Casual wear, the new dress code for success
Apr 11, 2011
YOU would have to be a fashion cretin not to notice the casual dress trend that has penetrated corporate companies in the last few years.
In offices across the world, three-piece suits and wingtips are turning into more and more creative versions of casual, ranging from the slippers to suits that can be worn as separates.
Casual wear can be anything but casual. For some, it is confusing, for others it is anxiety-causing, for still others, it is big business, provided they can stay one step ahead of the fashion curve.
According to new research, the trend may have hit a plateau.
From 1992 to 1999, companies reporting casual wear policies rose steadily.
In 1992, 24% of the companies polled reported a casual dress policy either one day a week or every day.
In 1995, 71% reported casual wear policies, and in 1999, 95%.
A 2000 survey, however, showed a total of 87% of its respondents reporting either a one-day-a-week or everyday casual wear policy.
In the last few months alone, leading firms have instituted full-time casual dress policies, joining companies like Coca-Cola, Ford, General Motors, Accenture and Sears, where casual dress in some cases has been the norm for years.
But experts say clothing that reveals too much cleavage, your back, your chest, your feet, your stomach or your underwear is not appropriate for a place of business, even in a business casual setting.
www.allbusiness.com
In offices across the world, three-piece suits and wingtips are turning into more and more creative versions of casual, ranging from the slippers to suits that can be worn as separates.
Casual wear can be anything but casual. For some, it is confusing, for others it is anxiety-causing, for still others, it is big business, provided they can stay one step ahead of the fashion curve.
According to new research, the trend may have hit a plateau.
From 1992 to 1999, companies reporting casual wear policies rose steadily.
In 1992, 24% of the companies polled reported a casual dress policy either one day a week or every day.
In 1995, 71% reported casual wear policies, and in 1999, 95%.
A 2000 survey, however, showed a total of 87% of its respondents reporting either a one-day-a-week or everyday casual wear policy.
In the last few months alone, leading firms have instituted full-time casual dress policies, joining companies like Coca-Cola, Ford, General Motors, Accenture and Sears, where casual dress in some cases has been the norm for years.
But experts say clothing that reveals too much cleavage, your back, your chest, your feet, your stomach or your underwear is not appropriate for a place of business, even in a business casual setting.
www.allbusiness.com