Are shorts acceptable at work The summer office clothing guide

Are shorts acceptable at work The summer office clothing guideAre shorts acceptable at work The summer office clothing guideOh, summer. While we love those long sunny days, it can become incredibly complicated to figure out how to dress comfortably but still professionally during the sweatiest and yet most air-conditioned time of the year. Temptations to succumb to total casual wear abound.Its important to remember that no matter how casual the workplace has gotten, theres still a certain dress code unique to each company culture, explains reacHIRE CEO and founder Addie Swartz. For one company summer Fridays may mean summer dresses and sandals, and for another company it may mean collared shirts and chinos.The first thing to know you cannot do this alone. Rather than trying to show up with your own personal summer clothing style, ask other colleagues as to whats most appropriate, Swartz advises us. It only gets more complicated from there.Check the rules and regsIf you were given any type of company manual or guidebook, now would be a great time to give it a read. Just because everyone at work is wearing flip flops, doesnt mean that your boss is thrilled with it. Try to err on the side of caution when it comes to exposing skin at work.Dress for your own successIts okay to create your own personal dress code sometimes. Alice Labaton spends her days working in a predominantly male IT office, while her side hustle is creating customized makeup brushes. As afemalein a predominantly male company, I feel its necessary to project a professional vibe at all times. I proceed with caution, I never want to give the wrong impression via my clothing especially being a young, friendly, single girl in a company of all men, I tend to dress more modestly or throw a sweater over my outfit. Labaton is on to something. Despite the ideal view of an equal workspace, its frequently women who are looked at askance if they show some extra skin. If you work in a more liberated company, enjoy it - but if you dont, know that gender will usually play a role in how youre perceived, including dress and grooming.The grandma ruleIn my work as a personal brand strategist, Im frequently asked by my more cautious clients if its okay to embrace fashion trends in the workplace. In general, while its fine to be style conscious, you never want to look like a punchline, or extra on a reality TV show. If youd be embarrassed or uncomfortable running into your grandmother while wearing something, it has no place in a professional setting.As a general rule, go more modest. Bare legs and exposed arms and a low-cut neckline add up to a lot more skin than works for most professional environments. Use one of the rules of elegance that fashion mavens like to use put the emphasis on only one area. If youre wearing shorts to bare your legs, dont also wear a tank-top style with them to work to expose your chest and arms. (Unless, that is, you work at a gym). If youre wearing a sleeveless t op, dont add a miniskirt.And when in doubt carry a cardigan, light jacket or big, lightweight scarf. Youll need them for the air conditioning anyway.Dont date yourselfWhile its entirely amusing to post old pictures on Throwback Thursday, its sometimes downright humiliating to be tagged by friends in photos youd rather forget. While the idea of rompers for men have been covered in the news lately with a quarter million dollar Kickstarter campaign for something called a Romphim, wearing a man onesie is only appropriate on Halloween. No matter how trendy you think you are, you will never live down the embarrassing photos, and trust me, your co-workers will find infinite combinations of your name and romper. The short answerIf youre wondering if its okay to wear micro miniskirts or actual shorts to the workplace, (bad pun alert) the short answer is no. Shorts just dont add to your overall professional image (unless youre part of the cast of the Baywatch reboot), though in climates where the weather is thermisch year round, its not as much of an issue. Labaton emphatically says, no, shorts are not office attire I never want to wear anything that can be deemed as provocative to the office. If I would wear the outfit on a date or to a bar, then I would not consider it work appropriate, which is generally a good rule of thumb. If you dont work in a traditional office environment, you can probably get away with shorts, but try to wear the hem as close to your knee as possible. Be wary of Frankensteins monster attempts to make shorts acceptable wearing a light business jacket with Bermuda shorts just kind of highlights your hairy legs, something most people dont want to look in the boardroom. Again, more casual environments and work spaces will likely embrace shorts as long as theyre more modest and never ever wear biking shorts to work unless youre actually a bike messenger. Some summer dressing rulesKeep a jacket, shawl or cardigan handy Its not only practical for whe n the air conditioning is set to deep freeze, but it also covers a skimpy looking top if you get called into a meeting.Keep it professional when possible Unless youre the UPS guy, you probably should leave the shorts for weekends. Especially cargo shorts. Its not up for debate. Leave them for running errands, if you must wear them at all.Dont dress down just because youre dressing lighter For some reason, people sometimes think that wearing lighter clothing means putting on beach attire. It shouldnt. Its easy to find a professional wardrobe, try brighter colors, lighter fabrics and shoes with rope or canvas accents to convey the feeling of summertime without any serious skin exposure. Check the calendar If your boss is going to be out of town, you can probably ease up on things, but dont throw on a beach cover up and pretend its appropriate for work. Change it up as needed Rules are meant to be broken, so try to find ways to express your personality without showing too much if possi ble.