questions about what was acceptable earlier in the year, that it sent out a 20-page PowerPoint presentation to its 450 employees just before Memorial Day clarifying its guidelines. In one slide titled “How to Wear Crops at Emprise,” a photograph of a woman wearing cropped pants and a blazer is captioned “Like this,” while another shot showing the pants paired with an unbuttoned blouse says “Not like this.” The company nixes untucked shirts and flip-flops for men, for example, while reminding them to “Be sure to use a belt when loops are available!” For women, open-toed shoes are OK but only if they’re worn with pantyhose.
In my opinion, a little common sense could avoid alot of written clarification. The following have no place in the business wardrobe:
- Beachwear of any variety: flip-flops, sport sandals, short shorts, spaghetti straps, and on and on.
- Provocative clothing: sheer tops, visible undergarments, clothing designed to resemble lingerie.
- Sloppiness. See my previous post What Not to Wear … Casual Friday.
We do actually know someone presently working on an office dress code. What would you add to my list?
No visible tattoos. 😀
What about those women who have grotesquely long false nails? I have seen some that looked like they could be in Ripley’s.
Keyhole necklines.
Sneakers.
Bare legs, in general.
I certainly wouldn’t wear extreme fingernails to a job interview – the employer would be likely to think you weren’t able to actually do anything. Anyway, I’m inclined to agree with you. The ones you describe sound just plain gross.
Since you are recommending against bare legs, would you also forego backless shoes? I see (and hear) lots of women in offices wearing backless shoes with stockings, which seems to me at best terribly inelegant and at worst downright dangerous. (I suppose someone could remain trendy and get around that by wearing footless tights with backless shoes, but that doesn’t strike me as professional.)
Now that I think about it, I’m glad I’m not the one writing the dress code.
Hose with open-toe shoes? Umm….what were they thinking? I know there are sandal-toe hose out there, but I think I’ve also seen versions without a toe, just a thin strap that goes between the toes like a flip-flop.
Personally, I think bare legs – as long as they look decent – are perfectly OK in the office, unless it’s very formal. Hose are boiling hot and a royal pain, rather like ties. How many men like ties? How many women like hose? (Except on those really dressy occasions.) We lasted, well, centuries without them and still managed to look professional. 🙂
BUT…What about the woman wearing open-toe shoes with cropped pants? Hose, or no hose? That is the question! ;D
Also…what’s wrong with keyhole necklines? As long as they’re not gaping and plunging, that is.
My suggestions: no shorts for men or women, no sweat pants (again, for men or women), no cleavage, no bare bellies or midriff, no T-shirts. As a 50-year old woman working in an engineering office, I’m quite surprised how many young men and women dress inappropriately for an office job in a conservative field. The young men tend to dress too casual and many of the women wear clothes that are too tight or revealing. The kids look more like they’re going to hang out with their friends instead of going to work. Many in this generation have apparently never heard of “dress for success.”
Excellent suggestions. The office my hero works in is primarily architecture, but also includes engineering. Unfortunately it’s not just the young people who are dressing inappropriately, although the 50 yo’s and up are all very conservative. We have one friend in his 20s who I never see wearing anything which draws attention to itself; on the other hand, there are men our age (early to mid 40s) who wear stuff that is barely a step above a beer tee shirt! ugh!
My rule of thumb has ALWAYS been: Take business formal (a suit), lose the jacket, and you have business casual.
I’ve varied it with the tops by wearing a (nice) fitted, nice material t-shirt that doesn’t look sloppy or wrinkled, and worn trouser jeans (but never actual jeans unless I saw my PM or other client members wearing jeans as well on Fridays).
I also wear ballet slippers to walk to work, but I switch into heels when I get there, because I think shoes really make the outfit seem very casual, or more dressy. Flip flops or low ballet slippers with a trouser jean and fitted (nice) t-shirt, is WAY more casual to me, than the same outfit but with black low heel pumps.
I also would like to ask women everywhere to not only NOT wear fake fingernails, but please, don’t wear too tight clothing so I see your rolls, flip flops (best kept for the beach), trainers/sneakers, anything ridiculously sequined, shiny, bedazzled or metallic like a disco ball, plunging cleavage necklines or buttlines (ahem), UGGs, Crocs, casual material items like 100% cotton halter tops with a jacket over it (NOT appropriate, wear something more structured please), and short skirts.
Phew! 🙂
Oh, and as for guys… beer t-shirts are inappropriate, so are sneakers, many many gold chains with chest hair sticking out, and white socks with black shoes. Ugh.
Sherry Maysonave says “no mules to work.” I love her book and website http://www.bluesuitmom.com/career/powerimage/
I work in a conservative industry (health insurance) and people dress appallingly casual. I fell in to that trap too, but with my recent promotion I have upped my professional look considerably (people noticed too). I remember one incident where a co-worker, a 55yr old woman, very stylish and trim, wore a very short white “skort” to work (like a tennis skirt). She sat as if she were wearing shorts (i.e. legs open) but the style really looked more like a skirt. It was all I could do to not tell her she was totally inappropriately dressed. BTW, she was one of the people passed over for my promotion.
I wear pantihose every day now, because I have chubby white legs. My former manager on the other hand, can get away with bare legs, because she is tan and toned. Another co-worker — same thing. From a distance it looks like she is wearing hose, because her skin tone is so even. Mine is all blotchy — best to cover it up with hose or tights, even when it is hot outside. The office is air conditioned anyway!
Hehe, at my last job I was in management and we had over 500 employees in our building. We had to enforce a dress code that was carefully written to inlcude everything up to hairstyles. I never had to send anyone home or write anyone up for a dress code offence, but I did have to tell a heavy set middle-aged guy once that his too-short t-shirt that had hiked…er, up…and had to be pulled down. Soo exciting. NOT!!! “Pajama days” were a regular occurence, but I never could bring myself to dress down signficiantly…. My idea of business casual just isn’t jeans and a t-shirt. 🙂 Perhaps that was one reason for my promotion. Certainly, I was noticeably at times the only one treated like a lady (holding doors, carrying chairs, etc.) by both younger and older guys in mixed groups of both younger and older women… I found it very interesting to watch.
I recently moved into the healthcare industry and I was surprised to see the jeans and t-shirts even there…. I’m still sticking with my idea of business casual. 🙂
Agreed with Beth & Katie…
My idea of business casual just isn’t (regular) jeans and a t-shirt. I’d wear trouser jeans only if they didn’t look like actual jeans, or too casual, but if they were tailored, pressed, and crisp, like a dark dark khaki…
I just can’t bring myself to wear PJs to work, or flip flops. I find I also get treated better as a result, and people think I’m older than 24 (which is good I guess… but then I wonder if I look that old, or if it’s just my attitude that’s convincing them!) 😛
Hey, I’m all for being treated well at any age.
“Pajama Days” at work? That’s just wrong!
No cleavage or underwear. Please. Pretty Please? Pretty Please, With a Chocolate Sundae?
I am generally blessed to be around co-workers who obey most of the rules you’ve stated, though we do like sandals (non-flips) on Fridays in the summer. The other departments at the University, however, could use some serious lecturing. Or cajoling with Chocolate Sundaes.
~Anna
Here’s a very funny piece by about women showing cleavage at work:
http://kevinandpatrick.blogspot.com/2006/12/cover-your-boobies.html
Although I think that the face of fashion is continuously changing in the workplace and beyond, I agree that there are some guidelines that are constant. For example, short shorts/skirts, too-tight garments, visible cleavage or underwear, and wrinkly items should all be banned.
But, I must admit that I think pantyhose are a thing of the past. Bare legs really aren’t so bad for many people.
And open-toed shoes can be classy if the right shoe is picked and matched with a stylish suit and professional sccessories.
I also am a fan of capris or “city shorts” paired with a blazer and pumps.
It’s difficult to make hard-and-fast rules about these things. Still, I understand the need for the discussion. Especially about “business casual.” That’s such a vague phrase with so many meanings.
It serves businesses well to clearly outline what is expected – and providing a PPT to employees is a great way to go.
P.S. I’d LOVE to see a copy of the PPT mentioned in the WSJ article.
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