Casual Fridays- What Not to Wear

It's Friday; the day where you wrap up your work week and celebrate the weekend! And most of us begin that celebration by dressing casually.

But how casual is too casual? I recall a casual Friday fiasco back when I was a practicing attorney at a government agency. One of our senior attorneys, an older gentlemen, was dressed very casually that day. He had on blue jeans and a country western shirt. It just so happened that he was called into Federal Court unexpectedly on one of his cases. I'll never forget how frantic and embarrassed he was. But there was nothing he could do, he had to run out the door. I even remember his secretary, who accompanied him to court, was very casual too- wearing flip flops and a sundress!! Needless to say, that was the end of casual Friday in our office.

What you wear says a lot about you, not just to your clients but also to your peers. What is your message? How do you want to be perceived? Lawyers should always dress professionally, Friday or not. And, if you are a lawyer with a high-profile practice or with a very active court docket, then you especially need to keep your dress professional.

Casual, in my opinion, is becoming too casual in the work place. There's something to be said about dressing for success or dressing the part. What do you think?