Tom Whitehurst

Sunday, June 4, 2000

Heat breeds daredevil dress codes

You may ask yourself, what is a grown man doing wearing shorts and sneakers to a Rotary Club meeting.
   Or you may ask yourself, why am I wearing this hot suit of clothes in this South Texas heat? And you may ask yourself, how did I get this nice suit, this nice car, this beautiful home?
   Lately I've been asking myself why we all don't look around, recognize where we live and agree that from about late March until November, we all ought to dress like my new hero, Alan Doty, the shorts-wearing Rotarian. What say we all wear shorts to the boardroom, the courtroom, church.
   Not short shorts, or gym shorts or bicycle shorts. Doty, a Realtor, is careful to present a comfortable but professional image: pressed shorts that don't go much above the knee, a collared knit pullover with his company name, and cross-trainer athletic shoes that look like they've never been used for cross-training.
   Lou Kennedy, a Corpus Christi-based national business etiquette consultant, definitely would draw the line at shorts. But her core philosophy on how to dress appropriately for work is not far from Doty's:
   "Where will I go today, who will I be talking to and what nonverbal message do I want to send?" is the question she asks.
   The answer allows wide latitude for those who want to convey a professional image while maintaining a level of physical comfort this time of year, she says.
   Generally there's leeway for short-sleeved shirts and cotton slacks for men - a great relief from a wool suit even if it's summer-weight - and lightweight, casual slacks or skirts with open-toe shoes or sandals and no pantyhose for women.
   Dressing too casual
   "People are opting to dress for comfort and coolness if they're not calling on clients," Kennedy says. "You're seeing a redefining of what's appropriate."
   But that redefinition has pitfalls that present problems for managers.
   "If it's not in a printed guideline, then people are taking great latitude and creativity in how they define what they can wear to work. And if the managers don't say to people who are not appropriately dressed, 'That is not appropriate. Go home and change,' that outfit becomes the norm."
   A national survey of 150 business executives found that 39 percent of managers think that their employees dress too casually on casual-dress days.
   Dressing comfortably
   Kennedy is dressing more comfortably these days: "I'm not rushing out and buying suits. I'm buying dresses that are comfortably loose."
   But there's a limit, and hot weather doesn't excuse exceeding it.
   "We get dressed in an air-conditioned home, we drive in an air-conditioned car and we go to work in an air-conditioned building," Kennedy says, "so why is it that we're shedding clothes and going to work dressed like we're going to the ballpark?"
   Good question, considering the historic photos I've seen of people walking the streets of Corpus Christi in the pre-air-conditioning days, covered by clothing from head to foot.
   Formal is traditional
   Jack English, owner of a men's wear store, remembers a photo he saw of a man during the 1930s in a full business suit, plowing a field behind a team of mules. He doesn't know the circumstances, just that the guy was out there in his suit, plowing.
   "I grew up with everybody being dressed up, as many people have. And I can understand the need to be cool and appreciate that. I take off my coat the minute I walk out of this store. Even with air conditioning in the car, it's not practical."
   But he's definitely on the side of dressing up. Sure, he's in the business of selling men's suits - as he was first to point out. But he's in that business because he likes it. He readily admits to being a dandy.
   He counsels young men that they can improve their career prospects by dressing a little nicer than their colleagues.
   A lot of questions
   "Young people do ask me a lot of questions like that, and that's what I tell them. Grooming has something to do with the perception people have of you. That perception of professionalism is not going to go over very well in a pair of walk shorts, in my opinion."
   Dressing down in summer won't address any health concerns, much to my chagrin.
   "In the past, people who worked outside wore long shirts and hats because of the sun," said Robert Fordtran, a cardiologist. "And I still try to get people working outside not to wear short-sleeve shirts and to wear hats and long pants. When the sun is shining, you ought to protect your skin."
   Wears shorts all summer
   There goes my best excuse. But my hero doesn't need one.
   "I'm blessed in the fact that I own and operate my own business, a one-man real estate agency," Doty says. "About six or seven years ago I just decided that the humidity and heat was just ridiculous. I started going as casual as I thought I could get away with.
   "Officially, my company policy is that on June 1, I can go into the shorts mode without any qualms of conscience. If it's hot like this year, I'll start even sooner. But I allow myself all of June, July and August to wear shorts every day if I want to.
   It starts with confidence
   "If I have an important meeting or a real estate closing at a title company, if I feel it's important I'll put on long cotton trousers and dress appropriately for the occasion.
   "I cannot tell any adverse reaction whatsoever. If anything, I get the clear impression that my customers are very comfortable working with me. Most of the comments that I get is from people who say, 'Gee, I wish that I could do that,' to which I respond, 'Start your own company. Establish your own dress code.' "
   Spoken like a true hero.
   "A lot of it has to do with your own personal confidence. I do what I feel that I can get away with, within the realm of decency. I'm not afraid to go into the marketplace and be comfortable."
   I am, unfortunately. Same as I ever was.
  

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