Short skirts, cleavage and your job: Your summer work wardrobe

Tag : Summer Skirts
Hot weather often means a relaxed dress code for many corporations.But what exactly does "relaxed" really mean? According tobusiness etiquette expert Barbara Pachter, warmer weather doesn'tmean you can suddenly wear short skirts, skimpy tops or otherwiseinappropriate clothing. "Sexy is not a corporate look,"says Pachter, author of the book NewRules@Work: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools and Techniques to Get Aheadand Stay Ahead .

She warns that dressing seductively can severely damage a woman'scredibility in the workplace. "Recently, a manager asked me totalk to one of his employees about professional dress. At herrecent performance review, he said that her top was so low, hecouldn't look at her."

Although warmer weather is often to blame for unsuitable workattire, Pachter also blames inappropriate television role models(see House star Lisa Edelstein and Marg Helgenberger of CSI to theright), fashion designers and a lack of self-awareness as some ofthe reasons why many women dress seductively. But, she stresses,you can still be feminine -- just without flaunting your figure.

Here are 8 tips to make sure that your business wardrobe shouldstay professional, all year long -- regardless of the weather.
1. No cleavage -- period. I am amazed that I need to tell women that cleavage is notappropriate for the office. And it's not!
2. Avoid short skirts. Showing too much leg (even really good if you have great gams) isnever an appropriate way to dress for the office. Avoid high slitsand keep your skirts no higher than the top of your knees. When theskirt is significantly above the knee, the knee becomes a visualanchor and draws people's attention down to your legs. Is thatwhere you want people to look?
3. Don't skip the stockings. Men ask me if they have to wear socks. I tell them I have to wearstockings, you have to wear socks. Women can get away without themwhen wearing slacks. A skirt without stockings is just too sexy alook.
4. Less really is more. The less skin you show, the more professional you'll be -- so noexposing your belly, no see-through tops, and no sleeveless tops.(And -- ugh! -- no thongs showing from the tops of your pants. Wejust don't need to see it!)
5. Stay away from skintight outfits. Your clothing needs to fit, and not overemphasize body parts.Fabrics bulge and buttons pull when the item is too tight. Onewoman I coached had her skirt so tight that every time she stoodup, she had to pull her skirt down.
6. Pay attention to color. Light and bright colors are seen a lot more in the summer -- justdon't shout with exceptionally bright colors. You don't want thissaying being applied to you: "Your clothes are speaking soloudly, I can't hear you."
7. Shoes count. People notice shoes. It's one of the little details that add polishto your professional presence. No flip flops or sandals. It's notthe beach; it's work. One manager said, "I do run a casualplace, but when a job candidate showed up for the interview in flipflops, I just couldn't hire her."
8. Know that sex appeal has it limits. If your road to success is being based on how sexy you look, youare dooming yourself to failure. Eventually you won't be able tocompete.

The key, Pachter suggests, is to ask yourself what you may bedrawing attention to via your clothing. "Are you promotingyour ideas and your competence or your sexuality? Regardless ofyour company's policy or the particular item of clothing that youare wearing, your clothing still needs to projectprofessionalism."