Latest Fashion Trends

Casual Fridays - Do's and Don'ts

Advice Seeker: Dear April,

For the past ten years I've worked for a stuffy law firm where we had to wear business suits every day of the week. Now that I'm working for a smaller business, we get casual Fridays! Everything is so much more laid back; there are even some days during the week that people don't feel the need to dress up. Why do some businesses allow casual Fridays and are there any special rules I should follow?

Sincerely,

Gimmie a T-Shirt

April Masini's advice:

Dear Gimmie a T-Shirt,

Casual Fridays is now a trend in many offices -- government and private. During Casual Fridays, decorum is expected to be maintained, but there is definitely a "getting ready for the weekend" fashion trend which is typically translated into blue jeans and a polo shirt, button down shirt, or suit shirt, and jacket without a tie, depending on the office and the region of the country. Hot weather offices in summer will see mostly polo shirts and jeans on these casual dress days.

The idea behind casual dress in the workplace is to encourage productivity by allowing a change of pace. This is actually a creative solution to productivity slumps. Changing the environment and the way people feel, physically changes their mindset, and their creative and volume output.

Some of the absolute don'ts for casual dress in the workplace include:

Sweats. Is no place sacred? Keep your sweats at home for the gym, the locker room, and the weekends when you're not at the office.

Grungy shoes. Casual dress does not mean sloppy dress or dirty dress. Leave the sneakers with the holes in them at home.