How To Dress In A Corporate Casual World

When the dress code calls for corporate casual, fear not. Just get down to business with these simple tips that are sure to suit your style. Dressing for success is no easy undertaking in today’s workplace. Given the variety of options from classic to casual, many workers across generation gaps and gender lines find themselves lurking endlessly through outlets in search of the elusive corporate casual look.

The End of the Power Tie

In the 1980s, corporate fashion was a simple affair with power ties and sharp, but leggy skirt suits dominating the scene. However, as blue chips stumbled, breaking the implied promise of lifetime employment, a series of dot-coms flourished, rising to rescue the plethora of Yuppies bobbing in the basin of jobless uncertainty.

Suddenly, the forty-something Alex P. Keaton’s of the world were relying on the web-centered creativity of a new, now a generation of T-shirt-clad, do everything, be anything techno-kids weaned on recycled Jerry Garcia and tales of basement-based billionaires. To place a pun, ties just didn’t suit this sort. Enter the corporate casual craze.

The Dawn of Corporate Casual Dress

What began in the early 90s with tie-free Fridays, proliferated into a diverse, everyday affair touching even the most conservative corporations. The trend toward casual dress in the workplace is showing no sign of a slowdown. On the contrary, the phenomenon is spreading to the more traditional professions at a rate that would dizzy any self-respecting white-shirt warrior.

Unfortunately, the absence in many organizations of a clear and readily enforced definition of corporate casual has left members of both sexes staring blankly into closets full of nothing to wear. Still, some guidelines have emerged to help even the most stylistically challenging worker dress for success.

Dress for Job Location, Industry, and Position

Suits still rule in New York City, especially around midtown and for the Wall Street crowd. Of course, if you’re writing code in the east village, chances are you can quickly dispose of that advice. Other important factors involve what you do and at what level you do it. Typically back-office people will have more leeway with what they wear than those with direct client contact.

Dress for Your Clients

This client-centered approach seems to be at the heart of every dress policy, whether written or implied.

Does Formal Dress Mean Business?

Of course, not everyone is thrilled with the move to casual attire. There was something special, almost ritualistic, about putting on and removing your tie. It separated the day, sort of letting you know when the formal work was through. Many argue the obsolesce of this sentiment given the unpleasant reality of telecommuting, email, and ever-intruding cell phones that seem to have stretched the workday towards infinity.

There used to be a sense of pride in wearing a suit. If you were a white color guy it meant you made something of yourself. You had an education and were probably doing better than your parents. In today’s changing economy, with flag-waving construction workers earning more per hour than some junior lawyers that sense of privilege is no longer valid.

Benefits of Accessories Helping One Feel More Professional

Some accessories can allow one to dress up or dress down an outfit. Despite whether or not a suit is worn in the corporate world, more sophisticated-looking accessories can create a professional heir about them. Using a professional-looking bag can also make you appear well put together. Carrying around business reports, binders, clipboards, or even a laptop in a bag hides all the business papers while creating a very sophisticated look. In some settings, small accessories such as a ring from Oxford Signet Ring Co or another similar company can command authority and show you pay attention to the fine details. This might be the difference when acquiring a new client or closing out a tight business deal. Consider that small details like this can also be a great conversation starter, which is a core part of business for some people.

Taking Flexible Dress Too Far

While the majority of employees favor flexible dress codes, there can be pitfalls to leaving the choice of attire solely to their discretion. Many companies have found that there is a slippery slope of acceptability. What begins as khakis and button-downs can quickly become jeans and pullovers if employee behavior is not monitored.

Many business owners and human resource professionals say that men, especially back-office workers, are typically more apt to stretch the limits. It’s an easy jump from collared pullovers to T-shirts, especially in the summer. Women are typically more cognizant of what they wear. And while the days of smoke-filled boys clubs are winding down to their final hours, most women realize the potential career risk associated with appearing in a strapless, sleeveless number.

The Future of Corporate Dress

And so the question becomes – is the pendulum of the corporate fashion set for another swing? Perhaps. And yet I can’t help but wonder if we as workers are simply struggling toward equilibrium.

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