Casual chic - business casual - Brief Article

Ebony, August, 2000

What is the best dress-down business attire?

GONE are the days when companies enforce a strict dress code and expect their employees to wear dark suits, which meant skirt suits only for the female staff members. While that still may be true of a handful of corporations, for the most part companies have gradually accepted as appropriate a more casual mode of dressing.

Dining the last decade, casual Fridays became the norm in many places of employment, and that has translated into more casual dressing overall. According to some statistics, more than 70 percent of American companies allow some form of casual attire on occasion, including companies such as IBM, where employees at one time adhered to a rather strict dress code. That was also the case with many other Fortune 500 companies, and especially for those employed in the finance industry, such as banking, accounting, and Wall Street and LaSalle Street investment firms.

So it's not surprising that in today's ever-changing business environments, many women seem to be confused about what is appropriate attire to wear to the office. Many take note of what other women are wearing, and assume the same is right for them. However, the best guide can be found where you work and in the particular dress policies or expectations. What you should wear to the office often is determined by the industry in which you work. For example, long before casual Fridays became en vogue, those working in the media, advertising, public relations and other creative professions tended to dress more casually than their colleagues who work in corporate environments. That continues to be the case today. Yet, executives, middle managers and other authority figures in a variety of professions across the board are expected to look professional and set the how-to-dress standard, even when the day calls for more casual styles.

Women in all professions should be aware that they are not advancing their careers when they wear inappropriate clothing to work. Shorts, low-cut blouses, form-fitting spandex attire and short-short skirts may get you attention, but not necessarily the raise or promotion you want. Rather, you should demonstrate that you have good judgment by wearing casual chic on days when you want to dress down.

Carla Norfleet Taylor, second vice president and international equity analyst for Northern Trust Company, a trust and investment corporation based in Chicago, says there is no explicit dress code beyond "business attire" for her office. "However, over the past few years, senior and middle-management level women have redefined the dress code in my office," she says. "Not so long ago, wearing dark-colored, conservative dress suits was the standard for women in the financial services industry. In the past few years, however, professional women in my office and even on Wall Street have redefined that standard. We feel much more comfortable wearing bright colors, pantsuits and fashionable jewelry to the office."

About five years ago, she says, her company formally declared every Friday "casual day." However, her everyday style allows her to dress business-casual much more regularly. "I often hang up my black, dark blue, brown and gray suits on days when I do not have a lot of meetings or on days when I need a splash of color and style to help my self-esteem and mood," she says. "In fact, pantsuits and bright colors are becoming a growing proportion of my wardrobe."

She adds that clothing she definitely would not wear to the office includes the obvious "no-no's," such as miniskirts, low-cut blouses and stretch pants. "I also consider a lot of the cute fashions today, like the shorter capri pants and bare-back, slip-on sandals, as professional no-no's," she says. "And while I love to wear sleeveless shirts and dresses outside the office, I feel they are only appropriate inside the office if they are accompanied by a matching blazer."

Brenda Pickens Seals, director of personnel for the Spotsylvania County Public Schools in Virginia, says her superintendent expects men and women both to dress professionally on the job, even when students are on vacation. Yet, says Dr. Seals, "Generally, one day a week when I think I can get away with more casual dress, I will wear a sports jacket and slacks or a skirt and sweater." However, she says that when she does not wear a jacket, she keeps one handy just in case she is called into an unexpected meeting. "During summer, when students are not in attendance at schools, I dress casually more often,"

says Dr. Seals, who adds that she also wears more casual clothing when school is cancelled due to inclement weather but administrators are required to work.

Dr. Seals emphasizes that sleeveless dresses and bare legs are "definitely inappropriate" for her work environment, and her personal "no-no's" include jeans, sundresses, jean skirts and sandals.

She adds that those who work in the school system's administrative offices do not have "the privilege of casual Fridays," and because she works in human resources, she is in constant contact with personnel and candidates who are interviewing for administrative and support positions. "On any given day, I may visit one of the county's 25 schools or I may be asked to speak to a group of students, parents or community members," she explains. "Tailored suits, including pantsuits, are most appropriate." Occasionally, Dr. Seals wears a sports jacket and a skirt or a dress with a jacket.