Global Trend

Business Dress Becomes More Formal

During the Clinton administration, the White House was a business-casual environment, where people wore rolled-up shirtsleeves and jeans to pizza-fueled all-nighter work sessions. When George Bush entered the Oval Office, he made it clear that anybody who was summoned there had better be wearing a suit.

Bush himself has been the poster boy for the resurgence of more formal business attire. On his ranch in Crawford, Texas, he may wear jeans and a cowboy shirt, but when he is in Washington, he is always wearing one of his 44 long bespoke suits ? he favors blue and gray ? and his suit jacket is always buttoned. And the First Dresser has made an impact nation-wide.

For example, Target has issued a 20-page dress code for the 5,000 employees at its corporate headquarters in Minneapolis. Men are required to wear a jacket or tie if they venture beyond their own workspace. Women who wear sleeveless blouses must also wear a jacket. Sweater sets are suggested attire. If employees have questions about what might be appropriate, they can access an internal Web site that features pictures of what the company considers well-dressed workers who have chosen appropriate fashion combinations.

An investor and public relations firm in New York has issued a memo to its employees to ratchet their clothing decisions up “at least one more notch,” according to The Cincinnati Post. “For example, we would prefer that properly fitting sweaters be worn with a collared shirt underneath. Certainly, khakis should be neat and clean,” the memo from G.S. Schwartz & Co. elaborated. It added, “Shaving regularly also is a good idea for either sex.”

The company initiated the dress code after executives noticed that their clients were themselves dressing more formally, said Rachel Honig Peters, a senior vice president at the company.

One clear advantage of having a company policy spelling out what is acceptable dress for the office is that it takes the guesswork out of the sartorial equation. Many people complained during the height of the casual officewear period that it was difficult to determine what was acceptable and what wasn’t. If wearing jeans was okay, were flip-flops also acceptable? Also, many employees simply weren’t very good at picking out casual clothes that would be appropriate for the office.

According to The Cleveland Plain Dealer, “the modern-day work force is having a tougher time answering the question, ‘What should I wear?’ A few years ago, dress codes eased as entrepreneurism soared. In the past few years, concerns about professional dress took a back seat to economic doldrums.”

But more businesses are now trying to introduce “a new company style.” And the employees who must meet the public are being told what to wear. For example, Chase Bank tellers are now issued blue oxford cloth button-down shirts with the company logo with which to greet their customers.

Another trend is that, even when a company endorses a business-casual dress code, the new context for casual is dressier than it was before. As such, the term “business-casual” may even be approaching something of an oxymoron.

John Challenger, head of the Chicago-based global outsourcing firm, Challenger, Gray & Christmas, says, “Business-casual covers so much ground. Suits and ties, sport coats and ties are so easily defined as business-casual. It’s open to wider interpretation. Business-casual has been getting more clean. It has been upgraded in recent years.”

The Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News3 further reports that Men’s Wearhouse has enjoyed sales increases recently. And when Saks Fifth Avenue hosts fashion seminars on professional attire, hundreds of women show up. Furthermore, Men’s Wear Daily recently reported that men’s tailored clothing sales rose almost 20 percent in the first half of this year. That’s in stark contrast to the 11 percent decrease for the same six months in 2003.

“The young professionals are beginning to dress better,” says George Raffkind, owner of Raffkind’s upscale clothing store near Amarillo, Texas. “By that, I mean the 30- to 40-year-old age group is starting to place emphasis on their appearance. The 50-and-above category has always dressed professionally. But overall, more business people are dressing for success. And I think it is a good thing.” Suits are particularly selling well.

Laura Billings, writing in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, sums it up nicely: “No wonder sales at Men’s Wearhouse were up by 13 percent in April. Wearing a suit actually seems easier than finding a shirt that says, ‘I’m competent and yet kind of cool,’ and stone-colored khakis that communicate, ‘I could be on a boat but I choose to be in this board meeting.’”

She thinks the casual dress idea was doomed from the beginning. “The notion was that once technology made it possible for us to be reached anywhere, we could do our big thinking on the golf course. In fact, we just started wearing golf shirts to work. The notion was that bringing a laptop on vacation would make it possible to relax a little bit longer. Instead, we come to work dressed as if we are on vacation, and go on vacation feeling as stressed as we do at work.”

Wearing business clothes to work helps us to define our work lives. We are in our professional mode; we have professional competencies that we are ready to exercise. We look like we mean business.

By the same token, when we leave work, off goes the jacket, off goes the tie, and we are clearly in our off-work mode, ready to enjoy the rewards of our professional life.

As Billings reminds us, television’s Mr. Rogers took off his jacket and dress shoes when he came back to his neighborhood. He put on a comfortable sweater, slipped into some sneakers, and never took a business call at home.

The dress code trend has also affected schools. For example Cape Cod Academy, a private school in Osterville, Massachusetts, instituted new dress rules this year. Students may no longer wear trousers with side pockets, which nixes the popular cargo pants, or t-shirts with any kind of writing on them, and “no tight or excessively loose clothing” ? the last clearly a shot across hip-hop’s bow.

There are similar dress restrictions being applied in schools all over the country. In Chicago, strictly enforced dress codes ? and in some schools, even uniforms ? have a security component. In the rarefied adolescent fashion world, the manner in which a student wears a pant leg, a hat, and a scarf can indicate affiliation with a particular street gang.

Another dress code trend is taking shape in the commercial area. In Louisville, Kentucky, a new entertainment district called Fourth Street Live is a $75 million project that includes bars, restaurants and retail outlets. The project was intended to breathe new life into the downtown night scene.

For three nights a week, the city has permitted the developer to block off the street and patrons are only admitted if they comply with a dress code. On those nights, the developer of the entertainment hub has banned sleeveless shirts and jerseys for men. There isn’t a similar dress code for women, except that they, like men, are required to have footwear.

The Cordish Company heads the group that built and owns Fourth Street Live and other developments in Houston and Baltimore, where the dress code is also enforced. “Sleeveless shirts are great to work out in, but for a night out on the town, we’re just asking that you dress appropriately,” says Kimber Goodwin, a spokesperson for Cordish.

Goodwin said the dress code has affected just a fraction of the more than 100,000 Fourth Street Live visitors. One night, about 14 men didn’t meet the code out of 4,000 coming out to see a free country music concert, she said. Most of those 14 men got other shirts and returned.

The Trends editors expect to see the following seven forecasts become reality over the next few years:

First, formal dress codes will become increasingly popular. In a larger sense, people will continue to welcome more formality and order in their lives.

Second, companies that manufacture and retail men’s business attire will continue to enjoy significant growth.

Third, municipalities will uphold the right of businesses to enforce their dress codes for employees. Also, more businesses will impose dress codes in an effort to send a positive message about themselves to their core customers.

Fourth, formality of other sorts will emerge and be strengthened in the business and social community. This will include such things as an increased emphasis on civility, manners, and courtesy.

Fifth, activists who claim codes infringe on individual freedom and individual expression will challenge dress codes. However, these challenges will be seen as fringe actions and will be largely ignored.

Sixth, dress codes in business will have the effect of leveling the playing field. Younger employees will enjoy more of an equal footing with their seniors. This will tend to increase career fluidity and establish a more meritocratic work environment.

Seventh, ancillary “business wear” companies, which make shirts, ties, and footwear, will see a boost in their sales.

References List :
1. The Cincinnati Post, September 10, 2004, "Employers, Schools Tighten Dress Code," by Martha Irvine. ⓒ Copyright 2004 by The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved.2. The Cleveland Plain Dealer, September 13, 2004, "What Should I Wear to Work?" by Chris Seper. ⓒ Copyright 2004 by The Plain Dealer. All rights reserved.3. Amarillo Globe-News, September 12, 2004, "As Dot-Com Era Fades, So Does Some of the Lax Business Attire," by Dwayne Hartnett. ⓒ Copyright 2004 by Amarillo Globe-News, Texas. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. All rights reserved.4. St. Paul Pioneer Press, July 18, 2004, "Farewell to ‘Business Casual’," by Laura Billings. ⓒ Copyright 2004 by St. Paul Pioneer Press. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. All rights reserved.5. The Cincinnati Post, September 10, 2004, "Employers, Schools Tighten Dress Code," by Martha Irvine. ⓒ Copyright 2004 by The E.W. Scripps Co. All rights reserved.6. The Associated Press, June 25, 2004, "Some Bristling at Dress Code in City’s New Entertainment District," by Bruce Schreiner. ⓒ Copyright 2004 by The Associated Press. All rights reserved.