Career

Dress for Success: Say Goodbye to Casual Fridays

By Ruth Haag
www.RuthHaag.com

Dotcoms brought us casual business attire. Those computer jocks wore jeans to work and became multi-millionaires. We all wanted that relaxation (if we couldn't have the money!) First came "casual Fridays", then came casual every day. Interestingly, this causal attire has not been picked up by our leaders. You rarely see the people running for President of the United States in casual Friday attire, unless they are trying to look like "common people". You also rarely see the top people in large businesses in casual attire. This is because casual attire does not cause people to follow you. In fact, the more casual you are, the less respect people show for you.

If you want to be a leader and rise up in your organization, you may want to re-examine your attire.

We discussed this with our local men's clothier, Erik Anderson of Erik's Clothing for Men in Sandusky, Ohio.

I had noticed that Erik always looked sharp, even on Saturday when he was wearing blue jeans. When we spoke with him he said, "Blue jeans are fine, just don't lose the jacket." Blue jeans, an open-collar shirt and a sport coat do still look pretty nice together.

Back to Dressy

If you decide to make the leap from T-shirts back to dress shirts and sport coats, you have to remember that sport coats and dress trousers are not "one size fits all" as your T-shirt might have been. Some amount of tailoring will be advisable.

If you purchase dress slacks and sport coats at stores that do not offer alteration services, check your local listings and find someone who does alterations. It really makes a great difference in how the clothes "hang" on your body. A poorly-fitted suit can make you look like a bumpkin, who is just trying to dress up.

Since we are all a bit out of practice at wearing sport coats, we asked Erik for some basic rules. He gave us the following:

• The bottom button of the sport coat is never buttoned.
• The sleeve length of sport coats is to the wrist bone.
• A long-sleeved shirt should be worn under a sport coat. (Erik asks, "How much do your forearms really sweat?" We will be figuring this out later this summer.)
• Your trousers should end at the top of the heel of your shoe.

You will need to keep your trousers and shirts pressed. "The iron is your friend," Erik says.

For women, the suit issue is a bit more difficult because professional-looking women's suits are hard to find. I suggest the following:

• The color should be neutral.
• There should be no ruffles or fringes.
• The blouse or top under the sport coat should cover the chest (no cleavage).

When dressing for success, consider those who look successful to you, and follow their style.