Femininity at Work Part II: How to dress in the Summer Months

Hello Dolls

I am continuing my posts on dressing feminely at work with a new chapter on dressing for the warm weather. I've worked in corporate office environments for years and I have observed a lot of corporate women adhere to company dress code during the winter months and follow their own dress code once the weather gets warm. The manner in which you dress speaks volumes about who you are. What you choose to wear outside of work is your business however its another issue when you bring some of that 'outside' wardrobe to the office. Some of the things I have seen worn to work when the weather is hot are, thigh high skirts, short sun dresses, wedges, flip flops, leggings, t-shirt dresses, summer sandals, tank tops with leggings, jogging pants (I kid you not) and t-shirts.

It doesnt look well on you as a professional woman to dress one way in the winter then start wearing tank tops, short skirts and short sun dresses in the summer. It sends the message that you are unprofessional, and unsuitibly dressed for your position. Not to mention it leaves room for misinterpretation of who you are as an employee and how seriously you take your job title. Its likened to a manager who wears skirt and pant suits in the winter and thigh bearing dresses with 3 inch wedges in the sumner. Would you respect her authority as your manager? How about if you were her boss? Would you consider her for that plum promotion with an important overseas client? Probably not! Thats the same scenario that plays out when you follow such a liberal dress code during the summer.

(I kid you not I have seen a similar outfit worn in a corporate office)

Now you might be saying, "well I hate this job anyway so I dont care how I dress to work. This is all the clothes I have". My answer to that is you never know what top management may have in the works in the way of new job opportunities for the company. Yes it may be true that you hate your job but what if that job you hate suddenly had a internal posting for a position you'd be interested in? I've seen it happen time and time again. You're stuck in  a department or company you cant stand. Your biding your time and hating your life when suddenly an advertisng posting comes out for an account with a big Japanese firm overseas. The pay is amazing, the work hours are ideal and the perks are almost unlimited. To top it off, its in your field. Good bye call centre, hello Advertising Account Executive. Would you show up to the interview in the t-shirt dress you wore to work the day before you saw the posting? Of course not! You want this job. You would pull out the best shirt, slacks or skirt you have in your closet, iron it and wear it to the interview.

Unfortunately, when your interview is over the hiring manager is not only going to look at your degree, and relevant work experience but also your work ethic at your present position, attitude and sorry to say but how you carry yourself around the office. That includes how you dress, your demenor and how you interact with your co workers. I've seen people who are very qualified, passed up because they do not dress professionaly at the office. No copany owner wants people who look like they dont care about their appearance working for them because how you dress represents the brand of the company and your job title. Therefore what you wear to work matters.

One of the things people judge their peers on is what they wear and management is always watching. I've heard some crazy things whispered behind the backs of employees whose work is exemplory but their wardrobe breaks all the company dress code rules (sloppy clothing, untucked shirts, crazy colour combinations or sexy clothing). Almost every time the person making the comment is a manager, director or someone in upper management and their disdain for that individual completely erases that persons proven job performance.

For example, a friend of mine who is a really good accountant doesnt care how his dress shirts look when he goes to work. Sometimes its untucked, or ripped. Other times his tie is off centre or his collar is half way up because he got distracted when he was putting on his tie at his desk. A manager who is quite influential made a remark one day calling my friend sloppy, irresponsible and unprofessional. I replied that he was a great accountant and the manager told me he didnt care about that because he looked sloppy and he would never want him working for his department. You cant get it any straighter then that statement.

My grandmother used to say, always look and dress your best whether you are sweeping the floor or running a multi-million dollar company. Dont wait until you "arrive" before you start dressing the part. If you are in a position at work that you dont like and you feel you are more qualified as a manager or in another department dress that way. Emulate the way the managers dress, provided she or he dresses professionally throughout the year. It will not only make you stand out but it subtly endears you to the individual you are emulating. It build commonality and they are more likely to see you as having something in common with them then not. Its a subtle mind trick but it works everytime. I know because I have done it many times and so have my female friends.

If you feel you might need some in depth help to change your wardrobe to better reflect your career goals consider going to a image consultant. If you live in the Toronto area I recommend Charmaine Mills Advance Image and Etiquette Consilting. She offers a wide range of services from colour consulting, to wardrobe consuting and brand and image consulting. Check her website out http://www.advanceimageconsulting.ca/ and browse her services


Here are some examples of dressing for the warm summer months while still being feminine and most of all professional.


1. Cover your sleeves

A suit dress or blouse with capped sleeves looks more professional then a sleeveless one. If you have to wer a sleevless blouse pair it with a short sleeved or cap sleeved jacket or vest.

2. Jackets

Wearing jackets will instantly give your attire more authority but if you dont have any meetings or clients its ok to opt for a pretty collard blouse instead. The collar will convey authority in place of thesuit jacket and you will still look professional.

3. The Sheath Dress

I know I just finished commenting about covering your sleeves but a popular alternative these days is the Sheath dress. Paired with a jacket it looks really professional. But if you choose to not wear a jacket it looks professional as well. Just remember to slip on the jacket before you walk into a meeting to add an extra air of authority.

4. The Classic White Shirt

Every professional attire needs a good white collared shirt in both the long and short sleeved version.

Thanks Dolls for reading and I hope you all got some valuable information from this post. If you want to leave a comment click on the pink bubble beside the title of this post.

My next post in this series on Femininity at work will be on Feminine Hairstyles that are appropriate for work.