It's time to reach deep into the closet, past the jeans, micro-minis, sleeveless tops, and sneakers, all the way back to the blazers, ties, pantsuits, and low-heeled shoes; formal businesswear is back. While "business casual" was the big workplace fashion trend in the 1990s, now the pendulum is swinging back to more conservative attire, according to employment analysts interviewed by BNA.

The move to business casual was fueled in large part by the explosion of the dot-coms, typically run by young entrepreneurs who encouraged casual dress and sneakers in the workplace, noted Susan Morem, a workplace consultant in Minneapolis. However, she said, in terms of the current state of workplace dress, "Companies are now taking it up a notch."

For example, Morem said, "Jeans were considered business casual, but now a lot of companies no longer allow them."

More Stringent Dress Codes Sought

An increasing number of firms nationwide are instituting more stringent dress codes, said employment analyst John A. Challenger. He noted that retail giant Target Corp. last September informed its employees that it will end its "business casual" dress code for its 5,000 corporate office workers.

Another reason for stricter dress codes: employees simply need the guidance. "Managers have discovered that leaving dress decisions open to interpretation is too risky, and so are now implementing tougher dress codes," image consultant Sherry Maysonave, president of Empowerment Enterprises in Austin, Texas, said.

According to a new survey by OfficeTeam, a Menlo Park, Calif., staffing services firm, most employees feel that dress indeed does make the man, or woman. Over 80 percent of 972 surveyed professionals said a person's work attire affects his or her professional image.

A 2003 survey by No Nonsense--purveyor of pantyhose, a formal wear staple--found that 69 percent of surveyed employees said they would react favorably if their companies required more professional workplace attire. According to the poll, 70 percent of executives said that workplace dress affects an employee's productivity, while 63 percent said that wearing more professional clothing makes employees advance faster in their careers.

Get Employee Input on Dress Codes

The best employee dress codes set very clear "do's and don'ts," according to Ilene Amiel, author of Business Casual Made Easy.

"Before setting the code, you should take a hard look at the type of business you run, and survey officers and employees as to the type of dress most appropriate," Challenger, CEO of the Chicago-based outplacement firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas, said. "Then you should sit down with an executive team to make recommendations and spell out how the policy should look," he said.

Typically, the more conservative the industry, the more conservative the dress code, Morem said. The button-down conservative look is more prevalent in the financial, accounting, legal, and insurance professions.

Creative professionals--those in fashion, graphic arts, or publishing--may adopt a more colorful, trendy look, Morem said. Challenger agreed with the need for clothing to "fit the profession."

Breaking the Code

Employers who are serious about making employees adhere to a dress code need to develop a policy "with consequences," Amiel said. She suggested that an employee who refuses to follow the code should first be given a verbal warning, followed by a written admonishment, and eventually, if the slipshod dressing continues, he or she should be fired.

Maysonave suggested that employers should:

• develop a written policy;

• train managers so they are "very educated" about the policy; and

• enforce it evenly among the sexes (for example, women should not have to dress up more than men).

Maysonave said that in order to be more sensitive about the issue, any dress code-related discipline should be handled by a manager of the same sex as the offending employee.

Once behind closed doors with the employee, Maysonave said, the manager should start with positive phrases, like: "What are your goals here in the company; Your clothes say a lot about what your intentions are; or I want to help you to be successful, but your clothes do not spell success."

Employers who want to avoid legal trouble in enforcing dress codes "should be sensitive that dress codes may press upon religious restrictions, or discriminate against one sex or another," said management attorney Terri Solomon, a senior shareholder in the New York office of Littler Mendelson.

For example, she said, the Hindu and Sikh religions may require that the observant wear turbans, and Orthodox Jewish men must wear yarmulkes. Employers need to make specific accommodations for persons whose religious faith requires certain dress, within reason, Solomon said.

"Employers need to be mindful of uniformity, and be certain that whatever standard is required of women, be required of men also," Solomon said.

Training for Sartorial Splendor

One way to make sure that a dress code is accepted and adhered to by employees is through training.

"If you make a change, especially if it is a significant change, you should hold a series of meetings that seek to bring people around to the new way of dressing," he said.

Maysonave suggested workshops. "These workshops should go into great detail about the new dress code, and should be motivational, or educational," she said. "Memos and e-mails are the least effective way to get your point across," she added.

The company might even want to put on a "business casual" or "office dress" fashion show for employees, Morem said, so employees have a clear visual image of how they should dress.

Challenger predicted that as the economy grows and businesses start rehiring, "We may go back to where we were in the 1990s, with employers fighting for the best workers, luring them from their competitors with promises of signing bonuses and other dot-com-style perks"--including casual dress.

What's In, What's Out

Image consultants told BNA that typically, men in conservative industries are required to wear suits, blazers, or sports coats with collared shirts and a tie, socks, and good quality, hard-soled shoes.

Women can dress in skirted suits or pantsuits, modestly cut sweaters, collared blouses or knit tops, or dresses with hems knee-length. For the feet, low-heeled, closed toe shoes fit the bill.

In terms of business casual, men might don khaki, linen, silk blend, or corduroy pants with shirts with collars, polo shirts, turtlenecks, or crew neck sweaters. A blazer or jacket is optional; socks are a must.

Women might wear slacks that are not too tight or long skirts, with sweaters and sweater sets, or blouses and knit tops, jacket optional.

Experts agreed that on the no-no list are:

• T-shirts, particularly with slogans printed on them;

• sandals and sockless shoes, and open-toed shoes;

• sleeveless and backless dresses, and provocative clothes;

• shorts and mini-skirts;

• athletic shoes and hiking boots;

• halter tops; and

• baseball caps and visors.

The clothing experts were torn on jeans. While employees typically have interpreted "business casual" or dress-down Fridays to mean that jeans are acceptable, they said, too many workers are wearing jeans that are torn, worn out, or otherwise unacceptable for officewear.