Toe the Line in the Office--Don’t Wear Strappy Sandals
Dear Fashion Police: With summer coming up, I wanted to ask about the appropriateness of strappy dress sandals in the workplace. I work in a small office that observes business casual every day. Our dress code, however, specifies closed-toed shoes. With Banana Republic and other fashion sources currently showing many strappy dress sandals with business attire--casual and otherwise--I’m wondering if our dress code is out-of-date. We are a service provider to high-technology companies, which are also very casual, albeit fairly traditional, in their attire. Many of our contacts are men. In a traditional workplace, do strappy sandals convey a less-than-serious attitude and detract from a polished and professional appearance?
--WORKING GAL
Dear Working: Business casual, which was supposed to make everyone’s life easier and more comfortable (literally) by relaxing company dress codes, continues to generate more problems than it does solutions. The two biggest contributors to this mess are: There is no one definition of business casual, so it’s left to individual interpretations; styles and trends change with head-spinning frequency, forcing the examination of every popular new article of clothing for appropriateness, i.e. capri pants.
Strappy sandals are a spring and summer shoe staple, so the fact that Banana Republic and others are touting them as the perfect footwear for the office isn’t surprising. They are, after all, trying to sell something. Whether or not it fits in with your business wardrobe is another thing.
No two ways about it, sandals convey a casual style, even nice ones with a heel. We prefer them not worn with stockings or pantyhose, which adds to the dressed-down look, especially with a skirt. High-heel sandals, by the way, are just too sexy a look for the office and convey something else altogether.
Here’s the bottom line: If your primary goal is to create a professional appearance, then we’d nix the sandals. Even if your clients are casual/traditional, you want to project confidence and capability, not a love for the beach or a slavish devotion to current fashions. Closed-toe shoes with a business casual wardrobe--nice pants and a cropped jacket, knee-length skirts with a blouse or sweater--will allow your clients to feel comfortable with you while still taking you seriously. And you won’t have to worry about rushing out for a weekly pedicure.
Dear Fashion Police: I prefer skirts to pants for work. I commute to my job, and by the time I arrive at work some of my skirts have creases at the hip, making me look fairly rumpled. I have tried to find skirts that don’t crease, but the choices of colors seem to be navy, black and khaki. Where can I shop for petite skirts that are knee-length, don’t crease and are available in colors and prints?
--WRINKLED IN TIME
Dear Wrinkled: The kind of fabric you choose is the key to cutting down on those nasty wrinkles. Just say no to the following: linen and linen blends, woven rayon, crisp woven cottons and woven silks. These will wrinkle if you just look at them. Instead, choose cotton knits, silk knits, stretch micro fiber, crepes, chiffons and stretch blends (such as cotton and Lycra). These fabrics have a fluidity that resists creases (for sheer chiffon skirts, make sure they are lined, or wear them with a slip).
We found a few items for you: Esprit’s online store has an A-line stretch skirt in fig (sort of a pea green) for $34, and an unlined drawstring-waist crepe skirt in a small white-on-blue floral print, for $49. While these are not technically petite sizes, since Esprit is a junior line, the fit should be OK. Esprit has stores around the country, or go online at https://www.esprit.com or call (800) 556-9477.
Coldwater Creek has a petite short crepe sarong in coral with back elastic and a zipper, for $48. The catalog company also has a Web site, https://www.coldwatercreek.com, or you may call (800) 510-2808.
We checked some other misses’ petite lines for you and found a plethora of black, navy and khaki, as you described. You’ll probably have better luck in the juniors’ section of major department stores, where they’re likely to have your size in the colors and patterns you prefer.
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