Dress for Success

I’ve written my share of posts about dress and appearance policies in the workplace. (Click here, here, here, here, and here.) I’ve tried to give suggestions about the legalities of dress and appearance policies, as well as about the practical side of the subject.

If there’s been an underlying personal theme to my posts, it’s been a sense of disappointment with the increasing acceptance of casual dress at work. Indeed, I’ve suffered considerably over the decline of a desire on the part of employers and employees to dress up when going to work.

Although some of you have disagreed with me and will be sorry to read this post, it seems that today’s economic crisis and desperate job situation are causing people to come around to my point of view. As reported in the New York Times, our tough times are changing the way we dress. The Times article focuses on what women should wear when interviewing for certain jobs, but it’s clear that the dressy trend is also headed to men and to the workplace generally. Note to HR: dust off dress code and think about what needs to be changed.

Suits are coming back strong. Traditional blues and grays are bouncing prints and pastels. If you must wear black, have a small lint roller with you. And before you get to the office, put on a nice pair of heels you’ve packed, “so they remain unsoiled.”

There’s nothing much to cheer about these days in most workplaces, but I’ve just found something that makes me cheerful. If you think about it, you’ll find a silver lining (no pun intended), because you won’t be thinking about all the dreary stuff we’ve all been thinking about lately. Dressing up makes one feel better, and it just may make the economy feel better, too.

1. 

   LKS says:

   November 19, 2008 at 9:55 am

   Reminds me of the old adage, “Dress for the job you WANT, not the job you have”. It can be difficult to respect a boss wearing flip flops and shorts.
2. 

   John Phillips says:

   November 19, 2008 at 1:09 pm

   Amen, sister.