Understanding the Dress Code

I've started paying more attention to dress codes. Not the formal ones but rather the unspoken ones -- what people actually wear at work or around town. After years of working for determinedly casual-dress high tech startups, I have become almost oblivious to people's work wear. But a couple of events have changed my perceptions.

One was a family visit to the Washington, DC, area over Thanksgiving. While there, I saw people at the airport, at the museums, in the malls and on the streets who, frankly, looked noticeably better dressed than the folks back home in Boston. My brother, who works and lives in the DC area, suggested a possible explanation: With so many government offices and office workers, not to mention all the uniformed military personnel, there is more awareness of how dress can define status. There may even be some subtle pressure to look good to visitors to the nation's capital. After all, if you're working for the taxpayers, you might not want them to think you're a slob.

Another event was a new, stricter dress code at my teenage daughter's high school. She's not happy about it, but I completely understand why the school's administration wants this, even if it runs counter to some of my instincts. What you wear sends a whole range of messages to the people around you. Her school is new and trying to create a learning community with shared values. Clothes and what they say to others can either be a big distraction or something that helps pull a group of people together to create a sense of common identity and purpose.

I've pointed out to her that at least she doesn't have to make her own uniform. In To Rule the Waves: How the British Navy Shaped the Modern World, author Arthur Herman describes how, unlike soldiers, ordinary sailors did not have an official uniform until the mid-19th century. Even then, a Royal Navy seaman "was expected to make his own, since seamen were traditionally master sewers, and the cost of the blue serge and white duck was still deducted from his wages."

Today's company dress codes aren't that strict, and we're not expected to make our own "business casual" outfits over the weekend. But it's important to be aware of what's being worn around you. Here are some tips:

• "The Business Casual Dress Code"
• "Dress for Success: Casual or Casualty?"
• "Get Polished for Your Interview"
• "What's Business-Casual Attire?"

Share this post: Digg, StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, etc.