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It's a rite of spring at Toronto-based Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.: The more relaxed pace (the Leafs and Raptors are through for the season), the shorter hours (alternate Fridays off).

And Mardi Walker's annual fashion e-mail.

“Subject: Summer Hours and Summer Wear – Please Read before automatically deleting.”

Mardi's Memo – a pre-emptive strike against potential fashion faux pas – comes out just before the Victoria Day weekend every year, when the weather warms up and, Ms. Walker writes, “people like to shed their layers.”

Queen Victoria would not be amused by the excessively casual attire that crops up in some workplaces, she says. So in the interest of defining what constitutes acceptable “business casual” wear – with the enthusiastic input of employees who want their own pet peeves addressed – Ms. Walker, Maple Leaf Sports' senior vice-president of people, tries to set an entertaining but instructive tone, without coming across as heavy-handed.

“You are at WORK,” she writes (her emphasis). “Not the beach, not a nightclub, not a party. Ladies, do not get your dressing for work style tips from Britney, Lindsay, Nicole or Paris. Gents, please do not get your style tips from Jack Black, David Arquette or the cast of Napoleon Dynamite.”

She continues: “Do not wear socks with sandals – ever.” Ditto pantyhose with sandals – “you may as well wear socks.”

Her memo includes a series of photos of “unfortunate souls” wearing socks with sandals, along with the caption: “ 'Nuff said.”

And then there is the perennial plague: flip-flops. “These are beachwear, and as far as I'm concerned, that's where they belong. And, yes, the noise does drive me nuts,” Ms. Walker said in an interview this week.

It is almost always human resources managers who get stuck with being the fashion cops at work – other managers tend to skirt the issue, says Anne Sowden, founder of Toronto-based Here's Looking at You Image Consulting. “And it's always more of a challenge in the summer, when it's hot out.”

It's a busy time of year for Ms. Sowden, as employers call for advice on “professional appearance guidelines – I don't like the phrase dress code, it reminds me too much of school.”

She agrees with Ms. Walker in drawing the line at beachwear, shorts and tank tops – unless the latter are covered up with sweaters or light jackets.

Men, however, should leave the tank tops to pro basketball players, Ms. Walker advises. “For men, dress shorts or uniform shorts are acceptable.”

There is also a danger of being too much of a slave to the current trends if they do not flatter one's body shape, adds Sarah Whittaker, “the wardrobe shrink” at online consulting firm insideout.com insideout.com, based in Waycross, Ga.

For women, this year's fashion styles include nautical, seventies retro look, and “the willow sort of look – a very feminine, floral, slightly ephemeral country-maiden look,” Ms. Whittaker says.

“If you can pull it off, great,” she says, adding that the nautical look doesn't work for everyone. “Willow types can't wear nautical and vice-versa.”

A good rule of thumb, for dressing “with authority” in the summer is to change the fabric, weight and colour of the clothing – but not to compromise on quality, style or cut, Ms. Whittaker says.

But beware: Those lightweight fabrics run the risk of revealing what is being worn – or not – underneath, Ms. Sowden says. Something that seems perfectly acceptable in the mirror at home can appear see-through under harsh florescent lights at the office.

The wearing of white prior to Victoria Day and after Labour Day “continues to be a hotly contested debate,” writes Maple Leaf Sports' Ms. Walker, who feels white clothing is acceptable as long as the weather is warm.

“BUT – what about those white shoes??” she asks in her memo (her emphasis). Wear them with lighter-coloured pants, she advises. “Unless you are a cast member of The Sopranos, they just don't work with dark suits.”

The Mardi Memo ends with simple but timeless advice. Before leaving for work, look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Would I want to do business with me today?”