Professional (Business) Attire & Business Casual Attire
In
the business world, the way employees look says a lot about the company
they work for. The image you present is molded by the impressions
all of us give when interacting with company representatives, visitors,
other members of the public, and even with one another. The purpose
of this report is to educate you and offer a more definitive description
of what constitutes professional, business attire, as well as what
is acceptable for business casual.
Appropriate business casual attire for women
includes: skirts, which are no shorter than to the top of the knee;
blouses, sweaters, polo-style shirts, jumpsuits, khaki pants, which
are neither too loose nor too tight, and which are not too faded,
frayed or otherwise distressed. Boots, dressy sandals, and pumps are
examples of acceptable footwear. Examples of inappropriate attire
are: novelty tee shirts (those with printed writing, slogans or numbers),
shorts, spandex pants, crop tops, tank or halter tops, sweatshirts,
sweatpants, hats, sundresses which are backless or have straps less
than 1 inch in width, leather pants, and flip flops.
Professional
Attire for Men
Professional business attire for men includes:
suits, sports coats, dress pants, dress shirts with collars, dress
shoes (can be polished) and dark socks (matching pants or shoes),
and a tie (nothing crazy). Examples of inappropriate business attire
includes: denim clothing of any kind, Dockers style pants, flight
jacket/windbreaker-style coats/jackets, shorts of any kind or length,
hats, extremely casual shoe styles commonly worn for sports or the
beach, deck/boat shoes, sandals, and sneakers.
Professional Casual
Attire for Men
Appropriate business casual dress for men includes:
dress slacks, "Dockers" style slacks, sports shirts, polo shirts,
and sweaters. Clean topsiders and loafers are examples of appropriate
footwear. Examples of inappropriate attire include: shorts, novelty
tee shirts (those with printed writing, slogans or numbers), sweatshirts,
sweatpants, tank tops, cropped tops, hats, and flip flops.
In summary,
please keep in mind that clothes are not conservative and proper for
work if the fabric, style or fit is too revealing or too casual. Business
Casual is the opportunity to dress less formally, but still keep a
professional appearance. It is not an opportunity to wear clothing
better suited to the beach, home, yard, gym or party. After all...We Are Our Image!
PROFESSIONAL BUSINESS ATTIRE CHECKLIST
— FEMALES
In professional environments, do not use fabrics of
leather, fleece, denim, crepe, satin, and velvet (to name a few).
Use this checklist as a guideline for CDC competition.
1. Blouse (color; is color appropriate; neat; if shirt-tailed it must
be tucked in; a sweater top is too casual; must be short sleeve
or long sleeve--no sleeveless or half sleeve unless kept
under a blazer all day)
2. Skirt (no
long slits; appropriate color; appropriate length; neat)
3. Pants (color; style; neat; no jeans or jean-like pants, no slits,
no hip-huggers)
4. Pants Suit (color;
style; neat)
5. Pantyhose (appropriate
color; should match pants/skirt in color; no visible runs)
6. Shoes (clean; match outfit; suede shoes; dressy boots; no spiked heal;
no platform shoes; no open-toe or backless; no
sandal-like shoe)
7. Jewelry (not too
much; one earring per ear; 1-2 rings per hand)
8. Hair (appropriate color/style for business; combed)
9. Make-up (light)
10. Nails (not too long; appropriate
color if used; clean; manicured; no party designed nails)
11.
Semi-finished look--vest (however, the better grade is with a blazer;
a sweater is a casual look)
12. Finish--DECA Blazer,
blazer (color; style; neat; an outerwear jacket is not a blazer)
PROFESSIONAL
BUSINESS ATTIRE CHECKLIST — MALES
In professional environments,
do not use fabrics of leather, fleece, denim, crepe, satin, and velvet
(to name a few). Use this checklist as a guideline for
CDC competition.
1. Shirt (collared;
neat; style; no mandarin/Nehru collars, must have undershirt)
2. Tie (appropriate pattern, color, length to top of belt)
3. Jewelry (not too much; no earring in ears; 1 ring per hand)
4. Belt (matches pants or coordinates with pants)
5. Pants (dress pants; neat; style; length)
6. Socks (match color of shoes or pants; never wear white)
7. Shoes (dressy shoes that can be shined or dressy boots)
8. Hair (appropriate style/color; combed; neat)
9. Nails (short; clean; manicured)
10. Finish--DECA
Blazer, Sports Coat or Suit Jacket (color; style; neat)
