6 Ways to Deal with a Restrictive Dress Code
By Katharine Swan
So you have found the perfect job: you get respect, responsibility, and a salary worth writing home about. However, you also get something you hadn’t quite counted on: a dress code. Having been used to dressing relatively casually, it may seem cruel and unusual to suddenly be required to wear slacks, a button-up shirt, and a tie to work.
Not to worry. Adhering to a more restrictive dress code doesn’t mean that you’ll have to resign yourself to a boring lifestyle, or – worse – that you’re getting old. Believe it or not, you can still dress creatively and comfortably, even when you are requested to achieve a certain degree of professionalism in your appearance. Here are six ways to have fun in what you wear to work.
Wear a Tie That Makes a Statement
Not all ties are created equal: they quite literally come in all shapes and sizes. Solids, stripes, paisley, polka dots, sports teams, cartoon characters, special occasions, and “just because” types of ties give you a wide variety in creating the look you want. A fine silk tie with a jaunty pattern can make you feel like a million dollars, while a colorful novelty tie can put smiles on your coworkers’ faces all day long. Once you learn how to choose a tie that works for you and not against you, you won’t feel any longer that it’s an imposition to be asked to wear one.
Break Out the Colored Shirts
If your idea of following a dress code is to wear a white shirt and a striped tie every day for the rest of your life, then it is no wonder you think your life is, for all intents and purposes, over. Nothing could be farther from the truth. After all, professional-looking button-down shirts come in more colors than simply white. You can buy shirts in virtually every color of the crayon box. Patterned shirts can also keep your wardrobe from becoming too dull or routine. However, be sure you know how to properly match a tie to each shirt; you want to have fun with your wardrobe, not be made fun of because of your wardrobe.
Wear Comfortable Pants
Believe it or not, not all slacks are uncomfortable. If there is anything people hate, it is being uncomfortable, and as a result the clothing companies are constantly competing to make your work clothes easier to live in. There are many different styles to choose from: flat-front and pleated, classic fit and relaxed fit, and so on. When pants shopping, be sure to try on a variety of different brands and styles, and practice walking, sitting, and squatting in each. Taking pants for a test drive is a good way to make sure you’ll be comfortable in them at work.
Carry a Cool Bag
When you leave for work, you are going to be at the office for an absolute minimum of eight hours, so you instinctively look for things to take with you that make it more like home. This might be your lunch or a snack, a book to read on your breaks, or even occasionally (and regrettably) a stack of work that you took home with you the night before.
What you carry your personal and work things around in says a lot about who you are, just as a woman’s purse makes a statement about her style. One of the habits that screams “novice” is to shove everything into a backpack and sling it over your blazer-clad shoulder. Instead, look for a bag that reflects your personality at the same time as it makes a professional statement, such as a trendy briefcase or a cool messenger bag.
Dress in Style
Following a dress code does not have to mean dressing like your father or – worse yet – your grandfather. A brief search on the Internet or a quick look through a men’s magazine demonstrates the younger generations’ ability to make a style their own. Your father would hardly recognize the button-down shirts, ties, and blazers today’s models wear on the runway.
There are a number of exciting trends you can try out if you want to add a little dynamite to your company’s dress code. One look that is currently very popular is the skinny tie. Tie manufacturers sell everything from super-skinny ties to those just slightly narrower than normal, allowing everyone from the stylistic daredevil to the expert in subtlety to experiment with this look.
Be a Trendsetter
Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean you can’t try it. One of the best ways for a creative person to use his company’s dress code to his advantage is to find ways to bend the rules without actually breaking them. Experiment with new looks before anyone else, and while you may raise some eyebrows at your office, you will rest assured that you will never get bored of your wardrobe.
No matter who you are or how your tastes run, a dress code does not have to be a death sentence. With just a little creativity and a willingness to stand out from the rest, you can ensure that your work clothes are just as varied and interesting as your play clothes.
