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All right, I’ve
had it with our professional double-speak. On the one hand, those
nearing retirement age in our profession are bemoaning the lack of
worthwhile young library professionals and on the other hand, our
professional literature and attitude goes out of the way to alienate any
new professional by presenting them with misguided advice and stodgy
concepts of our profession. In response to the tired, sad, and often
times pathetic fashion-drivel I read in our professional literature, and
see given to young professionals in library and information science,
here is a practical and hopefully enlightening guide for dressing for
work.
- Dress your part:
If you’re an entry level professional, you have the opportunity to
dress a bit more casually than your bosses. Take advantage of your
lack of sophistication and your youth and dress the part by not
wearing a tie or jacket or pantyhose or pumps. Wear comfortable,
clean, nice clothes. These do not need to be expensive, just nice
looking. If you’ve managed to find a job a bit higher up on the career
ladder, dress appropriately but don’t rival your boss. Oftentimes,
library administrators must be out of the office-working with city
leaders, campus officials, donors, etc. Of course, people in these
roles should dress their part, but if you’ve been hired lower down the
chain, bear that in mind and be comfortable. There is nothing worse
than having to check computer cables under a desk while wearing a suit
& pumps! Also, be aware of when people dress-up. Occasionally, the
institutional dress code is heightened during a candidate interview,
or during a visit from an important official or donor. Stay attuned to
these types of events and dress accordingly. If you’ve been asked to
present something on behalf of your organization, you may want to
spiff it up some, a nice dress and pantyhose, the suit/tie, your
favorite pantsuit. Remember though, the golden rule is to be as
comfortable as possible while still looking professional.
- These boots were made for
walking: Don’t shy away
from wearing flat shoes, doc martins, boots, clogs, etc. Just make
sure your footwear ties in to your overall “look” and again, think
fashionably comfortable. Also think, kept-up…polish those shoes
occasionally, polish your toenails if wearing sandals or open toe
shoes to work. Every time I have to travel to a library conference and
am flying, I wear a pair of scuffed shoes and have them polished at
the airport while waiting for my plane. Helps me burn some time at the
airport, airport polish jobs are pretty cheap $5-7, and this small
airport errand provides me with the look I want & need for conference
attendance. When you’re standing at the reference desk for hours on
end, the last thing you want is to be in painful shoes. This is also
true for conferences. You can still look great in nice clothes and
wear appropriately comfortable shoes.
- Free to be…you & me:
Don’t shy away from your individual style at work. If you have a thing
for wearing purple shirts, then wear purple shirts. If you’re into
wearing twin sets, by all means don the twin set. Don’t feel you have
to look like every other corporate drone in the world. However, steer
clear of specific themed attire…while you may be a cat-lover, you do
not need to advertise this fact on every article of clothing &
accessory you own. A small and delicate cat pin on your jacket or a
subtly printed scarf are fine…wearing cat-motif earrings, necklaces,
bracelets, a T-shirt that says I own forty how about you?, pants with
cats appliquéd around the cuffs and carrying a tapestry cat-themed bag
is too much. Tone down the theme-wear at all costs be it cats, books,
Tabasco ™ products, whatever…there is a thing as too much and too many
of us cross this line too often. Please, be appropriate in your
wardrobe, leave the party clothes for a party, the appliqué for
parent-teacher or church meetings, and the ho-tops for the nightclub
unless you can mix and match these with more sedate pieces in your
wardrobe to achieve a well-balanced and tasteful look; few people can
actually pull this look off. So stick with standard work-wear staples
but make sure what you wear reflects you and your comfort levels.
- Be textured & diverse:
Instead of just the plain run of the mill pantyhose, jazz up that suit
look with some textured hose that sedately say you’re fun & creative.
If you must wear pantyhose, look for colors that subtly match your
outfit or compliment your outfit as opposed to the “nude” variety. If
you feel most comfortable in the “nude” variety, buy further up the
fashion chain, don’t settle for the Walgreen’s ™ brand when you can
afford Victoria’s Secret ™. We’re always hawking diversity in this
profession so if you have an ethnic heritage that you like to
celebrate through your clothing, by all means, wear your ethnic
outfits to work. For the alternative crowd members among us, flaunt
the tattoos within reason where they show up just under your sleeves,
around your ankles, or around your wrists, or wear those intriguing
ear barbells you’re always talking about but wear them with a neat,
pulled together look.
- Update:
Some people see buying and selecting clothes as a nuisance and it
certainly can be. However, wearing the same things for months on end
can be boring--even for you. With the Internet, mail catalogs, etc.
you can shop from the privacy of your own home instead of having to
fight crowds and go to shopping malls. Try purchasing one new item a
month to wear to work. Try to pick something that will work with
things you already have in your closet.
- Accessorize:
Often times, it’s the little things
that help catch someone’s eye. So wear that funky bracelet you found
for two bucks at an antique store, and don that polka dot scarf you
just had to buy at the discount shop. Accessories can turn an ordinary
sweater and pants set into a whole new you for a day!
- Be neo-traditional:
If you feel you have to wear the suit look for your job, then invest
in good quality clothing that fit you well and add those simple
touches that make you stand out from everyone else. For her: wear a
ruffle or tuxedo shirt under that black jacket, learn to tie a
patterned scarf in different patterns, add big faux pearls that give
your look that mocking edge, and wear that beaded sweater instead of a
jacket occasionally. For him: pull out those vintage ties you
inherited, scan the consignment shops for something a bit more dated
and fun, or stick with the classical, well tailored suit but wear a
shirt in some off-beat color like berry or sherbet or midnight.
- Patent shoes DO reflect up:
Nothing says pretentious prat quite like tasseled loafers…lose the
frou-frou shoes--guys and stick with classic black/brown oxfords,
loafers, and workman’s lace-ups. If you want an edge with classic
shoes, wear them without socks—just make sure you’re not wearing high
ankle cut pants when you go sans socks. For all you gals out there:
repeat after me: just say NO! to big elastic strap, discount, flat
sandals. Yes, they may be comfortable and thus fit into the category
number 2 but please do not overlook the word fashionably used in that
paragraph. Surely, you can find something comfortable in an affordable
price range other than elastic strap sandals and you should!
- Dress to kill:
When you present at a conference,
when you interview, when you want to impress, then dress to impress.
If you work in the sales side of our business, do not show up at my
library to sell me a database or to instruct us on a database, with
sweat stains and dandruff; you’ve already lost the sale by your lack
of enthusiasm for your personal appearance. Yes, we will talk about
you the minute you have left the building. Women sales people have it
way more together in this arena than the men do!
- Don’t be hosed: If you are
going to wear pantyhose, especially of the nude variety, do not,
repeat, do not wear them with sandals. Do not wear thigh highs with
sandals either. Sandals are sandals for a reason. Sandals are designed
to be a summer shoe worn to accent your feet and when you cover your
feet, you are denying the sandal of its very essence of being. Rule of
thumb, if its open toe, then go bare footed/legged. Do wear hose with
any myriad of closed-toe shoe.
- Mix-n-match: Go ahead and
wear that vintage dress with killer heels or hip, wedgy open-toe
pumps. Add a gold chain to your Japanese designer eyeglass frames, or
better yet, find an old pair of vintage glasses and see if you can
have lens made to fit them. Style your hair in a chignon or other
classical hairstyle to go with your tasteful yet affordable Target ™
suit. Mix a second-hand, vintage Sears ™ sweater vest with a skirt
from the Banana ™ Have fun with your clothes and with your new
professional attitude.
- Don’t be shabby-chic:
It’s ok to wear vintage but don’t wear clothes that are falling apart,
are stained beyond cleansing, have big rips & tears in them (even on
purpose), are too small for you, or even too big for you. The look
does not come across as ironic, will not get you a pay raise, and you
will be snickered about in break rooms.
Remember this
simple rule of thumb: your clothes should be clean, of appropriate size,
and above all else comfortable. Otherwise you end up hating your job and
your wardrobe and that is more than one person should have to bear!
About
the Author:
Jill Emery is currently Director, Electronic Resources Program at the
University of Houston Libraries. She shares a passion for fashion and
has a flair for what not to wear. She has experienced many a
clothing/shoe mishap but has managed to come through each experience a little bit
wiser.
Article published
September 2003
Disclaimer: The
ideas expressed in LIScareer articles are those of their respective
authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the LIScareer
editors.
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