What to wear to the office - working women's fashion

Ebony, Sept, 1993

It is a dilemma that working women across America face every day: What to wear to work.

But for many, the question is more complicated than simply what outfit to pick from the closet. For some professional women, what one wears to work is sometimes just as important as job performance.

And in recent years, corporate managers have noticed more casual styles invading the workplace. Fancy shorts outfits, sheer and lacy blouses, short body-clinging skirts, leggings, sandals and tennis shoes have infiltrated corporate America.

But many female executives--as well as administrative assistants and executive secretaries--feel that such attire is inappropriate, especially for the woman who hopes to advance her career. For those who want to climb the corporate ladder, they say, business suits, dresses and sensible shoes are still the best way to dress for success.

"Those of us who are serious about our careers have invested a lot of time, effort and money in them," says Elnor Hickman, a certified professional secretary at the Legal Assistance Foundation in Chicago. "It doesn't make sense to sacrifice all that by falling down in the image category."

Hickman, president-elect of Professional Secretaries International, says, "You must have technical skills, you must have communications skills and interpersonal skills, but to succeed, you also need image skills."

Irene Oakley-Johnson, internship coordinator for the School of Business and Industry at Florida A&M University, says she emphasizes to student job seekers the importance of image and attire in the business world. "When you talk about corporate America, it's a very funny animal," she says. "People tend to want to be cloned. They want to look alike, act alike, socialize alike. So what happens in corporate America is, to a degree, you have to assimilate in the way you dress as well."

She points out that the standard for business attire varies and depends greatly on whether you work in a large metropolitan area or a small town, and in which region of the country you live. She says corporate attire in large cities, such as New York, Chicago, Detroit and Los Angeles, tends to be less conservative than in the South or in smaller towns. For instance, she says when she worked in New York, she wore "vibrant colors," such as reds, golds, purples and greens. However, since moving to Florida, she's had to revamp her wardrobe to make it more conservative. She purchased a navy suit, and she no longer wears to work her favorite purple suit, which she considers a bit too flashy for the "conservative South."

It also must be noted that women in certain professions, such as finance and law, as well as female executives in major corporations, are expected to dress more conservatively than those in creative fields, such as the media, advertising and public relations.

Yvonne Harris Jones, managing director of employee relations for the American Stock Exchange in New York, says that in the finance world, classic (rather than trendy) attire is preferred. "People are generally concerned that they are taken seriously, and attire is very important," she says. "When people look at you and see the way you act as well as the way you dress, they draw impressions concerning your ability, your credibility, whether you are serious and should be taken seriously."

She says she wears suits and dresses with jackets, but makes an effort to stay away from fabrics that wrinkle easily. "When I go to work, I must be prepared for anything," she says. "I may meet with executives from other companies or attend a luncheon. Sometimes things happen unexpectedly."

Wall Street investment banker Charlene Jackson of Salomon Brothers in New York, adds that pants are taboo in her profession. "I work for a major investment banking firm and we deal with Fortune 500 companies," she says. "The dress is fairly conservative. I have never observed a woman banker in pants."

Irene Reason, assistant to the president and COO of the Quaker Oats Co. in Chicago, is considered one of the best-dressed women at her company, where appropriate attire is less conservative than in the finance industry. She says she walks the line between "funky" and "conservative." "I like bright colors, short skirts, long skirts, but I try to be a tasteful dresser," she says.

That also describes Kimela B. Wright's style. Wright, an attorney in Los Angeles, says when she worked on the East Coast, the dress code was more strict. Consequently, she did not wear pink suits to work, as she does in Los Angeles.

Wright and others point out that the standard for professional attire is changing. "Pants suits are now defined as 'professional attire,' and feminine dresses are acceptable [along with] dark suits. But the extremely casual is still taboo in the legal field. Short skirts are fine. A micro-mini is definitely out. You have a lot of leeway within the professional standard."

Brenda (Jackie) Clinton, a management policy specialist for the U. S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, says work attire should reflect the position you hold, the organization you represent and, of course, a little of the individual. "In my position I must always be prepared because of contact with people in all walks of life," she says. "Being well-groomed from head to toe is part of that preparedness. That's why I feel most comfortable in a well-accessorized classic suit--skirt or pants. I feel jeans, tennis shoes, stretch pants and the like are inappropriate in an office work environment. Strong yet gentle, sophisticated yet sassy--that's me."