Dress

Clothes fulfill a number of functions: they protect us from the climate; may indicate what our occupation or nationality is; and inform others about our wealth, status, and personal taste. Finally, they keep us from ending up in the local jail, charged with gross indecency.

How we dress is an integral part of our culture, and as such is influenced by local traditions and customs . But at the same time the world of international fashion seems to have developed what can be termed the global uniform for teenagers and young adults, consisting of blue jeans and T-shirts for both sexes and which is accepted leisurewear from Copenhagen to Cape Town. So, right now a call center operating in Delhi has some of its Sikh employees dressed in salwar kameez , the traditional baggy trousers and long tunic worn by women for centuries, while other colleagues, both male and female , are clad in regulation jeans.

Our choice of clothes is influenced by such national cornerstones as politics, religion, and big business, as well as the more lightweight vagaries of fashion. The birth of the People s Republic of China in 1949 was marked by the abandonment of the embroidered robes worn by the middle and upper classes, and the adoption of simple jackets and trousers by everyone. These clothes were designed to eradicate the outward indications of class, occupation, and gender, which were no longer regarded as worthy of notice in the new state. Thirty years later in Iran, Islamic fundamentalists insisted that God required women to wear long, shapeless garments and veils so that men wouldn t be led from the path of virtue by the sight of an uncovered face.

The founding father of IBM, Thomas J. Watson Sr., was almost equally insistent on a dress code. His directive to new managers was, Be careful with people, don t swear, and wear a white shirt. The uniform that Watson and other American business leaders insisted on was seen as an outward guarantee that its wearers possessed the sterling qualities of reliability, respectability, and responsibility. Watson s legacy was long- lasting . As late as the 1980s, if you saw two or three young men together with short hair cuts, dark suits , white shirts, black lace-up shoes, and darkish socks and tie, you could be pretty sure they either worked for IBM or were evangelical Christians making house calls. I can t imagine that Mao, Khomeini, or Watson ”international leaders with global power ”paid particular attention as to whether pink was in or out of fashion; nevertheless, they did have strong views on clothes.

The fashion industry may decide on skirt lengths and whether trousers will have cuffs or not this year, but how we dress also reflects what is going on in the wider world. Thirty years ago, a small minority of top executives working for multinational corporations might take work home with them. If necessary, they could read a report and make a few phone calls in the evening or over the weekend , although in a pre-cell phone society there was no guarantee that they would reach who they wanted. As a rule, most people performed one kind of activity at the office and another at home. Now it s not that simple. In the last ten years, with the advent of the personal computer and the Internet (not to mention the cell phone), people have been able to work more from home on a regular or an irregular basis.

At the same time that these divisions between work and home have become more blurred, it is becoming more difficult to differentiate between work and leisure clothes. A number of companies in some countries have followed the U.S.: good-bye three-piece suit, hello corporate casual. Yet many people who come from countries that prefer to keep work and home life separate like to keep their clothes separate too. In Spain, for example, people change their clothes when they come home from work, shedding their work roles and reassuming their family or private roles.

Of course, all my readers are sensible and broad-minded people who know how unwise it is to judge a person solely by his or her appearance. However, when you want to make a favorable impression , it is probably a good idea to assume the people you are going to meet are not similarly enlightened. Make an effort to ensure that your dress conforms to local standards of what is practical ( especially in extreme climates), respectable, and in good taste. This may be boring advice, and following it may repress the real vibrant creative you, but do it anyway. Business is business.

LETTERS 21 “23

Appropriate business dress varies enormously from country to country, region to region, and individual to individual.

Uniform informality? Letter 21

FROM GERMANY ABOUT THE U.S.

I ve heard about the American trend to dress down on Fridays. What does that mean exactly, and is this still the case? And finally, should I follow their example?

In the 1990s, many newly established computer companies in the U.S. initiated relaxed dress codes. Instead of wearing a dark suit to work, young people in creative or technical jobs were allowed to come to work in the sort of clothes they wore in their free time. Well-established companies in other fields looked at the phenomenal success of these companies and decided that even if they couldn t imitate them in anything else, in the matter of dress they could. They took as their role models the young laid-back IT tycoons who showed it was possible to be a multimillionaire and still not wear a tie.

These bigger companies decided to introduce casual Friday , when employees were allowed to abandon their work uniform one day a week. Then the trend took off, and year-round casual became the company policy for many organizations. Employees were encouraged to adopt a more relaxed dress style in the belief that it would give the company a more go-ahead image, encourage its employees to get more personally involved with their work, and stop staff thinking in old-fashioned, hierarchical terms.

However, there were times when this resulted in problems, because some people s ideas of casual wear meant cut-off shorts and a scruffy T-shirt, and this caused some raised eyebrows during customer meetings. So HR departments decided to issue complex guidelines describing what business casual meant . Now the pendulum is swinging back, and many individuals are discovering they can be just as creative in a suit as in a sweatshirt.

As a visitor to the U.S., it s probably better to err on the side of formality rather than to dress down too far. But don t be surprised if the manager you re meeting is wearing a sweater and slacks rather than a white shirt and dark suit.

Trousered Amazons? Letter 22

FROM DENMARK ABOUT BRAZIL

I ll be traveling to Brazil soon, and I wonder if trousers are acceptable in a business context? (I m female, by the way!)

Although trousers on women are increasingly accepted in the work-place in North and South America and in Europe, it s generally better not to wear trousers on business trips if you are not sure whom you are going to meet. If you are unlucky, you may end up in an important meeting with the last of the dinosaurs who believes that a women s place is in a pair of seamless nylons. You may decide to ignore that possibility, but you should at least be aware of it. Of course, it makes sense to wear trousers if you re visiting factories, building sites, or whatever, where you may have to climb into trucks , inspect foundations, and so on. Trousers are also practical in colder countries. However, they should not be too tight, and if they re being worn to a meeting in the office rather than for a factory tour, they should be part of a suit, preferably one with a long jacket ”unless, of course, you have a beautiful bum (and to be honest, how many of us do?).

In some countries, women in trousers attract criticism. People see them as trying to imitate men and attempting to usurp their roles. In more traditional Muslim societies particularly, skirts with modest hemlines are preferable to masculine-style trousers, unless your trousers are accompanied by a tunic-length blouse that covers your hips. In these countries it is best to avoid sleeveless dresses and tops, shorts, low necklines, and high hemlines entirely. Actually, the last three taboos apply to all business trips if you want to be taken seriously.

Porker problem Letter 23

FROM THE U.K. ABOUT SAUDI ARABIA

This isn t really a question, but an experience I d like to share with you so no one else will make my mistake. On a recent visit to Saudi Arabia I took my usual lightweight suit and a selection of ties, one of which had tiny pictures of animals as part of the design. Before the start of my first meeting, I was taken aside by our local representative and told to go back to the hotel to change. One of the little animals on my tie was a pig, and the rep warned me that if my Saudi counterpart noticed this, it would be interpreted as an insult, and any possible deal would be off.

Thanks for sharing your story. It s easy to underestimate religious sensitivities if we are not particularly religious ourselves , but of course they must be taken into account when meeting people from other cultures. The pig is considered to be an unclean animal to Muslims as well as to Jews and Hindus, so pictures of the porcine variety are not a good idea on any clothing if you re going to Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, or India, for example. Furthermore, in addition to not eating pork, Muslims will not touch pigskin and certainly don t want to see pictures of their least favorite animal. The area of religion is probably the most sensitive area of all, and a lack of awareness of or a lack of respect for someone else s beliefs will lose you business ”perhaps permanently.

Some more things about ties and colors . . .

On the subject of ties in general, it s better to be dull and boring than to run the risk of offending anyone . I know that some men see ties as their only chance to express their individuality because they re otherwise limited to the uniform of the dark business suit, but on occasions it s wiser to keep the wilder aspects of your personality a secret until you get home again. So don t take animal or other jokey ties (even if your daughter did give you a fetching Mickey Mouse creation for Christmas).

Avoid single color ties for the simple reason that your favorite color is bound to mean something inappropriate somewhere! Depending on where you find yourself, both white and black ties may be associated with funerals, red with weddings or the Communist Party, green with Muslim sympathies, pink and lavender with your sexual preference, and so forth.

LETTER 24

Even your taste in colors is affected by your culture. Diana Vreeland, the American fashion writer, wrote on a visit to India in the 1970s that pink is the navy blue of Asia, meaning you do not stand out in the crowd in shocking pink in Delhi in the same way you would in Dublin or Detroit.

Where wear white? Letter 24

FROM ITALY ABOUT CHINA

I m planning a business trip to China this summer and am considering what to wear. I ve heard it isn t a good idea to wear a white dress. Is that correct? (I have a really nice one in that color, which is why I am asking.)

Even so, I m afraid it still isn t a good idea. In China, and places with an ethnic Chinese population like Taiwan and Hong Kong, white clothes are associated with funerals, and immediate families are traditionally supposed to wear white for seven weeks after a family member has died. It s not a good idea to be dressed head to toe in red either, as it s a color associated with people getting married, and bright yellow robes are worn by Buddhist priests. If you re wearing dresses, most patterned fabrics are fine, and otherwise a skirt (at least below the knee and not too tight) and blouse are business-like. Trousers and a long blouse in some cool fabric are a good idea if you are visiting factories or farms, in which case you should also take rubber-soled shoes.

LETTERS 25 “26

Our clothes reflect the image we want to project. Pop stars and actors know this very well, but to some businesspeople this seems a difficult concept to grasp.

Scruffy seniors Letter 25

FROM BRAZIL ABOUT THE U.K.

I am a secretary at a large international firm in Rio de Janeiro, and my company was recently visited by a group of suppliers from England. It included a number of quite senior managers, and we found them pleasant and easy to get on with. However, I was surprised by their appearance. Their trousers were baggy and weren t pressed, their shoes were obviously cheap, and some of them needed a good haircut. Don t they realize that these things are important?

The British generally aren t noted for their elegance when it comes to clothes. Most British children between the ages of eleven and sixteen (or even eighteen) wear a uniform to school, which means that for several of their most formative years they don t need to think about what they are going to wear. I sometimes feel that British men secretly look back wistfully to those days when the choice of clothes was made for them. British women, like women the whole world over, usually pay more attention to their clothing than their male counterparts do.

In their defense, it can be tricky to know how to dress in an unfamiliar climate. Because the British summer is so short, many businessmen don t have lightweight summer suits, although they ll have a number in heavier material. British people in general associate warm weather with vacations , and may have lots of clothes in their wardrobes suitable for a barbecue or the beach but not for a business meeting when the temperature is over 85 degrees F. In Latin American and Mediterranean countries, your appearance reflects your status, taste, and even education, so most people take great pains to look good. Although appearances are important all over the world, in Britain, Scandinavia, and North America how you look is not regarded as an infallible indicator of how you are going to speak and act. In New York or London, for example, a cab driver is as likely to get a large tip from a man in torn jeans as from one in a good suit. So don t judge a book by its cover.

Unpopular uniform Letter 26

FROM JAPAN ABOUT FRANCE

We have offered our factory workers here in France fashionable free clothing (shirts and windcheaters) with their own names on the front and the company s logo on the back. We believe that it helps good communication by making employees easily identifiable. We are very surprised that so few of our French staff have ordered these garments. Back in Japan, everyone is proud to wear our logo.

Appearance is important to the French ”they take it seriously ”and that s not to say that your clothing isn t attractive. Company attire is unusual in French companies, because employees see their choice of clothes as reflecting their individuality. The Walt Disney Corporation got a similar surprise when it opened Euro Disney outside Paris. Its thirteen-page dress code, which gave clear rules about what staff should and should not wear, and which had been accepted without problems in the U.S. and Japan, was received first with incredulity and secondly with hostility by its French employees, who saw these rules as an infringement of their personal liberty.

The French also prefer a certain degree of privacy, even in the work-place, which means that they don t particularly like clothing that tells the whole world their names or who they work for. You ll find the same love of privacy reflected in offices too, where French middle managers prefer the privacy of their own individual offices to the open floor plan favored in many East Asian companies.

Removing shoes Letter 27

FROM POLAND ABOUT JAPAN

We ve heard the Japanese remove their shoes indoors. As foreigners, will we have to do the same?

LETTER 27

Shoes stay on your feet in most places of work, but in some cultures, when your host takes you to dinner or on a special visit, you should be prepared to remove them.

An American I met who worked a lot with Japanese in the U.S. said he could always tell when Japanese colleagues were approaching his office: he could hear them shuffle along the corridor because they always changed into slippers at work.

As a visitor you certainly won t have to remove your shoes in offices, but if you are visiting Japan, South Korea, or Thailand and see shoes lined up outside a public building or private home, take yours off too and line them up neatly with the others. Another clue is the presence of slippers lined up and ready to wear. You should also remove your shoes if you visit mosques and many temples or shrines in North Africa, the Middle East, or Asia. As shoes and hosiery are going to be so much on display, it s a good idea to make sure that yours will stand up to inspection. Sometimes when you ve taken your shoes off, slippers will be provided for you to borrow , but you can t be sure of this. And a final note on the fascinating subject of socks ”the Japanese have a super-smart type that separates your big toe from the others so you can wear them with flip-flops. Isn t that a cool idea?

IN A NUTSHELL: Dress

GLOBAL BUSINESS STANDARDS

Being neat, clean, and well-groomed is a must. It s a sign of self-respect, and respect for the people you meet. (Being quietly fashionable and elegant would be nice but for some of us, despite our best efforts, this remains merely a distant dream.)

Men: Suit and shirt. Tie may be optional in some cultures.

Women: In non-Muslim and moderate Muslim countries, a suit with knee-length skirt and modest blouse is a safe bet. Variations on this theme are infinite.

GLOBAL WARNINGS

Women should not assume trousers will be accepted (or fashionable) everywhere. To be on the safe side, take a skirt and pantyhose with you and see what women are wearing when you get there.

Shorts: No, they are not acceptable, not even knee-length city shorts, and even if you have a beautiful bottom. Shorts are for the beach and playing tennis.

Jeans: They are best avoided unless it s your day off and you re still young.

 

• Argentina: Appearances are very important. Elegant and good-quality clothes and shoes confer status. (See Letter 25.)

• Australia: See the Global Business Standards. Clothes reflect a tendency to informality.

• Austria: See the Global Business Standards. There is a tendency to formality in dress and good quality is important.

• Belgium: See the Global Business Standards.

• Brazil: Clothes, especially women s, are a little more informal than in some other South American countries. Executives, especially in big cities, dress more formally . Much weight is given to your appearance. (See Letters 22 and 25.)

• Canada: Extreme cold in winter means it is essential to take warm clothes and footwear. However, fur coats may be regarded with disapproval.

• China: See the Global Business Standards. Solid white is traditionally worn at funerals, solid red at weddings. (See Letter 24.)

• Denmark: See the Global Business Standards. The usual style is informal, and the priority is comfort rather than elegance. (See Letters 22 and 25.)

• Finland: The priority is warmth and comfort rather than elegance. (See Letter 25.)

• France: Appearances are very important. Elegant and good-quality clothes and shoes reflect and confer status. (See Letter 26.)

• Germany: See Austria.

• Hong Kong: See the Global Business Standards. (See Letter 24 and China.)

• India: Heat means that jackets and ties are often abandoned in the summer. Leather jackets, ornate leather belts, and so on are not acceptable to many Hindus (the cow is sacred). Avoid pictures of pigs or dogs on T-shirts or ties because they are offensive to the Muslim minority. (See Letter 23.)

• Indonesia: Adhere to the Global Business Standards in large cities (a jacket is usually optional). Dress is less formal outside urban areas. Modest dress is especially important for women in this largely Muslim country. (See Letters 23 and 27.)

• Italy: Appearances are very important. Elegant and good-quality clothes and shoes reflect your status. (See Letters 24 and 25.)

• Japan: Very conservative/formal business attire is the norm. Remove shoes in private homes and traditional restaurants. Women wearing short or tight skirts will have a problem sitting on the floor in traditional restaurants . (See Letters 26 and 27.)

• Mexico: (See Letter 25.)

• Netherlands: See the Global Business Standards.

• Norway: See the Global Business Standards. Standards of dress are relatively informal. The aim is comfort and warmth rather than elegance. (See Letter 25.)

• Poland: See the Global Business Standards.

• Russia: Extreme cold in winter means it is essential to take warm clothes and footwear.

• Saudi Arabia: Pictures of pigs or dogs on T-shirts or ties are inappropriate. Pigskin articles offend Muslim sensibilities. Westerners should not try to adopt Saudi dress, but dress extremely modestly. Long, loose skirts and tops are advised for women, not trousers. Buttoned shirts (and no neck jewelry ) are standard for men. (See Letters 23 and 27.)

• South Africa: Dress conservatively, including long-sleeved shirts and ties for men, skirts for women. Trousers for businesswomen are not very common. In winter take warm clothing, because houses can be cold.

• South Korea: There is a South Korean joke that all South Korean males are born in three-piece suits. Foreign businessmen should wear a dark, conservatively tailored suit, white shirt, and tie. Women should wear a conservative suit, skirt, and blouse. Remove shoes in private homes and restaurants. (See Letter 27.)

• Spain: See Argentina. (See Letter 25.)

• Sweden: Businesspeople generally dress less formally than in Southern European or South American cultures. The aim is comfort rather than elegance. In private homes most people remove their shoes. (See Letter 25.)

• Switzerland: See Austria.

• Taiwan: See the Global Business Standards. Jackets may be optional in summer. See China. (See Letter 24.)

• Thailand: Appearance is seen as a reflection of status. Conservative business dress is expected, although a jacket may be optional in summer. You should remove your shoes in private homes and restaurants, so make sure your socks are hole-free. (See Letter 27.)

• Turkey: See the Global Business Standards. Businesswomen should dress modestly, especially away from the main cities (this is a Muslim country). (See Letter 27.)

• UK: See the Global Business Standards. Appearance is not seen as a reliable reflection of status. Dressing inconspicuously is a priority for men. (See Letters 23 and 25.)

• US: See the Global Business Standards. Appropriate business attire depends on the job, the industry, the particular company, and on the region. Informality increases as you move westward. Appearance is not seen as a reliable reflection of status. Unlike in Europe, women usually wear pantyhose to work when wearing skirts and dresses, even in high temperatures . (See Letter 21.)

• Venezuela: See the Global Business Standards. (See Letter 25.)