What Works for 9 to 5? : Bell-bottoms? Sheer fabrics? In the office? Maybe yes, maybe no. Ask the boss--that’s what we did.
This spring, women can indulge in the nostalgia of neo-hippie bell-bottoms, the flourish of a poet’s attire, the femininity of sheer fabrics or the exotic look of Chinese cheongsams, with slits that give new meaning to the term high rise.
But can you wear any of this to the office--or should you give up being fashionable during daylight hours and stick with “Dress for Success” uniforms?
The Times gathered some trendy spring looks and showed them to a handful of office managers, human-resource executives and recruiters. Some have the power to hire, and some can send you home if your fashion statement is distracting--so their opinions carry weight.
While there was a general consensus--when in doubt, go conservative--attitudes about individual garments varied widely. (See list, this page.)
The most straight-laced view came from the banking and financial world. Diane Muse, assistant vice president and administrative manager in Merrill Lynch’s Sherman Oaks office, said she enforces a dress code that mandates conservative business apparel. Skirt lengths for all women can be no shorter than one inch above the knee. Pants are allowed but discouraged, and Muse has sent women home who were wearing short shorts and stretch pants.
The city of Los Angeles has no dress code, says Jurutha Brown, who, as chief of the administrative-services division in the city personnel department, is involved in recruiting. Many female civil-service employees dress in basic suits and dresses but add individual flourishes, such as kente cloth scarves or unusual jewelry. “In government, we’re more relaxed than banking, but at the same time, some of the trendy things take a little longer to make their way here.”
In the Westside law offices of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips (where Mickey Kantor was a partner until he left to become U.S. trade representative) designer labels and hip clothes are the norm. The degree of formality hinges on the client.
Jannette Lyon, marketing and recruiting manager, says lawyers who represent Sens. Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer (both D-Calif.) are likely to dress in designer suits, while the lawyer who represents Guns N’ Roses rarely, if ever, needs to be that formal.
Executives tow the corporate line--dresses and suits--at Mattel’s world headquarters in El Segundo, but the dress code is looser in the firm’s neighboring design center, which resembles a set from the movie “Toys” with primary colors and playhouse-shaped conference rooms.
“It would be contradictory for us to have strict guidelines in the design center, where we’re encouraging creative results,” says E. Joseph McKay, vice president of human resources. “We’re in the fashion industry.” (If Barbie’s apparel counts, Mattel is one of the largest makers of women’s clothes.)
At Warner Bros. Records in Burbank, human-resources director Jeannie Lumley says the dress code is simply “no bare chests on men or women.” She’s never surprised at cutting-edge looks because it’s an office filled with rock ‘n’ roll trendsetters whose clients include Prince and Madonna. She says executives wear suits and ties only “to funerals and stockholder meetings.”
The one instance Lumley can recall in which clothing caused a stir at the company was in the ‘70s, when a female secretary wore a sheer blouse with nothing underneath. The employee wasn’t sent home to change. “Her immediate supervisor didn’t have a problem with it.”
