What to wear in the office
Casual attire does not mean a day in the beach.
Are barongs and suits with shirt and tie as corporate male attire passé? Sure, some folks insist on these eighties getup. Maybe they haven’t gotten the memo from the millennial police. Dressing down, not quite to pajamas for those working from home, is in.
So what do you wear to office when you have to leave the house to work?
The only ones still rooting for the previously accepted office wear for the top tiers are tailoring shops targeting bank executives that handle private banking trying to look trustworthy enough for managing large amounts of cash. Formal invitations to weddings and cocktails still indicate “business attire.” The e-mail blast versions no longer specify attire. If they do, it’s “smart casual.”
It’s not just media, tech, and advertising but also call centers, telecoms companies, and an assortment of non-financial institutions that are opting to dress down.
Here are some guidelines for office wear.
Plain longsleeved shirts, preferably cotton or linen are in. Leather jackets trimmed with fake fur still don’t make it to the cubicle farm as these are more closely associated with overseas workers on home leave.
Blazers are fine as a way of dressing up to attend a luncheon club meeting inaugurating a new bunch of officers with a guest speaker from government.
Shorts, even those that come down below the knee are still too touristy to pass muster as office wear. Casual does not mean a day in the beach.
Shirt cuffs are worn buttoned down at the wrist (with studs for French cuffs) or rolled up with three folds from the edge. Shirts can come in subdued colors like blue, gray, lavender, and mauve. Plaids and pajama stripes are out, except for all-nighters or casual Friday.
Denim pants are in. These are preferably bespoke and dark.
Rubber soled shoes with leather uppers are okay. Sneakers can be a little outré unless one can slam dunk or is working on a new app to challenge established content companies. Programmers have never worried about dress codes. They don’t even eat, so how can they fidget over appearances? Anyway, nobody sees them working. But even they are not allowed to wear flip-flops.
A cell phone, switched on all the time, is de rigueur. The outsized piece clinging to the ear to denote a hands-free gadget is gaining among those who don’t mind looking like a locust is nibbling their ears. Not to be carrying a hand phone at all is impolite.
The only standard apparel that remains unchanged in the dress down era may be the wallet. One can still sport the leather sandwich that has taken the shape of the buttock. It may not contain much paper currency, but it still needs to hold credit cards, and assorted documents like ATM slips and calling cards. The new “man bag” which comes in a strap is still so unfamiliar that it gets left behind in the restaurant.
While this unreliable fashion guide is limited to males, a similar casual look can be drawn up for females… but not by me. I can only offer a small suggestion in this area — forget eye shadow and don’t mind the bra strap showing. Here too, shorts, especially showing crescents of butt cheeks are verboten.
The dress down look is intended to project nonchalance (Do I look worried I am missing my targets?) and liberate the wearer from concerns about old dress codes. (Does the tie go with the suit?) Looking casual can give one new perspectives. Neckties cut off blood going to the brain. (I’m not making this up.) There are more important things than the bottom line to worry about like — Can I wear boots?
Deciding to show up at a meeting with bankers looking as casual as a print journalist or indie film director ( Were they ahead of their time?) may seem too edgy for a dyed-in-the-wool capitalist over fifty… okay, sixty. The moment is saved from being awkward only when the bankers show up in similar attire, with even checkered blazers.
If there is a casual way of doing business, one must be properly dressed for it. Casual wear declare openness to new ideas and the earnest desire to blend with the millennials at work. Okay, you’re not fooling anyone. You still look old, but… hey, Mick Jagger is still doing concerts.