Business Casual is a term that evolved from the “Casual Friday” idea introduced on the scene in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It picked up steam with the growth of the dot-com industry and seems to be losing a little of its popularity of late. The definition varies from company to company, but usually excludes things like athletic shoes, jeans, shorts, tank-tops and sweatshirts. More commonly, it includes pants & skirts made of wool, linen and cotton, and open-collared shirts, sport or polo.
During the summer months, it can get out of hand because of the warmer weather. Companies make a huge mistake by not taking a leadership role in this issue. By not having a well-defined policy or just asking employees to use good judgment, they are setting themselves up for discrimination complaints and even lawsuits. The line should be drawn on the use of flip-flops, tennis shoes, T-shirts, jeans and shorts, even in months with hotter weather.
During the summer, liter weight fabrics make better sense. Microfiber is a great fabric that I recommend to my clients instead of cotton, especially in pants. Linen pants are still popular with men and women, and short-sleeve tops are acceptable in cotton or silk. Light-weight wool slacks are fine because all-natural fibers breathe better than synthetic fibers.
There is no set rule on colors in the office environment. I encourage my clients to break down barriers when it comes to colors. The type of business and whether they have a lot of client/customer visits in the office plays more of a role in deciding what image you want to reflect. If you have a very ornately decorated reception area, I would think you would want your gate-keepers to always look their best.
A light-weight jacket adds professionalism to your image, even in the summer months. You always want to match colors underneath with the jacket colors, such as tone-on-tones, or pick a minor color in the jacket and make it the major color for the shirt. That helps to bring out the minor color in the jacket. Open collars without ties are acceptable.
The biggest mistakes men and women make when dressing for the office are two-fold:
1. Having fresh, neatly pressed garments that have a “well taken care of” look to them. Even if you wear a suit, it can look awful if it doesn’t fit you or looks like you slept in it.
2. Color combinations are critical from top to bottom. Women are better at this than men, overall. That’s why I always say “A woman’s best accessory is a well-dressed man”. Although, I did get in trouble one time at a meeting when I said that and the chair-person turned out to be a lesbian. Times do change……….
ALWAYS LOOK YOUR BEST!!