A wardrobe that works

Career cool

October 20, 2000
Web posted at: 4:34 p.m. EDT (2034 GMT)

In this story:

Slacks but not slacking

Soft shoulders

Women are from Ann Taylor ...

... Men are from Barney's

Duds 'n' dignity

Suitable attire

RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Larry Keller
CNN.com/career Senior Writer

(CNN) -- "Honey, I'm home."

It wasn't long ago that a professional man's uniform -- a conservative suit and tie -- was bland, predictable, practical.

In 1950s sitcoms -- "Leave it to Beaver," "Father Knows Best" -- dear old Dad wore that suit to work and didn't so much as loosen the tie when he came home for dinner.

Back then, the chaste morals of commercial television didn't show couples in bed. But if it had, one suspects that Ward Cleaver and Jim Anderson would have hit the pillows clad in their sharkskins and houndstooths, neckties cinched tight as the lights went out.

"The past of purchasing a complete suit now has alternatives. Suit separates give the customer options on buying the jacket, pant or both. Mixing separate pieces puts men in the arena where women have been for years."

— Joe Serino, J.Crew

Even during the disco-wracked polyester-clad 1970s, there was the memorable photo of Richard Nixon strolling the beach at the "Western White House" in San Clemente, California -- in suit and tie.

How times have changed.

Slacks but not slacking

First, came casual Friday.

WHEN CASUAL ISN'T COOL

Going to a job interview? Leave your skateboard outside.

CLICK-THROUGH CLOSET

Here's a sampling of "business casual" looks you can spot in the offices -- and nearby stores -- today. Bring your own hanger.

Then lots of companies extended that to casual Monday through Friday.

"The past of purchasing a complete suit now has alternatives," says Joe Serino, senior vice president of product development at J.Crew. "Suit separates give the customer options on buying the jacket, pant or both. Mixing separate pieces puts men in the arena where women have been for years."

Traditionalists may bemoan the trend, but they can take heart in this: Casual office attire is gradually becoming less casual, according to some fashion observers.

"I think we're going away from the extreme casual -- what I call the grunge casual -- to a more sophisticated casual look," says Eric Hertz, executive director of the Fashion Association, a New York organization of retailers, apparel manufacturers and textile mills. "It's a natural swing of the fashion pendulum."

The suit won't disappear entirely from the workplace, Hertz says. In fact, it may become a component of the classier casual look he predicts will catch on. The difference is that some men may wear a mock turtleneck or even a T-shirt with a suit or sport coat, if they aren't already doing so, he says.

"Whether it's a dot-com or Wall Street worker, I think there's going to be greater sophistication and individualism in attire -- an upturn in taste."

— Eric Hertz, Fashion Association

"Whether it's a dot-com or Wall Street worker, I think there's going to be greater sophistication and individualism in attire -- an upturn in taste," Hertz says.

Soft shoulders

The lines between dressy and casual attire are blurring, says Jack Herschlag, executive director of the National Association of Men's Sportswear Buyers.

The number of neckties sold in the United States last year was about 10 percent less than in 1998. But with retail sales of $1.4 billion, revenue stayed about the same.

— Gerald Andersen, Neckwear Association of America

Traditionally elegant Brooks Brothers has introduced more relaxed clothing in its line. J.Crew has expanded its line of business separates. Casual Levi-Strauss has gussied up its stock, Herschlag says.

Nowadays, sport coats may be made of soft material and suitable for dressy or casual occasions, Herschlag says. Ditto for a pair of khaki pants, which become more versatile when pleats are added.

"Today, weekday clothing must work from business to evening," says J.Crew's Serino. "The need for versatility is greater than ever and the ability to purchase multiple options is a plus. There's a range of casual looks available to men today."

Serino describes a typical week's wardrobe this way.

QUICK VOTE

Untitled

How good are you at getting "business casual" right?
I'm doing OK, I think. Most of the time, I nail it.
50-50. Some days I hit it. Other days I'm either too dressy or too laid-back.
I'm a mess at this. I go from formal to down-and-out. Nothing in between.
View Results

• Monday Tailored trouser in wool (gabardine, tropical wool or flannel), cotton shirt or sweater with a matching sport jacket.

• Tuesday Tailored trouser in wool with shirt or sweater, no jacket.

• Wednesday Tailored cotton chino trouser, cotton sweater or shirt with or without sport jacket.

• Thursday Less-tailored pant (corduroy or less-dressy fabric) with sweater or knit polo.

• Friday Casual chino or jean (depending on your industry and company dress code), with a more casual shirt or knit polo.

The bottom line: Men's clothing increasingly looks casual-dressy or dressy-casual depending on where and how it's worn.

Women are from Ann Taylor ...

Hertz says women's casual wear in the office generally receives less attention than men's, in part because women have been less apt to abuse relaxed dress standards. "Women have had much more experience at this," he says. "They do it much better. They really got it right away."

"Women are ahead because their wardrobe was more versatile to begin with."

— Jack Herschlag, National Association of Men's Sportswear Buyers

Serino agrees: "The woman's wardrobe has consisted of these multiple components for years and she knows how to own the basics and add to them for the same versatility."

And no argument from Herschlag: "Women are ahead because their wardrobe was more versatile to begin with."

Another thing fashion watchers agree on: The casual trend won't fade like your favorite pair of jeans.

MESSAGE BOARD

So just how happy are you with the "business casual" trend in career dressing? Would you like things more or less casual?

GUIDANCE CLOSE BY

In response to companies' shifting dress codes -- and careerists' needs -- one retailer has begun putting stores right onto the premises. Banana Republic calls it @yourservice.

"I think it's here to stay, but there are problems to be ironed out," says Kristin Accipiter, media affairs manager at the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).

Even Vice President Al Gore, in many campaign appearances, has opted for a look right off the pages of an Eddie Bauer catalog. Alpha casual. Nixon might sooner have become a Democrat than commit such a sartorial sin.

And at some law firms, attorneys are getting a dressing-down, donating their business suits to charitable organizations.

... Men are from Barney's

Suit sales went south a few years ago but have stabilized recently, says Michael Hand, president of apparel at the NPD Group, a market-research firm. Hand says some 34.5 million suits and sport coats were sold in the United States last year, compared to 40 million in 1995.

It's easy to see why.

As recently as 1992, only 17 percent of companies surveyed by the SHRM had a one-day-a-week casual-wear policy, and 7 percent allowed relaxed standards five days a week, Accipiter says.

Those numbers soared to 43 percent and 44 percent respectively, this year Accipiter says. Her own employer is in the latter category, a benefit she enjoys.

But not everybody likes the trend toward workplace casual.

Duds 'n' dignity

"I think this is the biggest disservice to middle-aged men," says Gerald Andersen. "A lot of them used to look dignified, and now they look like rumpled old men."

Andersen has a bias. He's executive director of the Neckwear Association of America, a trade group for men's tie manufacturers and fabric producers.

The number of neckties sold in the United States last year was about 10 percent less than in 1998, but with retail sales of $1.4 billion, revenue stayed about the same, Andersen says. So while men are buying fewer neckties, they're paying more for them.

Their decline may have begun with the advent of casual Friday. That custom came about some years ago as a concession to comfort on hot summer days, says Hertz.

In some industries, notably high-tech firms, the casual look soon became the norm every day, from the CEO down. Sometimes it has gone too far, but that's changing, Hertz says.

Suitable attire

If so, that should please some employers. "I hear anecdotally that a lot of companies are unhappy with casual office wear," says the neckwear association's Andersen.

"It deteriorates quickly until it becomes sloppy. Now you have to get into arguing about what sort of sandals are acceptable, what sort of shirt is acceptable. You used to know."

"'Business casual' attire should be a way of life, ranging from clean, crisp looks to more casual, yet neat looks," says Serino at J.Crew. "It shouldn't be confused with sloppy attire. The type of shirt and sweater -- fabric, color, style -- will give the appearance of less- to more-casual. Just because he's no longer required to wear a suit, doesn't mean a jacket can't look smart without the tie or with a sweater. The situation or day's agenda at work should also predict the level of 'casual.'

"The key component to all of this is for the companies to issue guidelines that don't allow the wearer to look sloppy or in any way unprofessional. Some in-house presentations should be a requirement."

That's a problem some companies still must address, Accipiter says. They simply don't have a clear policy on what attire is acceptable and what isn't.

"By and large, if people feel more comfortable in their workplace, they're apt to perform at a higher level."

— Joe Serino, J.Crew

"There has to be a certain amount of common sense," Accipiter says. "As we know, common sense isn't that common."

With employers scrambling to find enough workers to fill positions in today's tight job market, a casual-clothing policy has become an integral part of some companies' pitches to prospective employees, Accipiter says.

"If the employee can save money on attire, that's a recruiting and retention incentive," she says. The comfort factor may figure into the allure, too.

All of which could pose a knotty problem to the makers of neckties. But the neckwear association's Andersen says he sees a savior on the screen: Regis Philbin.

The host of ABC's runaway hit "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" has popularized suits, shirts and ties with a monochrome look. And perhaps not coincidentally, necktie sales appear to be rebounding in 2000, Andersen says.

"He's been a real shot in the arm for the tie business," Andersen says.

"By and large, if people feel more comfortable in their workplace," Serino says, "they're apt to perform at a higher level."