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Dressing for work events outside the office

By Kristen Pearson, Guest Contributor

After a few years of having attended work events, holiday parties, summer picnics and fall festivals, it has become very clear that some people just don’t understand how to appropriately dress for work events outside of the office. We have all experienced it: that moment when you arrive at your work summer picnic sweltering in your pants and blazer, only to see some co-workers walking around in daisy duke shorts, cut-off t-shirts and Old Navy flip flops. What about at the holiday party when you walk into the door and feel as though you walked into a night club? Better yet, how about traveling to the fall festival your company is sponsoring only to feel like you should have brought your Snuggie because of the number of people walking about in sweatshirts and sweatpants. I know what you may be thinking, “That will never happen, no one can be that naïve.” Well, surprise! I have seen all of these outfits at company events.
What if your first encounter with the President of your company was at one of these functions and you showed up wearing a mini denim skirt, a bright plunging spaghetti strap tank top that shows off that dragon tattoo that takes up your entire back. Is that, truly, what you would want to be wearing for your first impression? Even outside of the workplace, certain outfits seem to scream unprofessionalism. And, depending on the context, it is always important to remember that showing up at a work event dressed sloppily, or unprofessionally, could reflect negatively on your reputation in the office, regardless of whether your coworkers are right or wrong to form their opinion of you around one wardrobe mistake. Penny Singer an author for, The New York Times, states that, “Companies are aware that their image is affected by the way their employees dress”.
In her article, A New Emphasis on Dressing for Work, she gives some tips for men on the basics of a professional wardrobe, and listed below are a few general gender-neutral rules to follow when getting dolled up for a work event. Keep in mind that the following may not apply to employees or organizations without an established professional or business casual dress code:
1. If you would wear it on the Vegas strip, do not wear it to a work function, ever.
2. If it has holes, besides the ones for your neck and arms, do not wear it.
3. If you are questioning the outfit before you even walk out of the door, do not wear it.
4. If it has the name “sweat” in it, do not wear it.
5. If it has bold print or oversized writing, other than your company’s name, do not wear it.
6. For footwear, if it has the same name as a piece of underwear, do not wear it.

I cannot stress this enough: Just because you are not in the office, does not mean you can whatever you want. Remember you not only represent your company at work, but outside of it as well.

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