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Suitable: Work Couture

Think business before pleasure on casual Friday

AMY VERNER

From Monday's Globe and Mail

Latest comment posted at 8:19 AM EDT 07/05/08

How to dress down without abandoning your professional polish ...Read the full article

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  1. Jim Rock from Toronto, Canada writes: Children are orphaned, HIV positive and starving in Africa and Amy's worried about what to wear on casual Fridays. Such deep thinkers in this small unrepresentative Toronto clique. I challenge her to spend three months volunteering in an orphanage in east Africa. I'd love to hear what the proper dress would be in that context.
  2. Michel Frechette from Kapuskasing, Canada writes: I agree with Jim. The G & M speaks for business and if business is concerned about their employee's attire then they might want to consider providing them with and paying for uniforms.
  3. Mike Veracity from GTA, Canada writes: Omg. Give it a rest. Take a day off. We can't be always thinking about the horror in the rest of the world. Perhaps if you give your mind a rest you will be able to do more instead of always brooding over the things you can't change.

    I got a few ideas from this article that will probably help me look better and therefore make more money or be happier. Then I can share these with the world.
  4. sheila valentine from Canada writes: The comment is focused on business which is associated to work .If your business depends on image how you dress for the company is important along with giving pride in how you dress to yourself.Take a look at what kids wear to school these days and watch how they dress for interviews to get jobs ..A company based on image wants pride in dress noty sloppy grunge dirty hair uncombed and clothes like you slept in them so if you want the job with that company dress to success or don't expect the job.I agree dress codes should be set and maintained to represent the company needs.A company that careas about dress will caree about your qualifications to do the job., the whole package.If a casual company fine but better check if you want teh job.
  5. Jim Hester from Mississauga, Canada writes: No flip flops.
  6. B.C. Expat from Ottawa-Hull, NCR, Canada writes: To the first two posters, do you know what this column is for? Hint: not natural disasters or war zones. This writer was hired for a purpose other than what you've described, so to chide her for writing about her specialty is a little weird.

    Should all sportswriters and entertainment columnists be converted into current events reporters forthwith?
  7. Banofee Pie from Toronto, Canada writes: "the collar has a lot of power"? WTF. I thought the brain had the power.

    Luckily our office is ok with wearing sandals, tanks and capris. As long as the work gets done, and we don't look like we're homeless, it's all good.

  8. The one and only Billy Shears from Canada writes: Michel Frechette from Kapuskasing, Canada writes: "I agree with Jim. The G & M speaks for business and if business is concerned about their employee's attire then they might want to consider providing them with and paying for uniforms. "

    Huh? What planet are you from? Do you want all of Bay Street to look like kids in blazers from private schools?
  9. F Dionne from Toronto, Canada writes: I love this article. It reminds me of how fortunate I am to be self-employed (in a field where the quality of my work matters infinitely more than how I dress).
  10. Cosmo Spacely from Canada writes: What about nudist Thursdays??? Nudists are descriminated against.
  11. John McMortimer-Boyles from An Undisclosed Underground Location Safe From Nuclear Attack, Canada writes: Michel Frechette from Kapuskasing, Canada writes: "I agree with Jim. The G & M speaks for business and if business is concerned about their employee's attire then they might want to consider providing them with and paying for uniforms."

    I understand Micheal. You anhd Jim would look great in olive green Mao suits.

    As others have pointed out, the G&M did not hire Amy to write about world events or corporate news. They hired her as a fashion columninst. And while I find myself shaking my head at some of the stuff in her stories and filter out stuff that borders on advertising for some Toronto fashion boutique, I generally enjoy her columns.
  12. John McMortimer-Boyles from An Undisclosed Underground Location Safe From Nuclear Attack, Canada writes: I feel fortunate that I work in an office where I don't have to wear a tie--period. In fact, with a few exceptions, people who show up for work in a suit and tie either have have a meeting mith the minister or are going gor a job interview.

    And on casual Friday I can wear jeans with a polo shirt and a pair of black walking shoes.
  13. J K GALBRAITH from Canada writes: "(Women) take liberties we think we have, but when we look at the business world, it is a man's world, so you have to learn the rule and it's their rules, Ms. Desgagne says "If a man wouldn't do it, don't do it". This comment could have been from 1958! I guess it shows that women have not made that many gain in the business world over the last 50 years. Besides sounding dated, it also seems like very bad advice to give to women since men's clothing options are so more limited than women's clothing. There are all kinds of clothing approaches that a woman has that a man would not need to deal with. As well, men still have a lot of double standards and hypocrisy when it comes to women an their clothng that they should not be considered the arbiters of what is and what isn't women's clothing. What is wrong with wearing golf shirts? Since the relationship between golf and business is well established and many corporations make the golf shirt one of the main components of any company clothing that is produced with the corporat logo, it would seem like an appropriate piece of clothing. There are also lots of very well designed golf shirts that look very stylish. Lots of men can put a nice sports coat over it and still look very sharp. The only limitation on golf shirts should be Ms. Natale's comments on sloppiness and ones that are washed out.
  14. D M from Canada writes: J K GALBRAITH from Canada :

    You are completely right. This article is old-fashioned and so wrong. I am a woman, I don't want to dress like or for a man at work. I dress as a woman ( meaning skirts and blouses on regular days and capris, jeans and open-toed shoes on casual fridays, whatever suits my mood), according to the dress code that is required.

    I don't see what's wrong with men wearing golf shirts either. As long as it's clean and tidy, it should be perfectly acceptable casual attire.
  15. J.C. Davies from Canada writes:
    "Jim Rock from Toronto, Canada writes: Children are orphaned, HIV positive and starving in Africa and Amy's worried about what to wear on casual Fridays. "

    Should we also dispense with the Sports and Arts sections of the G&M, after all aren't they solely concernced with frivolous pursuits.
  16. H M from Canada writes: Given that my place of work is located in such a tiny town, I think I need more advice on how to not OVER dress and freak out the locals. Wearing a suit seems to put them ill at ease.

    What I really want to know is where to find some nice, dressy sandals I can wear to work. Yes, dress code for men is kind of discriminating, because men can't wear shorter pants or sandals to the office. There are, however, allowed to wear golf shirts here.
  17. Rollo Tomasi from Belgium writes: Ms. Desgagne says "If a man wouldn't do it, don't do it".
    ---------------------

    It's an odd comment, given that most women dress a grade better than most men on most days, in my experience.

    I feel sorry for women who feel that they have to wear hose on hot summer days--yuck.
  18. J S from Canada writes: Pantyhose makes our legs look like sausages? What a weird statement.
  19. John White from Canada writes: Ladies: NO FLIP FLOPS!!! Not only are they way too dressed down for the office, but they make annoying flip-flop sound up and down the hallways all day long!

    The "standard" for casual Friday differs for men and women across different divisions at my office:

    Accounting/Finance/Executive Floors: Men are expected to wear Golf shirts and good jeans or kakis, women full length pants, conservative dresses, and conservative tops.

    Operations, Geology, Geophysics: Men wear t-shirts and jeans, women caprice pants, more casual tops, and/or shorter dresses.

    IT/Mail rooms: Seems anything goes...always entertaining to head down there on Fridays in the summer...

    One of our male coop students decided to test "casual" fridays on my floor (finance & executives) dressing the same as his roommate, who works in our IT department, wearing shorts and sandals to work

    He was scolded and sent home by senior management before 9am.
  20. The one and only Billy Shears from Canada writes: Cosmo Spacely from Canada writes: "What about nudist Thursdays??? Nudists are descriminated against. "

    Cosmo - obviously, you didn't see the video attached the G&M article on Nude Bowling in BC. Nudist Thursdays may be titilating if you're thinking of the young fresh hotties at the Reception desk, but look around you and think very carefully. Very, very carefully.

    Do you really want to see more than half your coworkers au naturel? It could get ugly faster than you could say "all lycra full body support".
  21. J.C. Davies from Canada writes:
    Wouldn't a more appropriate term for "casual Fridays" be "slack off Fridays".
  22. Mr. Coffee from Victoria, Canada writes: Who cares about dress codes, anyways? As long as the workers don't look like they live under a bridge in a cardboard box, so be it.

    Never mind casual Fridays, I'm all for some beautiful woman wearing knee high boots and a really nice skirt any day of the week.
  23. Bill Smith from The wilds of the GTA, Canada writes: Isn't this topic been done to death already? If anything during the summer in the next few years dress codes may have to be relaxed a more if stringent electrical conservation comes into play. Ontario will not get it's nuclear reactors in time, office tempretures will be set at 26c in July so we don't have one massive blackout. It will drive the likes of Amy Verner and other self appointed workplace style consultants nuts.

    As far as how casual can you go with business casual all depends where you work. My rule of thumb don't look like a slob and never wear running shoes to the office are my rule of thumb.
  24. R B from Ottawa, Canada writes: Nowhere does this author comment on the public contact factor. It makes a big difference whether the office is a public contact office. If it isn't, then it really doesn't matter as long as neither the men nor the women are showing too much flesh for propriety. I agree with the comments about tattoos, as I personally find them distracting, and I also agree with previous columns commenting on short shorts and too low necklines (on women and men), but grooming should be the first concern.
    If the office is a public contact office, then corporate client contact policies should be in place for what's considered appropriate attire for the various staff.
    Glad I'm retired!
  25. MJ Patchouli from Regina, Canada writes: RB, as I read through the comments I kept thinking exactly what you posted: shouldn't the policy be based on who serves the public and who does not?

    Pet peeve: I HATE going to the bank and seeing all the women there in their lumpy faded jeans and sweatshirts.

    For crying out loud, I'm supposed to trust them in charge of my money, my mortgage and loans, my RRSPs...and they look like they're ready for a walkathon.

    Also for the record: no one should be forced to wear pantyhose as a requisite for employment anywhere. There's nothing wrong with bare legs in summer, and while flip flops may be going too far, there's also nothing wrong with well-kept, clean sandals.
  26. J.C. Davies from Canada writes:
    "Pet peeve: I HATE going to the bank and seeing all the women there in their lumpy faded jeans and sweatshirts."

    Meanwhile the men look like they're dressed for a round of golf at a municipal course.
  27. D K from Canada writes: Oh my, he's not wearing a collar....I have NO respect for anything he says. He musn't know ANYTHING. I will only work for those with a collar.

    I pity those that have to work with Amy.

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