Changing of the Garb

Stay in step— and in fashion— with today’s workplace dress code.

BY KAREN LELAND | ILLUSTRATIONS BY KALI CIESEMIER

Getting dressed for work in the morning is no easy task, but before revealing current offi ce attire do’s and don’ts, let’s begin with a few true or false questions:

• It’s okay to wear a skirt, sans pantyhose, to the offi ce.

• Wearing nicely pressed khaki pants and a tucked-in polo shirt is acceptable attire for meeting with a client.

• Stylish, open-toed sandals are suitable at work.

• An open-collar shirt without a tie is fi ne for everyday business dress.

The answer to all of the above: It depends on where you work and what you do. Welcome to the muddy waters of dressing for success in today’s casual—and oft en confusing—world of sartorial choices. Elizabeth Gordon, co-author of The Chic Entrepreneur: Put Your Business in Higher Heels, says that a trend toward more laidback apparel in the office is a result of changing demographics and society moving online. “The Baby Boomers, who were more formal dressers, are starting to leave corporate America or retire,” she says. “At the same time, [members of] Generation Y, who grew up on the internet, see peers who have made millions on a website business wearing cut-offs and flip-flops to work.”

Therefore, as Generation Y begins to enter the workplace and Generation X moves up the ladder, more companies are trading in casual Fridays for informal attire every day of the week for the simple reason that employees like it better and fi nd it easier to do their jobs with shirt collars open, rather than all buttoned up.

As for Generation X, its ranks grew up with Baby Boomer parents who were hard-driving employees and hard-core business dressers. Yet they have also been raised in a society that is, overall, much more casual. As a result, Generation X has taken a staunch stance on avoiding rules for rules’ sake and is committed to achieving work-life balance. Because of this, Gordon says, Generation X is doing the best job of navigating that fi ne line between formal and business casual attire.

AND A FINE LINE IT IS. Barbara Pachter, author of New Rules @ Work: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead, says that a big part of the problem is that many employers don’t define what business casual is. “Think about it.” Pachter says. “Are you going to give $2 million to someone if they show up in casual shorts?” In one case, Pachter cites an accountant who went to an important business meeting with a client while wearing a suit with casual tassel loafers. At the end of the meeting, the client came up to the accountant and asked, “Are you on your way to a golf game?”

Gordon agrees that the more freedom a company gives its employees, the more they will push the envelope. “Left on their own, employees will oft en interpret business casual as casual, forgetting about the business part,” she says.

Pachter suggests the solution to these fashion faux pas is for companies to spell out exactly what is and is not acceptable to wear to the offi ce. One Fortune 100 pharmaceutical company dedicated a whole section of its website to the topic and even put place cards on cafeteria tables detailing appropriate and inappropriate dress.

So does this surge of business casual mean that you can hang up your business suit and put away your ties? “Not at all,” Gordon says, who is quick to point out that even companies with an informal climate expect employees to dress up when they are meeting clients.

And despite the proliferation of polo shirts and khaki pants, formal business dress still holds a prominent position in the workplace. “There is a hierarchy of clothing for both men and women,” Pachter says. At the top of the list is a business suit and tie for men and a suit for women. “These are still the most powerful looks in business and a requirement in many professional environments,” adds Pachter, who points out that, while times have changed, “We still expect lawyers to look like lawyers and bankers to look like bankers.”

BUSINESS CASUAL BASICS

According to the experts, the most important question to ask is: Is my clothing suitable for my workplace? If you’re not into suits, safe bets for basic business casual include:

MEN
• Polo shirts
• Khaki pants (neatly pressed)
• Slacks
• High-quality, dark-denim jeans

WOMEN
• Sweater sets
• Skirts (knee length or slightly above or below)
• Nice open-toed sandals
• High-quality dark-denim midrise jeans (without embellishments)

FASHION FAUX PAS

Norma Gaffin, director of content for Monster.com, says that a 2007 poll revealed the following top fashion don’ts:

1. SHORTS. Wearing them indicates a “vacation” state of mind.

2. REVEALING CLOTHING. Low-cut shirts, low-rise pants and short skirts all emphasize body over brain. “People are not going to take you as seriously if you draw their eyes to inappropriate places,” Gaffin says.

3. LOUD COLORS OR PATTERNS. Neon-bright colors and wild animal prints will more than likely alienate, not impress, colleagues. “Your clothes should not overpower who you are,” Gaffin says.

4. T-SHIRTS. The only work-related activity where T-shirts are appropriate is at the company softball game.

5. CASUAL SANDALS OR FLIP-FLOPS. A separate Monster Meter poll revealed that an overwhelming 80% of workers deem sandals unacceptable in the workplace. “When I hear those flip-flops coming down the hall,” Gaffin says, “I make a judgment that that person is not taking work seriously.”