Business Casual

Business Casual at most corporations means that a man may wear a less formal shirt such as a button down cotton shirt or even a collared golf shirt. He may wear a slack that is not part of a suit, but that would be appropriate to wear with a sport coat. He may also choose to wear a sport coat. A tie is not necessary for business casual.

My son Randy and his wife Melissa met us for dinner last summer, after a casual Friday day at the office.

For a summer business casual look, the man may wear a collared knit shirt with cotton or linen slacks. A sport coat is not necessary for a business casual look in the summer. The woman may wear slacks with a blouse or a summer dress to the office. She may also wear a skirt, either long or reasonably short, and combine it with a blouse.

Blue-jeans are never appropriate attire for a professional business person to wear to an office!! (They are, of course, OK to wear when watching your daughter model her blue velvet Christmas dress that Granny Ruth bought her.)

Thigh high skirts or short shorts are taboo! Sheer blouses or hooter type sweaters should only be worn to work if you are a Hooter-girl!!

Proper undergarments are also mandatory for a businessperson to wear to an office. Flip-flops, stiletto heels, tennis shoes, combat boots or bare feet are for Saturdays!!

Baseball hats, whether they’re turned front, sideways or backwards, should be left at home unless, of course, you are going to a baseball game.

The manufacturers of casual attire are now trying to convince young professionals that clothing, such as depicted above, which was on the cover of the February 18, 2000 Weekend Journal section of the Wall Street Journal, is appropriate for casual Friday!

Believe me when I tell you, if a professional person were to appear at work wearing such clothing, everyone would think that he or she was there to deliver the pizza!! Stick with your khaki pants and white button-down shirts, guys. Twin sets with skirts or slacks look casual, but professional, for you women.

Remember ads that tout this type of attire have only one purpose in mind, to get you to spend money on their clothes no matter what happens to your credibility as a professional.