I'm guessing that she was a little jealous of others 'curves' and decided to even the playing field!

We just recently updated our dress code policy and everyone here is really pleased with it. I'll be glad to e-mail you a copy if you like.

Thank you for your response. What I might do is just show your response to our staff - and that might solve all of our problems. Our group doesn't realize how good they have it.

That would be fantastic - thanks for your help.

If you read what used to be considered an industry standard, John Molloy's Dress for Success , you will find that dress codes vary by region. What works in Phoenix will never fly in Philadelphia, and vice versa. You will also find that, in many communities across this country, bankers tend to set the standard for business dress. It has been my experience that, as liberal as people may be in other respects, when it comes to their money, they expect to see conservatively and professionally dressed people handling it.

I will never forget the day that I was working on the teller line, and a customer complained to the branch manager that I did not have a suit jacket on! No, it did not scar me for life, but you will never find me in the office without a suit, and I will fight to the death any "casual days."

The dress code issue is indeed a sensitive issue. You have a great deal of flexibility in preparing a dress code policy, and it can vary by location. You can also have different dress codes for summer and winter; I suggest you clarify the dates for which summer and winter begin and end for clarification.

Some banks have restricted women wearing Capri pants, and many banks have reduced the requirement for stockings and hosiery especially during the summer months.

I have recently written an article about Dress Codes, which will hopefully be posted soon. In the interim, please send me your e-mail address if you are interested in the article, and I'll be glad to e-mail you a copy.

As the HR Director, I HATE THIS SUBJECT!! I'd like to say to our employees, "Good Grief! Just look in a mirror . . . do you look like a professional person that you'd trust handling your money?!!!" We allow no hose in the summer (I'm 50, so I still wear them), and ankle/cropped pants--no capri or mid-calf length. We did this because people just kept getting more and more casual. I,too, have some very nice, professional capri type outfits--but I don't wear them to work. Evidently, our staff can't differentiate between the professional capri slacks and a pair of plaid seersucker clamdiggers. We do have jeans on Friday worn with a bank embroidered logo (not screen printed t-shirt) shirt. Tennis shoes are allowed on Fridays--must be clean and not ratty. The rule of thumb is that you should dress professionally enough to distinguish our employees from shoppers at the local discount store and if called into a meeting with the board of directors, you would feel comfortable.

I have worked in banks from one extreme to the other. In the early days (very, very early days) it was what you expected a banker to wear. Then I went to a bank that was nothing but casual, and believe me that did take some time to get use to. Then I worked for a bank that allowed me to work out of my home. I would get up everyday and dress in business casual, leave the house to get coffee and read the paper and then go back to my home office. I did this for 5 years. About fours years in, I no longer was wearing business casual but sweats and tennis shoes. Now I work back(inside a bank office) that is business casual Monday - Thursday. Friday is real casual...even the bank president does not wear socks on that day. But over the years with all of the different dress styles that I have been associated with I can not say that my work habits have changed. I still work my 10-hours a day and try to do the best job that I can...but then...a very, very long time ago that was what I was raised to do.

We are currently reviewing our dress code. Friday business casual has gotten too casual and it seems the rest of the week has become pretty casual, too. All of our senior male managers have to wear suits. If we were to allow the female employees to wear capris, where is the fairness and equity there? (I am female). We require hose, no casual sandals, open toed shoes are not addressed (but should be). I've been seeing piercings everywhere and toe rings and I'm not happy about it. We are in New England and we may be more conservative than those in the west and south. Personally, I believe both men and women should be wearing jackets at all times, hose should be required, and if it looks like you can go shopping or take a long walk comfortably, it is not appropriate for a professional. And, take the gum out of your mouth. If you need a breath mint, then use one, but don't show off your candy to me! I don't care to see or hear the gum.

Banks here request their male staff to wear Suits , ladies are asked not to wear provoking short skirts or tight pants , No heavy makeup also ( This is for the branches )

when I was assinged to The head office for a 2 years period , I remember each day in the Morning was More Like a fashion show and The street was smelling so Nice of all Perfumes mixed together ( even if i liked the scene ....it does not look professional to me )

I would appreciate a copy of the dress code that you said everyone liked. We are currently cussing and discussing that topic at our next executive meeting.

My problem is that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find professional attire. And even if you are able to find it, can you afford to purchase it?

Luckily I don't have to wear a jacket, just slacks, dress shirt, and tie. The lenders, ceo,cfo, etc. all wear a suit to work, but usually as soon as they get to work the jacket gets hung up until it's time to go home. Fridays and Saturdays are business casual. Plus, I'm going to school at the present and I can't afford a bunch of suits, even from men's warehouse.

We have had uniforms as long as I've worked here (25years). This helps to control some of the dress code questions. We have recently revamped our uniforms to a less rigid look. The women have a suit and 3 more relaxed outfits, no slacks in the summer. The men have opted to do away with suit jackets that would come off as soon as they walked in the door anyway. Friday uniforms are shirts that have the bank logo and khaki's. As for hose and open toed shoes, we (women)have to wear hose with our suit and shorter skirts, but can go bare legged if our skirts are the longer version. Open toed shoes are, whether we like it or not, a sign of the times and fashion. It's hard to find close-toed shoes anymore! But, even if we wear open toed shoes, they can't be "flip-flops". We still must be professional. And definately no tennis shoes.

The men are currently wearing Docker type slacks with more casual shirts. Suits will reappear in the fall and winter.

We work in a suburban area of a minor city... we have a different dress code from 'downtown'... we can wear capri's and open toed shoes, 'downtown' can't.... the whole bank is business casual.. we just have to be careful if we are called to a meeting 'downtown' and have the wrong outfit on... conference call..... Some of the branches get to wear denim bank logo shirts on Saturday.....

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My problem is that it is becoming increasingly more difficult to find professional attire. And even if you are able to find it, can you afford to purchase it?

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Actually that was part of the idiot managers argument against pants for ladies at our bank when I threw my little fit.

I compared three folks in the branch at the time and their incomes in explaining the viability of pants for women. One was a teller, 19, first job and terribly poor. She had on nice slacks and a white blouse. Inexpensive but nice and very professional. The other was myself. A middle income person wearing wool slacks and a silk blouse with a coordinated jacket, all affordable but higher end than the teller. The third was Ivy...she lived on a trust fund. She had on a 100% silk designer label suit. She also looked professional but my monthly income wouldn't cover the cost.

Professionalism can be acheived at any income level, with some thought put into it. The problem is folks forget to think And come to work dressed for a picnic far too often!

Dawnie - As Califgirl posted, the state of California agrees with you and prohibits gender biased dress codes. (I'm not sure if this means that men can wear skirts, but we've never had a male employee who wanted to test that!)

With respect to hose, my feeling is - if your skin is showing, you should have hosery that covers it. Very few people can pull off the "hoseless" look on their legs and still look professional.

If you are wearing slacks, then you should be able to wear dress socks or knee highs.

Personally, I think a nice slacks suit looks much more professional than the dresses/skirts that are in style at the moment. Everything is sheer, fringed, short. It is so hard to find a professional-looking suit. Our dress code does provide for no hose during June and July, but I can only bring myself to do that on casual Fridays.

OK, now, don't hit me, but I have to say it, and I know there will be alot of you who will disagree, but...I don't think there is a woman on this Earth who looks good in capri pants. They do absolutely nothing to flatter your legs or figure. They are neither professional looking or dressy. I guess they must be comfortable, that so many people are wearing them. But if I want to be comfortable and look, well, frumpy, I will stick to a jogging suit.

I said DON'T HIT ME!

My mother once gave me some advice—when I was about 20 and running out the door one morning for work wearing a somewhat wrinkled, very short skirt. She said, “You shouldn’t dress for the position your in. You should dress for the position you want to be promoted to.” She then insisted on ironing my skirt before I left for work. Aren’t moms the best!