In preparation for putting some thoughts on business clothing into posts, I thought I’d throw this question out there:
How would you categorize appropriate business clothing at your place of employment?
In my former business life, I wore almost exclusively suits (feminine, stylish ones; not boring, cookie-cutter ones).
So, I’m wondering: do many people still work in an environment where formal dress is expected?
In the past when I worked for ‘the man’ the dress codes were always business casual, but I tended to wear suits anyway most of the time or jackets and trousers or skirts together. It always made me feel more like doing work.
We’re business casual. Having bought more formal jackets, I wear them, partly for temperature control, partly because I like them. But I’ll wear a velvet jacket to work with jeans on Fridays, and no one complains.
We’re business casual here. I’ve always been more comfortable dressing to the more formal end of the standard. But the acceptable interpretation of “business casual” runs a spectrum, and varies among individual offices, companies, industries and (especially) regions. When, where, and how often business formal appears (as well as how formal is formal) also varies regionally and by industry.
I had lunch at my husband’s office yesterday, Friday. It was business casual day. Everyone looked fabulous in NICE jeans, blouses with sweaters, nice boots. No one slobbed out. I wonder about productivity on those days, though. Woudn’t what we wear affect how much we got done? Or didn’t?
Here at my college in Seoul the unofficial dress code is staid, understated, run-of-the-mill suits: black, navy, charcoal grey, and sometimes the men take a walk on the wild side and wear sheeny silvery-grey suits — and dress this up w/ very colourful neckties. Women wear business suits in the above colours with sensible low-heeled or loafer-like shoes . . . but as a foreigner I pretty much wear what I want: bright colours, pink, florals, heels: it’s quite an experience to be at a faculty conference or meeting and there are only a few women wearing red and I’m wearing fuschia or cotton-candy pink in a sea of somber dark . . . a little odd but not a problem!
Personally I never liked the idea of “Friday Casual” and during my short stint working in the US never took part — just wore my normal attire — the whole concept of Friday casual is a free “morale booster” for the company — they get to graciously “give” their workers this treat — and quite frankly most people look better in a suit anyway! Then again I’m old fashioned . . . I don’t like jeans in the workplace at all, but this point of view has pretty much disappeared . . .
OH — also read somewhere that the idea of Friday casual was strongly pushed by various clothing brands in the 80’s as a way to create another category of clothing to increase sales . . .
Is there a particular day of the week that you think is best for shopping at VV or Goodwill? I’d like to try my luck at finding some good deals!
My work is very casual. I am allowed to wear jeans most days, I prefer a dressier jean, maybe in a dark rinse with a trouser cut. I try to dress them up with cute tops and work in fun dresses and skirts. I work mostly with teens, and being buttoned up and ultra fancy, especially in some of the neighborhoods I work in just wouldn’t mesh well. I love that I am able to be creative and also be casual. It makes work fun! 🙂
Sarah – around here at least, Value Village has a 99 cent color tag every Monday; if you can get there first thing in the morning, that is the best time to go! Otherwise, whatever day they start running the new color 50% off would be a good choice; I can’t remember if it’s Wednesday or Thursday. Thursday at the Salvation Army store here they have a color tag they run for something like 20 cents each, and every day they have other sales, including a color that is only $1. Goodwill runs sales too, but it’s on my way home so I just stop whenever I’m going by.
My workplace is construction industry, so quite informal. The only real dress code is ‘no jeans except on Fridays’. However, I’m the accountant for the company, and a professional. I want to be seen that way, so I dress more on the formal end of business casual. Dress pants, buttoned shirts, layered with sweaters, the occasional blazer. My office is hot or cold, depending on the weather, so I need to keep that in mind as well. I also try to make sure my jeans on Fridays are paired with something nice, and that my jeans are in good repair. I remember my shock when one of my female co-workers wore frayed cutoff jean shorts (to the knee, but tight) and an arty-printed T on Friday one day in the summer. I was a little shocked.
We have a written dress code (which I keep meaning to send to you). It is basically business wear Mon-Thurs, business casual or a step down from that on Friday. The sales guys all wear ties, and a few actually wear suits. The women are all over the map… suits, dresses, separates, etc. One of the rules is jeans only on Friday and they can’t be frayed. No baseball caps (which bums my hubby). I generally wear separates (skirt or slacks with sweater or shell, usually a jacket). On Fridays I wear nice cords or trouser jeans, with heels. People who don’t meet with customers regularly tend to dress more casual. But I work with a female Director who wears a variation on the same boring pant suit day in and day out.
If you can call flip flops, skin-tight micro miniskirts, sleeveless tops and lots of cleavage or unbuttoned shirts and gold chains business casual, then that’s my office. And yes, this is M-F. It obviously goes even further down hill on Friday.
It’s embarrassing.