# A special dress-up day for work **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286 "2009-08-13T14:11:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/1 "2009-08-13T14:11:20Z")
We’ve instituted Johnny Cash Thursdays where everyone shows up in black. There’s not really a point to it; it’s just for fun. But I’d like to try for something else on Tuesdays. So here’s the criteria - it must be business casual dress. Essentially, we stop just before the tie. Some do wear one. Dress-down day is Friday, not Tuesday, so keep it professional. - It must be easy. This is hardly a mandatory thing so I don’t want to pick something totally obscure (Comic Book Hero Tuesday!) so that no one participates. Think of something people already have in their closets and won’t be ashamed to wear on the bus. - It should be appropriate for the 20-40 crowd. We’re pretty young here, so television shows that have been off the air for decades won’t do. We were thinking “Talk like a pirate day” but that’s not very subtle. I suggested Power Shirt Tuesday where we all wear bright red shirts, but some didn’t like that. What else ya got? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/2 "2009-08-13T14:14:50Z")
NFL team colors day? Red shirt, grey tie for Buccaneers fans, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/3 "2009-08-13T14:19:58Z")
Bill Lumbergh: Oh, and remember: next Friday… is Hawaiian shirt day. So, you know, if you want to, go ahead and wear a Hawaiian shirt and jeans. (oh, come on…somebody was going to post it!) ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/4 "2009-08-13T14:28:49Z")
I thought of Hawaiian shirt day, but why would I want to screw with the one day we dress down? Then we don’t have casual Fridays anymore, it’s just Hawaiian shirt Fridays. That’s like a “Wear whatever you want so long as it’s Hawaiian” Day. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/5 "2009-08-13T14:41:25Z")
Sesame Street/crayon colors day? It would be bright colors that people may have but not wear as often. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/6 "2009-08-13T14:52:21Z")
A Mad Men day might be fun. People wouldn’t have to go over the top, just little retro touches. ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/7 "2009-08-13T15:03:19Z")
What about “twin” day, when you and a coworker intentionally dress to match? Be inclusive and go triplets with someone if you have an odd number. I like the team colors thing. Around here it would be NCAA basketball, though, and it could get heated. Does your “big boss” have a distinctive style? What about everyone match his or her look - Western, preppy, whatever? ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/8 "2009-08-13T15:14:46Z")
Mister Rogers day. Everyone comes in in a coat/jacket and shoes, then changes into a cardigan and sneakers (which they brought in the day before, in preparation) until quitting time. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/9 "2009-08-13T15:21:05Z")
There’s some great ideas here (I like Twin Day). Unfortunately, the boss’s funny tendencies aren’t in his dress style. He’s pretty normal there. And also, we’re looking for something we can repeat every week, so if it takes some effort, it probably won’t work. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/10 "2009-08-13T15:22:12Z")
Declare the 17th of every month “St. Practice” day (Except for March, of course. . . when great things are expected of all this preparation) and make everybody wear green. You could also drag a local pub into the fray and go there for lunch or happy hour. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/11 "2009-08-13T15:26:17Z")
[If all else fails…](http://www.nopantsday.com/wp/) ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/12 "2009-08-13T16:40:39Z")
What kind of business is it? I’m wondering if the type of business you’re in might lend itself to any particular themes. Maybe too close to Johnny Cash … but Black and White? (I was thinking of the Black and White Ball, but you could present it like Zebras or Chess or whatever else is black and white.) ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/13 "2009-08-13T16:56:30Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > Maybe too close to Johnny Cash … but Black and White? (I was thinking of the Black and White Ball, but you could present it like Zebras or Chess or whatever else is black and white.) Nuns? ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/14 "2009-08-13T17:16:01Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > What kind of business is it? Not a business. I work for the feds in the defense sector. It’s a cubicle farm, if that helps. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/15 "2009-08-13T18:49:38Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Declare the 17th of every month “St. Practice” day (Except for March, of course. . . when great things are expected of all this preparation) and make everybody wear green. You could also drag a local pub into the fray and go there for lunch or happy hour. The intent is nice but please don’t make people get involved if they don’t want to. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/16 "2009-08-13T19:05:58Z")
Hat Day? ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/17 "2009-08-13T19:06:56Z")
Doesn’t meet your criteria, but one of my coworkers has Tie Tuesdays. We’re a jeans-all-the-time workplace, but he came from a dress up workplace so had lots of ties and didn’t want to stop wearing them completely. So every Tuesday, regardless of what everyone else is wearing, he wears a button up shirt and a tie. Tie Tuesday has a nice, alliterative ring to it too. But it doesn’t work so well for the women. ---
**Author:** ![slitterst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecc23a/32.png) [@slitterst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slitterst)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/18 "2009-08-13T19:22:04Z")
You could always go the other side of “Casual Fridays” and have “Formal Monday.” Maybe not black tie, but suits and ties for men, dresses for women. Nice shoes for everybody. Or, for the physics geeks in your office you could have Causal Fridays – everything you do has to cause something else to happen. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/19 "2009-08-13T20:17:56Z")
Oooh, something a coworker just said made me think of this: Flair Fridays (or Tuesdays, but Fridays gives it the nice alliteration). Like from Office Space. Everyone wears buttons or other “flair.” That could be really funny. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286/20 "2009-08-13T20:36:58Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > Not a business. I work for the feds in the defense sector. It’s a cubicle farm, if that helps. Oh dear, they probably wouldn’t let you have Gas Mask Tuesdays or anything like that then. 😉 If you went with Tie Tuesday suggestion, women could wear scarves. Or also ties, if they wished. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-special-dress-up-day-for-work/506286.md?page=2)