Casual Friday

A few days ago, The Fashionomist was digging through her parents shared closet, attempting to discover some new vintage gem to be refashioned into a quirky outfit.  Instead, she found hangers upon hangers of her father's ties - striped, spotted, dark, light, silk, cotton, embroidered, printed, and beyond.  The Fashionomist remembered her father dressing up for work everyday in a proper pant/shirt/tie get-up, but noticed that trend had disappeared; indeed, her father usually wears slacks and a shirt Monday through Thursday, downgrading to jeans and a polo on Friday.  "Does anyone at your company wear ties anymore?"  The Fashionomist queried her father.  "No," he responded.  "Unless we're meeting a client, there's no use for ties."

 

 

When did dressing up for work disappear?  Isn't work the one place one should be creating an image of professionalism?

 

 

In the name of the banquet tonight at The Fashionomist's university's department and the invitation's request that all attendees dress in "business attire, please," (and in the name of avoiding the dreaded microeconomics homework that looms angrily in The Fashionomist's weekend horizon... sigh), The Fashionomist decided to investigate this phenomenon.

 

 

Lo and behold, The Wall Street Journal has been wondering the same exact thing (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704013604576246911629008064.html).  Well, not exactly, though they look at the fading away of dress codes at fine dining establishments.  The people at WSJ link this trend up to President Obama, who did away with George W. Bush's strict code of no "jeans, sneakers, miniskirts, tank tops or flip-flops for visitors" (even dressing up is politicized!).  But the restaurant business points instead to the recession.  That big cloud of economic doom has meant that restaurants who wish to stay afloat during hard times have had to sacrifice their dress code to attract business.  Proof?


"Steve Cuozzo, the New York Post's restaurant critic, said that many formal-attire eateries in Manhattan today 'are so desperate for business they'd probably let Times Square's Naked Cowboy in.'"

The Naked Cowboy?  Ouch - that's pretty desperate.


So the economy is a big deal in restaurants.  The Fashionomist gets it.  But what about the work world?  After all:

"The benefits to formal dressing outweigh the negatives. 'You'll look terrific, and miles above those slobs. And you'll get more respect. Formal dress really has social impact. You'll be treated with greater deference than the 45-year-old guy dressed like a rock drummer.'"

 

 

Here is a theory The Fashionomist has:  It's all about image.  Granted, walking down financial plazas in any major metropolitan center will garner you looks if you don't have proper anything on.  But, corporate America aside, if you're working for a smaller business or a place that does not require looking tip-top for a potential client, you can get away with, even enhance your prospects, with the casual look.  Why?  It makes the company look familial, homely even.  Forget about the fact that you hate your boss's guts:  the image presented by "business casual" is "We take business seriously, but not so seriously that we won't have the occasional pizza party or allow a worker to take care of an ill child."  Business casual gives the aura of a company that isn't misguided about priorities and work - a company that is grounded enough to let its employees have a family life and focus on work during work while offering benefits and compassionate understanding for the home and individual.  In an economy where the recession is drowning worker morale, giving workers the ease of not dressing uptight and giving a sense of comfort is beneficial for employer and employee - or so the thought goes.  And a sense of worker morale may help a company in the long run in terms of productivity and avoiding turnover.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Will the tie ever make a comeback?  The Fashionomist sure hopes so - it's a classic finishing touch to menswear.  No man ever looked terrible in a tie.  Or woman, for that matter.

*The Fashionomist*