Work attire is different from those college days of wearing pajama pants and sweats to class or work-study. Though everyone likes to dress comfortable, what you wear to work reflects on your personality. Let’s face it, what people think of us does matter-even if we say it doesn’t. However, there is a way to dress chic-comfy but you must follow your employers’ dress code, as well as industry guidelines.
For example, do you work in advertising, media and/or public relations? Most professionals in these fields dress very trendy and fashionable! Suits are okay but you really want to shop for:
Speaking of classy dressers, accessories are important…especially depending on what field you work in. I don’t care if you are a lawyer, accountant, marketer, clerk, teacher, professor, etc; do not wear clunky or offensive jewelry to work. When I say clunky jewelry, I am talking about Wilma from Flintstones clunky!! Funky accessories are great but be very wise in your choices. Coolcat in Brooklyn, NY has great and inexpensive accessories. Casual accessories are great and you don’t have to wear them but they make outfits stand out.
Employers have problems with “casual Friday” because there are some employees that feel they can wear whatever they want as long as they are hygienically clean. I never wear anything less than jeans, slacks and sometimes a nice dress to work. But from what I’ve seen around me, I would advise others not wear:
For example, do you work in advertising, media and/or public relations? Most professionals in these fields dress very trendy and fashionable! Suits are okay but you really want to shop for:
- Funky outfits
- Cute and sexy shoes
- Funky but chic accessories.
Speaking of classy dressers, accessories are important…especially depending on what field you work in. I don’t care if you are a lawyer, accountant, marketer, clerk, teacher, professor, etc; do not wear clunky or offensive jewelry to work. When I say clunky jewelry, I am talking about Wilma from Flintstones clunky!! Funky accessories are great but be very wise in your choices. Coolcat in Brooklyn, NY has great and inexpensive accessories. Casual accessories are great and you don’t have to wear them but they make outfits stand out.
Employers have problems with “casual Friday” because there are some employees that feel they can wear whatever they want as long as they are hygienically clean. I never wear anything less than jeans, slacks and sometimes a nice dress to work. But from what I’ve seen around me, I would advise others not wear:
- Sweat pants
- Jogging suits
- or clothes that are too little or too tight to work.
- Wearing a nice pair of jeans with a cute top with flats or kitten heels.
- Dress down but you can still be cute and casual.
- If you are not sure what constitutes casual, ask your human resources director or your supervisor.
- There may be others that do not follow the dress code but don’t follow in their footsteps.
I would also advise others not to dress casual every Friday; maybe dress up a one or two Fridays a month. Reason being you don’t want to seem too comfortable and you want to show that you are a fantastic employee. Just because the “casual Friday” policy exists doesn’t mean you have to exercise your option to dress down.
The last bit of advice is to be a trendy but thrifty shopper. I am not a fashionista but I know the basics. If you want to learn more about style and fashion, visit http://www.womensmafia.com/. Also, find out more about dress code policies or guidelines in your industry—each employer has a different overview so check with both.
Tell us your thoughts! What are work attire dos and don'ts?
Desiree Frieson, 24, is a marketing and PR manager at Odyssey Networks, an interfaith media production company located in New York City.
No comments:
Post a Comment