Clothes Make The Successful Woman, Author Says

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Decolletage is definitely not de rigueur in the workplace.

As for exposing skin on any other part of the body -- pleease, says Barbara Pachter.

"Recently, a manager asked me to talk to one of his employees about professional dress. At her recent performance review, he said that her top was so low, he couldn't look at her," Pachter said.

"Sexy is not a corporate look."

And just because the weather warms up doesn't mean your wardrobe should cool down.

"No flip flops or sandals. It's not the beach; it's work," Pachter said.
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She offers these and other tips in her just-released book, "NewRules@Work: 79 Etiquette Tips, Tools, and Techniques to Get Ahead and Stay Ahead" (Prentice Hall Press).

In it, Pachter warns that dressing seductively can severely damage a woman's credibility in the workplace. The key, she said, is to ask yourself what you may be drawing attention to via your clothing.

"Are you promoting your ideas and your competence or your sexuality? Regardless of your company's policy or the particular item of clothing that you are wearing, your clothing still needs to project professionalism," Pachter writes.

In a telephone interview, Pachter said clothing is even more important as people -- women especially -- move up in an organization.

"It's a reflection of them," she said. "The difficulty comes in when companies don't have very specific dress-code policies. If they do, then you need to enforce them. If you are relying on (employees') good judgment, well, sometimes people have good judgment and sometimes they don't."

And what about men? They're not exempt, Pachter said, just more limited.

"They have less opportunity with their clothing so they have less opportunity for mistakes," she said.

As for those companies where the atmosphere is more laid-back -- such as Google -- because the owners believe it inspires creativity, "relaxed doesn't mean sloppy," Pachter said.

"Relaxed doesn't mean inappropriate. You're talking about how an item is worn. Do we need to see their belly? It becomes a distraction. Casual is fine if that is appropriate dress for an organization, but it doesn't need to send an unprofessional message," she said.

Pachter isn't much of a believer in "casual Fridays," either, in which companies let employees dress in jeans or other less formal attire.

"Employees have a tendency to like it, but I'm not sure why. There are lots of opportunities for error," she said.

Marvelyn Stout, who recently opened Stout Executive Search in Springdale, said she occasionally gets calls about what an applicant should wear to an interview or at the office. Stout said she first reminds them that "this is 2007, she doesn't have to wear a dress."

"A nice well-groomed pantsuit is fine ... we call it business casual," she said.

Impeccably dressed herself, Stout said she and her colleagues used to wear jeans on Fridays when she worked for a Wal-Mart supplier. But they had limits when it came to fashion, she said.

No shorts, no flip-flops and no holes in a T-shirt.

"Basically, the women I worked with had a rule of thumb. You didn't wear open-toe shoes to a meeting, and I'm still of the old school a little bit. I would rather err on the side of the conservative. Most women are not going to go very far if they dress (seductively). It's better to be covered than not," Stout said.

But at least one successful female professional took all these fashion rules and threw them out like last year's shoes.

Erin Brockovich, immortalized in film by Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts, became known as the "environmentalist with cleavage." Her wardrobe is still a topic of discussion seven years after the movie came out and 16 years after Brockovich joined the Masry & Vititoe law firm in California, she said in a telephone interview.

"It's a question that comes up a lot, and I'm sure (her co-workers) would still have a comment about how I dressed for work. I couldn't win for losing over there. But they don't pay a whole lot of attention to me," Brockovich said.

In the movie, Roberts shows Brockovich wearing short skirts, low-cut blouses and high heels as she doggedly pursues a utility company in Hinkley, Calif., on behalf of her clients.

Brockovich said the movie depiction is accurate, but her wardrobe was largely due to the weather.

"Hinkley is like a blow-dryer, so the fewer clothes I had on, the happier I was. But I also had a jacket in the car that I could put on (when needed)," she said. "I do enjoy the shorter skirts, and I think you can spice up any outfit in a corporate office with wedges or stilettos or a nice belt. You can get away with more with accessories.

"There's nothing wrong, in my opinion, going to work and feeling good about yourself. You don't have to dress like a pole dancer, but just have a little fun. There's no reason why you can't be strong and sexy and intelligent and work in a corporate office."

Brockovich's work helped the law firm win a $333 million settlement for Hinkley residents in 1996, after it was proven a utility company had knowingly polluted their water. It was the largest toxic-tort injury settlement in U.S. history.

Although warmer weather is often to blame for unsuitable work attire, Pachter also blames inappropriate television role models, fashion designers and a lack of self-awareness as some of the reasons why many women dress seductively. But, she stresses, you can still be feminine -- just without flaunting your figure.

Pachter said she has never met Brockovich but saw the movie. She said she thinks Brockovich might have gotten a job quicker if she had dressed more appropriately.

"She's working against herself. But these (tips in her book) are guidelines. You can break these rules, but you can't break them out of ignorance," Pachter said.

Eight suggestions to ensure your business wardrobe stays professional:

1. No cleavage -- period.

2. Avoid short skirts.

3. Don't skip the stockings.

4. Less really is more.

5. Stay away from skintight outfits.

6. Pay attention to color.

7. Shoes count.

8. Know that sex appeal has it limits.

SOURCE: New Rules@ Work by Barbara Pachter

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