Dress Fads and Professional Attire

Over the last one hundred years, fashion fads have come and gone. But with the advent of multiple tattoos, body piercing, the low-cut look, and pants below the waist, there has been a noticeable decline in the manner in which employees and job applicants have been dressing. Everywhere we look nowadays we see young women with their hip bones exposed, their bosoms bursting out of fabric, and young men's undergarments either hiked above their pants or the crack of their derriere's in plain view for all to see! Sensible attire and common sense has been replaced by the weird and offensive. Professional businesses are faced with body piercing, absurd tatoos, a variety of hair colors, and a general overall fall from the dignity of dress.

Somehow we must return to the days when girls and women cared about they they look, and young men took pride in their appearance. We have become a slovenly group of people - men, women, girls and boys. We have come a long way in relaxing our wardrobes but not so far that business attire has been completely replaced by outlandish, gaudy, tasteless garb. There are many, many companies that still insist on the professional look!

Much has been written about how to dress for an interview, and how to maintain a professional look for business. It all comes down to this: Wear sensible, practical, washed and ironed clothes. And, it should go without saying, but bathe, bathe, bathe. Ladies, no sandals, sneakers, shorts, jeans that reveal your hip bones and your thong undergarment, or skirts that just barely cover the cheeks of your derriere! Be careful of too much cleavage, and limit your jewelry to something simple. Don't pile gobs of makeup on your face, looking natural is wiser for business than looking like you are ready for a photo shoot. For men: A clean shirt, a nice pair of slacks, a tie and sports coat or a suit, if appropriate, and clean and polished shoes. For my next article, I will attack the issue of body piercings and tattoos as they relate to the professional business look!