On Summer Fashions

Happy Friday the 13th to you all. No, I am not going to talk about paraskevidekatriaphobia (that being, specifically, the fear of Friday the 13th, not just the number 13 which is tritidekatriaphobia). Today I want to talk about summer fashions. Specifically, women's summer fashions.

Now, before you get the wrong idea, I am not one of those people that advocates everyone should wear a suit and tie every day. In fact, I have a hard time justifying the costs of a suit and all the trappings, whether you are male or female, to sit in a cubical, talking on the phone, answering email and writing memos (or cutting code or whatever it is you do to make money). And 80% of the workforce today does just that (sits in a cube or an office if you are really lucky). As long as you are neat and presentable, there is no reason why you should not be able to wear just about anything.

Again, the key here is neat and presentable. I could make an argument that a t-shirt is appropriate in an office environment, but I will not because I do not think it is. And I do not care if you bought it at Target for $9 or Tommy Hillfiger for $90. I am not opposed to jeans that are a uniform colour and not ripped. Again, I do not care that you just bought them for $300 and acid wash with four inch slashes are the in thing. They look sloppy. And that is the key.

Now, with all this being said, you can imagine I am not a big fan of people that wear shorts to the office, male or female. This is not Bermuda (which is the only place I can think of where you can get away with shorts in the office and then, there are some strict guidelines as to how). Getting off the train today, I saw several women wearing very nice shorts. They were knee length, nicely tailored, but to my mind, they were more for a backyard bar-b-que than a work environment. Yes, I know it sounds hypocritical and perhaps it is. Again, I do not think I have ever worn shorts to work where it was not part of the uniform (Disney's Animal Kingdom is a perfect example of where shorts at work is not only a good idea, it is expected). Most modern offices today have air conditioning, so the need for shorts to be comfortable just does not fit my right meter.

Of course, you could argue that shorts are no different than skirts and I admit that you would have a point, sort of, because a skirt, with few exceptions, has always been acceptable for women (yes, I know, it is sexist that men generally cannot wear skirts, but then, most men that I know do not have the calves for it either). I am also not sure that I am a fan of these designer "flip-flops" Call them sandals if you want, but to my eye they are really just beach wear (not only that, but when you have to walk a significant distance, I would think your feet would get tired. And in this post-September 11 world, you should always be prepared to walk!).

So there you go. Keep the shorts on the beach (or the golf course, or the tennis court or Animal Kingdom) where they belong and get back to work. That email will not answer itself you know.