Message #80179

[Katie G]

We do have a dress code - mostly a list of restrictions:  no jeans, tank tops, tee shirts, or athletic shoes unless required for medical reasons (and yes, we have a person who comes under that).  Most people here wear suits or coordinated separates.

We have "business casual" Fridays in the summer.  Men can forego the necktie and suit and opt for a sport shirt or polo shirt with khakis and leave the blazer at home.  Women can, in the words of our guidelines, "adjust the level of formality accordingly" as long as they don't wear any of the prohibited items. 

The problem is the fine line between:
 - a sleeveless top or dress and a tank top.  (Of course, you can always toss on a cardigan to fix that.)
 - a dressy sandal and a more casual, beachy sandal.  Rubber flip flops are a definite no-no.   
 - capri pants that are obviously meant to be dressy and the more casual type.

I avoid the issues by wearing a khaki skirt with a polo shirt, or a cotton knit dress that comes to my knee (like a polo shirt with a skirt attached) that I wear with ballet flats on those days.  If it's really humid, I'll wear my hair in a up in a clip, but that's as far as I go.

I must say though that our two youngest employees (both in their early twenties) are some of the most conservative dressers in our department! As one of them said, "I don't want people thinking I'm one of those dimwitted kids that doesn't know how to dress, so I'm erring on the side of caution!"  They always look sharp!