Sneakers seldom right in the workplace
Q: Riding the bus to work the other day, I saw a billboard for Kenneth Cole white lace-up athletic shoes. It showed a tieless young man in a good looking suit, and the message (in big white letters) said, “If you can’t wear them at work, get another job.”
This caught my attention because I wear a suit to work most days, and it never crossed my mind to wear sneakers with the suit. Then I started paying attention to the footwear of some of the young men I see on sports television. On ESPN, Sports Center anchor Michael Smith wears athletic shoes with his suit (Michael Jordans, I think, mostly). Former NBA champion turned TNT analyst Kenny Smith was doing likewise.
Is this a look I can adopt too? I’m a young man in sales and want to be comfortable and fashionable. — Harry T.
DEAR HARRY: Slow down. I wouldn’t model my work clothes after those sports TV personalities (or the Kenneth Cole ads) just yet.
Gym shoes with suits (or blazers and dress pants) is a look gaining popularity. But in many offices without a very relaxed dress code, that still would raise some eyebrows in the C-suites. So take your cue from what the bosses wear.
To be sure, many jobs (in tech, or where you’re not meeting with clients or leaving the office, or are a billionaire) have a super casual vibe. But many don’t. You can be comfortable and fashionable wearing dress shoes, you know. Many of them now advertise that they’re built with gym shoe “technology,” making them nearly as wearable at sneakers.
Same goes for women, by the way, on the issue of gym shoes with dress clothes. Not a great business look. That said, I wear my neon pink lace-up Nikes everywhere and get compliments. But I’m not angling for a promotion (although a raise would be nice).
Q: My husband and son wear casual shirts and polos with the top button buttoned. Can you talk them out of that? Or should you? — Amy
DEAR AMY: A few years ago, it was fashionable for men to button the top button of their casual shirts of the cotton/linen types (long and short sleeves) and polo/golf knit shirts. I don’t know why, but for a while, this was considered stylish. Well, as with giant women’s shoulder pads and the working woman’s power suit, this buttoned-up approach now looks dated.
If your husband and son would prefer to look in style, they should unbutton their top buttons. There’s a fair chance they do not care. In which case, they’ll keep irritating you. In fact, they might be buttoning those buttons because they want to irritate you. If that’s what’s happening, then just ignore them, and they’ll come around to your (wise) point of view.
One more thing, if they do start to leave the top button unbuttoned, they definitely should not show their undershirts. The way to avoid this is to buy V-neck instead of crew neck T-shirts.
Q: I’m thrilled to be pregnant, but I don’t want to spend a fortune on maternity clothes. I know from “mommy blogs” that I could find pregnancy clothes exchanges, thrift and consignment shops by Googling using my ZIP code, but I have an aversion to used clothes. Any suggestions for bargain shopping? — Lizzy C.
DEAR LIZZY: I’ve been impressed by the values and basic, practical styles at Target and Old Navy. In the earlier pregnancy stages or after the baby is born you might find a “belly band” useful to cover unbuttoned skirts and pants worn over or under your pre-pregnancy tops. They go by a variety of names, but if you do an internet search, you’ll find them starting at less than $20.
Some pregnant women — including my friend Amanda who is expecting her second child — have tried and rejected the belly bands because they don’t hold up your pants well enough, leading to a saggy rear. (Who needs that?) She preferred to splurge on a couple of pairs of durable maternity pants in basic colors like black or navy to wear throughout the pregnancy that will fit better and avoid a baggy backside.
READERS RESPOND
Readers sound off on the “cold shoulder” or “peek-aboo” shoulder look:
Patricia K. says, “I can’t decide what look is more stupid — cold shoulder tops and dresses or jeans with holes already in them.”
Barbara M. agrees with Patricia: “It disheartens me to see women spend hardearned money on unflattering styles simply because a designer says anyone can wear it. Designers are just looking to make a buck and apparently have run out of ideas and fabric.”
Jennifer H. weighs in: “People will look back on their pictures from this year and say, ‘Ha! Yep, that was 2017 — look at my shirt.’ Then again, I thought the mullet dress (shorter in front than back) was gone, but I see them now more than ever. That is another one I didn’t buy into, for the same reason.”