Posted on 09/08/2004 3:20:57 PM PDT by Vision Thing
(AP) It's the latest trend in fall fashion: Workers and students who dress down or show too much skin are being told to button up.
Tired of staff members who they see as pushing the limits of professionalism and good taste, a growing number of employers are issuing lengthy dress codes, some with photos to illustrate the do's and don'ts. More schools also are getting stricter about student attire.
M.J. Dean, who's starting his senior year Thursday at the private Cape Cod Academy in Osterville, Mass., discovered new rules at his school when he received the updated student handbook this summer. Among the new guidelines: no pants with side pockets, including popular cargo pants, or T-shirts with writing on them - and "no tight or excessively loose clothing."
"This very strict new dress code is, quite honestly, ridiculous," says the 17-year-old student body vice president. "You can't really represent yourself the way you'd like."
Likewise, some employees think they should be trusted to use good judgment about their clothes. Joe D'Adamo, associate creative director at Chicago ad agency LKH&S, usually wears jeans, a T-shirt and sneakers to work, and dresses up when he sees clients.
He says a specific dress code would be "irritating" - but that hasn't stopped bosses at some companies.
Effective this week, Target Corp. has a new, 20-page dress code for employees at its Minneapolis headquarters. Men must now wear a sport coat or tie if they leave their usual work area. Women are required to wear a jacket over any sleeveless blouse; sweater sets are among the other options.
The staff at G.S. Schwartz & Co., a New York investor and public relations firm, also received a recent e-mail memo asking them to bump up their apparel choices "at least one more notch."
"For example," the memo read, "we would prefer that properly fitting sweaters be worn with a collared shirt underneath. Certainly, khakis should be neat and clean ..."
"Shaving regularly also is a good idea," the memo suggested, "for either sex."
Rachel Honig Peters, a senior vice president at the company, says the e-mail was sent after company officials noticed their clients dressing up more.
Elsewhere, business owners in the service industry say customer complaints are driving them to put tougher dress codes in place.
That was the case for Erika Mangrum, owner of the Iatria Spa and Health Center in Raleigh, N.C. She recalls sending one employee home to change after she came to work wearing a cropped Playboy T-shirt that showed her stomach and a navel ring.
"This is really tough stuff," says Mangrum, who understands how frustrating dress codes can be for employees. Mangrum herself once got in trouble, more than a decade ago, for not wearing panty hose when she worked at a major telecommunications firm.
Now, she's had to institute a dress code at her own company - "no shorts, no denim, no flip-flops." And she's wondering if she should add rules about piercings.
"How far can and should a company go? We're wrestling with that," Mangrum says. "And frankly, we don't have an answer."
The good news, say those who monitor trends, is that modesty and more formal attire are gaining favor even with teens and 20somethings. Many employers say that young workers are the most frequent dress code offenders.
Tina Wells, the 20something CEO of Buzz Marketing, says anxiousness over the economy, the war in Iraq and the upcoming election have created a mood that's more "focused and serious."
"Besides, how much lower could low-rise jeans get?" quips Wells, whose New Jersey firm compiles feedback from teen advisers.
In the end, Thomas Evans, headmaster at Cape Cod Academy, says he'd rather not have to police student attire. But he says administrators at the K-12 school had little choice after parents of younger students complained about some older students' clothing.
Much the same has happened at schools elsewhere, from Texas to Kansas and Illinois.
In Chicago, for instance, strict dress codes - and uniforms - are a matter of safety, since the way a student wears a pant leg, a bracelet or a hat can indicate a gang affiliation.
And even Dean, the student body vice president at Cape Cod, acknowledges that a few students at his school dressed inappropriately last year - "skankily," he says, "if that's a word."
He just doesn't think everyone should be punished over the actions of a few. So he and other students plan to meet with their headmaster to see if he'll loosen the dress code.
Asked what he thinks their chances are, he sighs: "Slim to none."
The HORROR...
Long-sleeved white shirts look odd these days, and they don't enhance the professionalism of the wearer, but use of the costume is increasing for those who feel the need to stand out in a crowd. A more hip thing is the shaved, tanned head with or without a tightly trimmed beard. There are a lot of bald students this year.
Shut up.
"Shaving regularly also is a good idea," the memo suggested, "for either sex."
What?!?
Casual work attire in the computer industry predates dot-com by decades. It's one of the early hurdles chip manufacturers (eventually including Intel) had to overcome in the 60s, trying to get East coast suit and tie guys to grock that jeans and t-shirt people could actually create stuff that would make millions of dollars. The fact that the East coast, which never really understood casual dress in the first place, is rebelling is no suprise, but I doubt it boades any serious change in the rest of the work world.
Hah! This will never fly in Santa Cruz CA. Home of the world famous "looks law." Employers can't do a thing about inappropriately dressed employees, not even if they're filthy and smell like sewage (which some of them DO.)
How is this a blow against the "dot com culture" whatever the heck that is?
As an IT professional (programmer) who remained employed at a small firm throughout the dot com "bubble" I can tell you I can still wear pretty much whatever I want within reason: Shorts, t-shirts from concerts, muscle shirts, etc.
Dress codes are for no talent having bastards, and those that deal with customers in person. :)
When I open this thread I get an "Enter username and password" dialog box from imaginecontact.com
RE: "Likewise, some employees think they should be trusted to use good judgment about their clothes."
Obviously some people can't be trusted. So go complain to the people that dress like skanks rather than to the employer.
Scary, no?
The authentication request was from a server that hosted a picture in Post #8.
The Admin Mods removed the post, so the request should no longer happen.
that look is fine if I was selling...her.. but since I'm not a pimp I expect my employees to not dress like prostitutes.
Does this mean I can no longer go to work wearing jeans with the back pockets behind my knees?
Her pimp has cashed in bigtime on her.
Relax.
I used the irresistable headline to attract eyeballs to this thread.
Boo hoo! In a few months he's supposed to be a productive member of society, but it doesn't look as if he'll make it.
"Shaving regularly also is a good idea," the memo suggested, "for either sex."
Yep, that's a good idea.
she's wondering if she should add rules about piercings.
Multiple piercings and tatooes should both be added.
Besides, how much lower could low-rise jeans get?" quips Wells, whose New Jersey firm compiles feedback from teen advisers.
Some are so low, hair is showing. Mind boggling that parents buy their children such clothes and let them out of the house basically naked.
I'm so glad I'm retired and don't have to worry about sh** like dressing up anymore.
Well said! Have these little dorks forgotten that they don't pay themselves? Have they forgotten that they work at the pleasure of their employer?
The boss has to worry about keeping the business going. If by your dress habits you act like you only care about picking up your check on Friday, and don't care about enhancing the image of the company, you shouldn't be allowed to represent it.
Yep, I'm sitting here in shorts, two t-shirts (helps against the AC) and a 4 year old pair of sneakers.
Anything goes except for thongs on fat guys. :-)
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