Constable: When steamy summer meets employer dress code

While I have been fighting a quixotic battle against my employer's dress code for more than three decades, I acknowledge that our rules come in handy when I need to connect with a stranger in a crowd.

“How will I recognize you?” the person will ask, aware that finding the right overweight, balding white guy at an outdoor suburban festival on a 93-degree day can be tricky.

“Easy,” I assure the source. “Unless a time-traveling businessman from 1963 arrives on the scene, I'll be the only guy wearing a necktie.”

The last time I rebelled, my lack of a tie led to the incorporation of a must-wear-tie rule as part of my annual performance review, so I grudgingly wear a tie every day. Women probably are even more susceptible to conflicts with dress codes.

Earlier this month, a female reporter was barred from the speaker's lobby outside the U.S. House chamber in Washington, D.C., because she was wearing an “inappropriate” sleeveless dress. According to CBS News, the reporter unsuccessfully tried to improvise sleeves by ripping pages from her notebook and pushing them under her shoulder straps. Meanwhile, first lady Melania Trump, a former model, wore several stylish sleeveless dresses during the G-20 summit with world leaders in Germany. Michelle Obama, the previous FLOTUS, famously flaunted her toned arms often. Male reporters must wear ties in the speaker's lobby, and sleeveless tops for men are not acceptable at many, many places.

The right to bare arms remains a controversial topic at many suburban offices. Summer days are especially tricky. A woman must dress appropriately as she leaves her home in a pouring rain, knowing that the afternoon will be a hot and humid. Of course, the air-conditioning vent above her cubicle will be set on meat-locker cold. To stay comfy, she must go from slicker to sleeveless to parka.

“Women should dress in layers,” advises Nicole Martin, CEO and founder of HRBoost, a human-resources consulting firm based in Libertyville. Martin recently spoke before two groups on the same day and juggled her wardrobe. “I wore a sleeveless dress with a blazer over it, but then when I went to my next meeting, I took my blazer off,” she says.

Even without the burden of a tie hanging over their heads, male office workers can be surprised when the “no blue jeans” rule also applies to expensive black, skinny jeans. If a woman can wear open-toed high-heels, can a guy wear sandals, and, if so, can he wear socks, and, if so, can they be his favorite pair of socks that are white and covered with kittens?

At Assurance, the Schaumburg-based insurance brokerage that often shows up in those “Best Place to Work” lists, the dress code is designed to minimize the risk of any wardrobe malfunctions.

“We have a dress code called 'Smart Casual,'” says Michele McDermott, senior vice president of human resources at Assurance. “We try to give guidance more than rules.”

The brochure advises, “Dress for who you'll see and who will see you.” But it also provides specifics. On a day without meetings with clients or business partners, women are allowed to wear: “Dark jeans dressed up with collared or dressy top. A casual dress paired with flats or boots. Blazer or cardigan for an extra touch. Dressy shoes or sandals with either back strap or heel.” Men are advised to wear: “Nice pair of khakis or dress pants paired with a polo shirt or other collared shirt. Dress shoes, chukka boots or loafers. Pair denim with a sport coat. Dark jeans, fresh and sharp with no wear or holes. Sweaters or vests, for a layered touch.”

It also includes photographs of people properly dressed.

“Give them a visualization,” Martin says. She says skirt-length debates are easy to avoid if a woman stands with her arms at her side and realizes that any hem rising above the tip of her middle fingers is too short for the workplace.

Among the items deemed inappropriate regardless of gender are shorts, yoga pants, flip-flops and hoodies, according to the Assurance brochure.

“People need to use their best judgment, and they do,” McDermott says.

At least until the weekend, when nothing except common decency stands in your way of wearing pajamas to go shopping, taking off your shoes on a crowded flight or wearing an outfit so appalling that strangers post your photograph on social media. The good news, however, is that the fashion police won't make you wear a tie to your arraignment.