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While the past two eras have brought new physical comfort to
corporate clothing, aimed at lightening the weight of formality on those padded
shoulders, for others it has brought mental torture. Inevitably, for many men,
“Dress Down,” as the original American phenomenon for business casual wear
called it, caused more consternation on a Friday morning than perhaps expected.
Above: Michael Douglas in the 1987 movie Wall Street,
Anything But Casual.
Casual clothing
Gregory Peck in The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit ’1967 - image
courtesy of the LIFE Archives
The drab dark two-piece uniform - like the archetypal office
clone Gregory Peck in 'The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit' of 1967 - was simply
and quickly replaced by another copy outfit, with a burst of starch and steam,
squeezed persimmons and fresh polo shirts. Monday through Thursday the boss
might have had a better suit than the office junior, but on Friday everyone
looked just as awful.
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Aloha Friday
Business casual is still an evolving idea. Studies have, for
example, since challenged the founding theory of productivity through
relaxation. Indeed, dressing professionally seems - at least historically - to
induce some workers to think professionally, regardless of the issue of presentation
when they are "in front of the customer".
Anyone planning to happily deal with a lawyer or bank
manager in a Hawaiian shirt would understand the picture. And this despite the
fact that Dress Down Friday was, in fact, an Aloha Friday scam. In 1966, it was
an initiative of the Hawaiian garment industry to encourage every company on
the island to let their employees wear the national dress for a single day at
the end of each work week.
What you wear matters
"Famously, studies have shown that only 7% of human
communication is verbal - or, in other words, what you wear."
And all the more so in cultures - like that of some
businesses in the City - where even wearing a blue business shirt instead of a
white is considered a misstep. Or in those where employers have failed to
provide unambiguous guidelines to employees who need to understand that
particular dress codes are part of the culture of the organization they work
for and, like it or not, respect the line.
Keep it classic
In the absence of clear guidelines, it's helpful to remember
that business casual never really means relaxed. Stay classic: be overtly
trendy and you are only starting to look inappropriate. Your attire should
never overshadow your product or your coworkers will start to think that you
are more of a dandy than a dealmaker. Keep it simple: no work clothes, no pub
clothes, no dress-up rigidity residue (so no costumes) - it's all about custom
pieces.
Eliminate the back
Anything bright or athletic, obviously high-tech,
neon-colored, graphic, or the size of a billboard, is fine for athletics, but
not the fast lane. Cut it down: Dark colors allow for repeated wear better,
while the traditional men's clothing palette of charcoal, navy, khaki, and
white maintains a degree of presentability in an emergency meeting.
Prioritize quality
Finally, go for quality - because a standard suit can hide
average quality, but casual clothing cannot. Indeed, dressing up is really
dressing casually - hence his strangely intimate “smart laid back” colleague.
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The lighter, gentler brother of formal affairs
Boglioli navy blue linen and cotton blazer,
Emma Willis Blue Oxford Shit,
Navy Suitsupply Trousers,
Crockett & Jones Crawford loafers in dark brown
antique calfskin, £ 545>
Think, perhaps, of casual affairs being the lighter, softer
brother of formal affairs. He forgot his tie, although he still wears a shirt,
one with a collar that doesn't need a tie (as most business shirts do) but can
still take one if needed; the French cuffs and the large links have
disappeared. Oxfords have given way to penny moccasins or derbies. He is still
in his jacket and pants too, only the jacket and pants no longer match; for
interest, the jacket is textured or maybe plaid, rather