How to Work Casual Friday for Upward Mobility

Casual Fridays. The phrase is enough to send shivers up my spine! What can pass as professional dress from Monday to Thursday is already beyond me, but on Fridays I see every outfit pass my store from Levis to tee shirts with beer mugs and shamrocks. In the summer, it gets even worse at the end of the week as some men even opt to wear (gasp!) shorts to the office.

Gentlemen, please!! If you don’t think you are judged by your appearance on Fridays, I urge you to reconsider.

If you show up on Friday mornings wearing cargo pants and a Nike sweatshirt, you outfit is more suited for the gym or the grocery store than it is for the office. When your boss sees you dressing the part of a summer intern, he or she considers you to be just that.

The Oatmeal Look I would bet money that many of you reading this are thinking, “I never look like a slob at work! I wear khakis and button-down blue shirts on Casual Fridays!”

This outfit is what I call The Oatmeal Look because of the bland, “don’t look at me” statement that it makes about its wearer.  It’s what Dan? one of my wardrobe consultants? refers to as “the dreaded IT uniform”. Looking like everyone else at the office will never give you a lift on the ladder of success.

Now that I’ve suggested what NOT to wear, don’t miss my next blog post, where I’ll introduce you to Power Business Casual!