# What's your dress code? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 21, 2002, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914 "2002-08-21T13:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![CRorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CRorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CRorex)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/41 "2002-08-23T17:49:23Z")
I’m a lab monkey… So it’s OLD tennis shoes, OLD jeans and shirt. That’s about it. whee ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/42 "2002-08-23T19:47:17Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by EchoKitty \* > \*\*Any kind of pants but jeans, any shoes but sneakers, any tops but tube or sweatshirt, and everybody seems to forget to comb their hair every day. This is a BIG corporation. I think neat jeans look way better than WRINKLED khakis, but the rule still stands…no jeans. \*\* I agree with you–I think khakis are just dumb. They’re really not dressy enough to be dressy, and not casual enough to be casual, and, except in the lightest colors, look really frumpy when they’re old. And I agree emphatically with the person who said they make him feel as if he’s going to church. Now then, my office dress code. Very much like **EchoKitty** ’s, but the no-jean rule isn’t terribly strictly enforced. I often wear black Levi’s during the week. That’s Monday through Thursday, then on Fridays jeans are officially OK. When not wearing jeans to work, I leap over the khaki no-man’s land and wear gabardines, and sometimes a coat and tie. God I hate khakis. I hate them! Hate, hate, hate!!! ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/43 "2002-08-23T21:22:49Z")
Tech Writer Jeans, tshirt, and sneakers are all I usually wear, but occasionally I’ll punctuate it with a very loud hawaiian shirt. And I often wear a baseball cap. I could get away with murder here. A few years back, my boss at the time suggested that I dress nicer. I told him that if he showed me the official dress code, I would abide by it. Since we don’t have a dress code, I never heard another thing about it. ---
**Author:** ![Jet\_Jaguar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jet_jaguar/32/3562_2.png) [@Jet\_Jaguar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jet_Jaguar)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/44 "2002-08-23T22:34:38Z")
I’m a software engineer, and our dress code is casual. My own personal code is to dress according to golf course rules. That means long pants but not jeans, (usually I wear Dockers-style pants) and a collared shirt (usually a golf shirt). I only wear a suit and tie if I’m presenting something to the customer (which is rare). ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/45 "2002-08-24T03:29:42Z")
I was told that I had to be dressed. That’s about it. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/46 "2002-08-24T05:07:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monica \* > \*\*I’m still in high school, but my dress code is as follows: > > ~ midriff must be covered > ~ shoulders must be covered > ~ nothing too lowcut > ~ no visible undergarments > ~ shoes must have a strap in the back > **~ fingertip length shorts and skirts** > ~ no obscene messages or pictures > ~ no advertisments for drug/alcohol products > > of course, we don’t exactly follow it…😉 > > Oh, and we figured out that someone could come to school naked from the waist down and still be within the dress code. \*\* Bolding mine… You seem to be implying every single student in the student body has arms so short their fingertips are above the waist. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 5:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/47 "2002-08-24T05:32:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by monica \* > \*\*I’m still in high school, but my dress code is as follows: > > ~ midriff must be covered > ~ shoulders must be covered > ~ nothing too lowcut > ~ no visible undergarments > ~ shoes must have a strap in the back > **~ fingertip length shorts and skirts** > ~ no obscene messages or pictures > ~ no advertisments for drug/alcohol products > > of course, we don’t exactly follow it…😉 > > Oh, and we figured out that someone could come to school naked from the waist down and still be within the dress code. \*\* Bolding mine… You seem to be implying every single student in the student body has arms so short their fingertips are above the waist. ---
**Author:** ![AbbySthrnAccent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb9ed0/32.png) [@AbbySthrnAccent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AbbySthrnAccent)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/48 "2002-08-24T05:36:32Z")
Ahhh blast I meant to bold just the line about the fingertip length shorts and skirts. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/49 "2002-08-24T05:40:34Z")
Mine is a flight suit. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![honkytonkwillie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@honkytonkwillie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/honkytonkwillie)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/50 "2002-08-24T06:37:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by mnemosyne \* > \*\*We in the lab believe that dress codes are things that happen to other people… \*\* That’s for sure. About the only thing I’m required to wear is a labcoat and shoes that don’t have open toes. I did once have a boss who wanted me to shave every day. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/51 "2002-10-18T04:40:31Z")
I work for a woman’s retail store, and I have to wear their clothes and keep my shoulders covered. It’s fairly conservative stuff, mostly. I usually wear a rotating collection of black skirts, a long sleeved shirt of some kind, and my docs. I wore my purple and black stripey knee-high socks last Friday and nobody seemed to care. I was told I could dress up for Hallowe’een. Whee! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Leonora](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7bcc69/32.png) [@Leonora](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leonora)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/52 "2002-10-18T04:53:42Z")
Slacks, capri pants, any type shirt other than t-shirts. Jeans only on Fridays. No sandals. I do have a lot of leeway. I wear jeans more often than that. I’ve been known to wear my flight boots on occasion. Otherwise, slide on shoes of some type. ---
**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/53 "2002-10-18T04:55:27Z")
We have casual Fridays, where bluejeans are _de rigeur_. For rmost of the rest of the time, I wear dress shirts and slacks. This seems casual to me, as I spent the better part of two decades wearing suits everyday. ---
**Author:** ![Flutterby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Flutterby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flutterby)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/54 "2002-10-18T05:28:26Z")
I go to school as well and our dress code is similar. No underwear showing, nothing baggy, no tank tops (though I think they mean specifically spaghetti tanks… ones that cover the bra straps are fine), no funky hair, piercings are okay but only small tasteful ones, shorts/skirts are not allowed above the knee. Funny thing is I have found a bit of a loophole with the tank top thing… I have a top I wear over it that is sort of a creamy sheer ‘Jesus shirt’ and I wear it off and on. Never got any complaints… Usually when I have work I wear black pants (not slacks but nice black ones that aren’t jeans) with my black ankle boots, low heel found at Pay Less for 20 bucks that are soooo comfy. Well as comfy as my sneakers, my feet hurt even in sneakers if I’m on them for too long without resting. And usually a top that is provided from the store/place of work. IE Albert’s Restaraunt bright red top and apron… Yellowhead Casino ‘cowboy’ shirt and vest… Cineplex Odeon purple and black shirt (before they changed to the new ones)… oh and name tags for all. Flutterby Soon to be pressing the dress code on Halloween ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Damage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba8739/32.png) [@Mister\_Damage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Damage)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/55 "2002-10-18T05:38:18Z")
**AbbySthrnAccent** , I think the loophole **monica** found is that while the dress code probably says students cannot wear shorts or skirts that are shorter than fingertip length, the code doesn’t explicitly state that shorts/skirt/pants have to be worn. They probably assumed no one would be brazen enough to try. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/56 "2002-10-18T05:45:28Z")
At work, I wear a big black body suit with a long flowing cape. Oh, and a bright yellow belt filled with all sorts of Bat-gadgets. ---
**Author:** ![Fionn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fionn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fionn)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 6:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/57 "2002-10-18T06:34:33Z")
I work in a university bookstore, and the dress code among the sheaf of papers I received when I hired on. It actually stated that we were supposed to wear clothing that was “in keeping with campus fashion.” We can wear shorts, but I don’t feel comfortable doing that at work, so I usually wear jeans. We have company T-shirts, but we’re not required to wear them. At the branch location where I work (lovingly known as the ghetto store), the manager doesn’t even require that we wear our nametags, which means people walking into the store are greeted by what appear to be the world’s most considerate shoppers. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@El\_Elvis\_Rojo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Elvis_Rojo)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/58 "2002-10-18T09:58:19Z")
Another “no real dress code whatsoever” here. I work as a studio op at a television station, so we’re the grunt workers, so they really couldn’t give a shit. I have five pairs of jeans…four of them have holes in them, and all of them get worn to work. I try not to wear my Evil Dead shirts all too often, but you know how it is sometimes. My favorite example of how lax it is: Last week, one of my coworkers wore a shirt that was navy blue with a small white box in the middle of the chest. In the box were two simple words, with one small line of text underneath… Fuck You I have enough friends. She wore it for the full 8 hours, and the only comment was made by an anchor. “I love your shirt, where’d you get it?” It’s great not every having to interact with the clients/customers. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/59 "2002-10-18T12:18:38Z")
Can’t wait til I’m a civvie again. I find Army uniforms terribly uncomfortable. I did a bunch of things in years past, but they all conform with what other folks say about black jeans, etc. I would live to wear jeans and t-shirts to work (especially since, as I’ve worn uniforms for three years I have no nice clothing and no money to buy any). ---
**Author:** ![DarkVorona](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc348/32.png) [@DarkVorona](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarkVorona)\ **Post date:** [October 18, 2002, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914/60 "2002-10-18T16:00:55Z")
Law firm. We went business casual about 2 years ago (since all the other law firms were doing it). Know what? _Everybody started creeping back to professional business attire again_ (including me). Know why? _Because coworkers and management treat you considerably better_. The better you’re dressed, the more professionally you’re treated. I started wearing skirts again (no, not short ones you dirty minds you) and my boss started treating me like a queen (again). Now it’s back to skirts and heels for me! (And hopefully a bigger Christmas bonus!) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-your-dress-code/124914.md?page=4)