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By: Stayce Wagner (Guest Blogger)
Ask 5 people to define business casual and you will get 5 different answers. This is the problem with business casual, the rules aren’t clear.
Prior to the 1990’s, dressing for the office was easy – you dressed up. Suits and ties for men and pantyhose and makeup for women were all part of the dress for success ethos. You could count on being appropriately dressed for work if you followed the rules.
However, all that changed with the rise of techie start-up culture in the Silicon Valley. Suddenly, “chic” was synonymous with “Geek” and the trend of dressing down for work, dubbed “business casual” became fashionable. Law firms embraced the trend and in an instant, suits, ties and pantyhose were only worn at client meetings, court appearances and other official functions. I was among the women who danced in the streets; pantyhose were dead. But, there was a price to be paid for our freedom.
Ten years later, and still waiting for a clear definition of “business casual,” some of us still struggle with what to wear to work. As much as we love dressing down, sometimes casual clothes just aren’t business appropriate. So, what should we do?
Surprisingly, the solution is to buy a suit. I am not suggesting a return to the frumpy suit and big hairstyles of yesteryear. Rather, I am suggesting that conservative suits serve as an anchor for clothing that is otherwise too casual for the workplace.
Here is how it works:
Begin with a classically tailored suit in a subdued color – black, tan, blue and gray are good choices. For women, a three-piece suit (jacket, skirt and pants) will work nicely. For men, add a coordinating blazer and slacks to your traditional two piece suit. Then simply mix and match the suit’s components with less structured and casual work clothes. You will be able to create a wide variety of work appropriate, business casual outfits. And because business suits tend to withstand fickle fashion trends, you won’t need to buy a new wardrobe every year.
You will save time and money and look great too! What a concept.
Stayce Wagner works as an intellectual property paralegal. She is also the owner and founder of Spencer Crane Etiquette, LLC, located in Los Angeles, California. Ms. Wagner is a certified Corporate Etiquette and International Protocol Consultant trained by the Protocol School of Washington.
Spencer Crane Etiquette is dedicated to teaching the art of using business etiquette skills to advance careers and to build productive and pleasant work environments. Clients of Spencer Crane Etiquette learn proper and relevant business etiquette and dining skills in an informative, entertaining and supportive environment. All consultations and training sessions are tailored to each client’s specific situation and needs.
You can visit Stayce’s site, Spencer Crane Etiguette, LLC at: www.spencercrane.com
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So, to dress properly in business-casual attire one should buy suits! Who knew?! A special thanks to Stayce for sharing this etiquette tip with us! We sure do appreciate the insight.
What does business-casual mean in your office? We’re sure you’ve seen attire which has burned (perhaps scarred is a better word) certain images into your paralegal mind that you’d rather forget, right? You know, the stuff that would most assuredly make the “fashion police” page in a celebrity magazine! We have too…unfortunately. Please feel free to leave a comment. We’d love to hear from you!
And last, but not least…Happy High Heel Friday!!
Its funny that business casual is different between working in a law firm and the corporate world. At a law firm what was acceptable to worn was explained in detail in the employee handbook but in-house, it is much more of a grey area. I can tell you that if I came in wearing anything akin to a suit, everyone would think that I was interviewing.
Great post, Stayce!..Well done!!
Stayce:
I enjoyed your post. A lot of people don’t know what business casual is and tend to wear attire that they would wear to a club or attire they would lounge around at home in.
Chococolatecaramelcocoa
Some years ago, I did some consulting work for the Marine base at Ft. Lejuene for JAG officers, attorneys and paralegals who were departing the service. Just before I was to go on with my talk, there were a couple of consultants from the corporate department of Nordstrom who talked with the officers about how to dress in the corporate world.
They showed some pictures of a man and a woman. The woman was dressed in biz casual with jeans and a shirt, sunglasses on her head and comfy shoes. The man was dressed in a casual brown suit with brown shoes. The consultants asked, “What do you think these people do for a living?” The reply from the audience was an overwhelming secretary for the woman and used car salesperson or junior manager for the man.
Then they showed some other pictures of a man and a woman. The woman was dressed in a beautiful navy blue suit, not too conservative with navy shoes, a nice handbag. The man was dressed in a navy suit, white shirt, beautiful tie and carrying a nice leather briefcase. “What do you think these people do for living?” they asked. The audience responded with lawyer or CEO for the woman and financial investor, head of a bank, senior exec for the man.
Turns out both sets of pictures were the same people. Goes to show. Clothes do make the person.
Thanks for this post ,I’m attending a job fair today and I was asked to dress business casual. Great timing !!
I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your terrific comments! Thanks also to Stayce Wagner for writing this article for us!
Chere, I think your story is very relatable. People do make judgments based on one’s initial impression, attire, manner of speaking, etc. It’s definitely something we all need to keep in mind! There’s just no way around it. Thanks for stopping by TPS…and mentioning us on The Estrin Report!
Dress for the job you want not the job you have. I was told that by the director of our call center. He always came into work looking like a million bucks. Keep in mind we don’t have a dress code (as in we can wear PJ’s) so he stood out, in a good way. And ya know what, they keep promoting him… Coincidence, I think not.
Thanks Stayce!
Clair, What a great story to illustrate Stayce’s points! Excellent example. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I used to wear suits to work often. I was once told by a [mean spirited] coworker: “We don’t dress like that here” my first week or so into the job. I’m sure you can imagine the tone. Um…how about I do? Best of luck with your sub-par clothing choices and lack of professional tact. While attorneys do not always require us to dress like we’re going to trial, they certainly do take note of it. Like you said, “Dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” Excellent advice indeed.
~ Jamie
I enjoyed reading this post and comments. Thank you. I once wore ‘business casual’ on the first day of work to a new work place in Wake-Forest (Raleigh NC). I was told by my manager that I am ‘overdressed’ (I dressed differently from the next day). I didn’t know that he was mean spirited at that point in time. He wore shorts to office (while everyone else wore regular trousers and long-sleeved shirts). A few months later … I realized that the clothes he wore reflected his outlook at work and how he treats the team members. Another few months later I left the work place because of that manager (his bad personality traits and arrogance). So, there is something to the saying that ‘clothes make the person’. Folks, those of you who are confident and comfortable and professional, please dress professionally. It says a lot about who you are!
excellent issues altogether, you just received a new reader. What would you suggest in regards to your put up that you simply made a few days in the past? Any sure?
Great explanation about business casual. I also notice that most people are confused about the difference between casual clothes and business casual. Thanks for the information Stayce!
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What a great post, now I have a better understanding.