The History of Business Casual

Business casual is “the grey zone” of office dressing. It’s not a power suit, it’s not a sundress, it’s not a tie…what is it? Where did it come from? Any why does your Aunt Mandy want you to wear it to her wedding? Let’s take a look back into the history of the strange, confusing style known as business casual.

Aloha Fridays

Before business casual dominated the workplace, there were two things: stuffy businessmen who wanted to escape the office on Fridays, and a little chain of islands we know as Hawaii. In 1966, the Hawaiian garment industry came up with the concept of “Aloha Friday,” which encouraged offices to let their employees wear Hawaiian shirts on Friday, thus transitioning into a weekend potentially filled with BBQ’s and Mai Tai’s. Alohas Fridays eventually became Casual Fridays, when companies sought free ways to make their employees more relaxed, but still professional.

Blame the 90’s

The 80s were all about suits and ties in a traditional office setting. Shoulder pads were big and ties were even bigger. But this changed during the 90s in Silicon Valley, where more relaxed youngsters became startup kings and dictated style. The ol’ Casual Friday look became acceptable all week long, marked by the publication of an eight-page brochure called “A Guide to Casual Businesswear” sent to 25,000 human resource managers across the country. The popular brochure was published by Levi’s, who was pushing their new khaki slacks called “Dockers.” The trend (and Dockers) were quickly picked up by offices eager to shed pricey suits and ties.

How Casual is Too Casual?

From a Friday trend to the status quo, most offices today walk a fine line between casual and “too casual.” For instance, the 90’s khaki slacks with loafers can occasionally devolve into cargo shorts with a button up shirt. Let it be known that workout clothes, athletic shoes, micro-miniskirts, shorts, and baggy t-shirts will never count as business casual. Today it might be worthwhile to consult some reputable online sources to see if your outfit crosses the line.

Does dressing professional inspire us to act professionally? The jury is still out as companies such as Cisco and Apple encourage jeans, while Goldman Sachs says “absolutely not” to anything that looks like Saturday wear. No matter what your company rules are, the one thing you can probably conclude about business casual is that it is all technically Hawaii’s fault.

Question: What is your office’s dress code?





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