No Day at the Beach

It may be good for water-cooler camaraderie, but dressing down can be tricky. How casual is casual, anyway? How do you hang loose without cooking your goose? Judging from these company guidelines, forget about anything you wear to the beach or gym.

Creative Design Consultants, Costa Mesa--No cutoff tops, short shorts, sweats, clunky running shoes, sandals, beachwear or anything too revealing.

Hilton Hotels Corp., Beverly Hills--No “athletic attire” such as sweat tops and pants, leotards, gym shorts, beach thongs or T-shirts.

General Motors Corp., Detroit--Only two items--blue jeans and shorts--are on the “no” list. A company spokesperson says, “We feel employees will use their best judgment.”

J.D. Power and Associates, Agoura--”Business casual, not beach casual” is expected. No shorts, cropped tops, see-through blouses or T-shirts with “inappropriate messages.”

Society for Human Resource Management, Alexandria, Va.--No torn, ragged, dirty jeans or sneakers. Original ban on shorts lifted to permit Bermuda shorts and “shorts that are part of a professional suit.”

The Sullivan Cos., Pasadena and Los Angeles--No shorts, tank tops, sweat pants, T-shirts, spandex, sandals or see-through clothing. Men must wear a shirt with “some sort of a collar.” Jeans are OK “as long as they don’t have holes in them and aren’t cut off.”

Wells Fargo Bank executive offices, Los Angeles--The unwritten general rule: No beachwear, which includes tank tops, shorts, sandals, caps, midriff tops and sweats.