Making Good Choices Means Thinking Outside the Cubicle
When we were thinking of a way to illustrate this story, we first considered showing models in a before-and-after casual Friday make-over. But the thing with models is, they look good in just about everything, and none of us look like them anyway.
Real people--that was the solution. Give them a make-over. We actually found some--in the Rosemead headquarters of Southern California Edison.
Edison instituted their casual dress policy in 1996. It’s outlined in the employee manual, which states: “Dress is determined by business needs. Employees are expected to maintain a clean, neat, professional appearance appropriate to their work environment. Both traditional and casual business wear is acceptable. Employees may be restricted to wear certain clothing based on working conditions and safety requirements, and should direct any questions regarding appropriate dress to their managers or supervisors.”
Our group of six looked pretty good when we met them for the “before” photo. There were no glaring fashion faux pas, no what-were-you-thinking ensembles. Our goal was to tweak their style a bit and give them some new options for business casual dressing.
* Dolores Covarrubias, senior workers’ compensation representative, still has some lingering problems with interpreting Edison’s casual dress code. “At the company I worked at before, the dress code was less stringent, and we could wear flowery, flowing dresses and jeans. But here it’s a bit more strict in terms of what the rules are. I’m trying to grasp that, but do it in a feminine way.” We thought a sweater twin set was the perfect solution for Covarrubias, since it’s not as tailored and masculine as a jacket. Here we paired it with a short skirt, but if she wanted to go hose-less she could wear a long, narrow microfiber skirt and flats. It’s more serious than a flowery dress, but she won’t feel uncomfortably restricted.
* Mike Lattimore, technical specialist/scientist, admits he wasn’t thrilled about Edison’s business casual policy. “I work with a wide range of people, from executives to corporate support people, and I didn’t want to give up the tie,” he says. “But my co-workers kept razzing me about it, so I gave up the tie. Every now and then I put it back on so I can feel like the old days. But when I’m doing a presentation, it adds an air of credibility. And I notice the young kids, particularly the ones just out of college, tend to be a little more laid back. So very often we have to suggest to them, ‘You might want to dress it up a bit. We’ve got managers walking through here.’ ” To give Mike a taste of “the old days,” we added a tie to this sea foam silk shirt and gray tweed trousers. We think he could also wear it sans necktie and still look authoritative.
* Accounting assistant Charlotte Jackson loves clothes, so she already had a well-stocked closet when Edison chose to go casual. She did, however, convince her supervisor to allow department employees to wear colored jeans (anything but denim blue) on pay day Fridays. Her co-workers were most appreciative. Some also come to her for occasional wardrobe advice: “They’ll ask me, ‘Does this look right? What can I do to dress this up?’ ” We gave Charlotte a softer look to counter the tailored style of her button-down shirt and pants. The honey silk pants have more drape, and the hooded cream silk blouse is feminine but professional.
* Grant F. Thomas, manager of communications, economic and business development, is a polo shirt aficionado. Casual dressing was a relief to him after years spent at notoriously buttoned-down IBM. Making the change was easy: “Having worked in the corporate world, I know what’s appropriate and what’s not in a corporate setting.” For Thomas we chose a deep blue shirt with a subtle black check and black pleated trousers. It’s a step up from a polo, but there’s still no need for a tie. He also has the option of leaving the top button open, and he can layer a black T-shirt underneath.
* Grace Whitcomb is Edison’s diversity manager in the equal opportunity department. Her transition to a more casual dress code wasn’t difficult, since she already had pieces in her wardrobe that worked. The monochromatic ensemble she wore in the “before” photo is accented with an expertly tied scarf. Since she sometimes has to meet with clients, Whitcomb will opt for an unconstructed jacket for a professional look, but she doesn’t like anything too tailored. We put her in a black and natural checked pantsuit with a cropped jacket and drawstring pants, plus a crimson T-shirt for a shot of color. She can always ditch the jacket when she wants to feel more informal.
* Chuck Horton, business analyst, favors polo and golf shirts, Dockers pants and the color blue. We took Horton’s polo shirt look and gave it a couple of twists: Instead of a golf shirt with a logo on the chest--a more weekend look--we put him in a jade green polo with a tucked sleeve detail. We also layered a white T-shirt underneath, which adds some interest. The pinwale corduroy pants have a nice baggy slouch to them, which updates the ensemble.
*
If you’re still in doubt about how to interpret business casual, take this advice from Eddie Bauer’s Michael Alexin: “It’s better to be slightly overdressed than underdressed. When I was interviewing here years ago, I knew it was a casual company, but I still wasn’t sure if I should wear a suit. I remembered something my mom told me long ago: ‘When you’re meeting people in a new situation, you have to show respect.’ That told me to wear a suit.”
When dealing with clients, Alexin adds, the same rule applies: “Unless you know your client is very casual, then it’s better to be on the more dressed-up side.”
But Alexin speaks for most of us when he admits that he, too, prefers a more informal style. “It seems that I can think better when I’m in my most comfortable jeans rather than having a tight tie around my neck.”
