Starbucks aims to create a new vibe with the change in its employee dress code.

Fedoras are a do, but bucket hats are a don’t. Colors such as charcoal, navy, brown and black are in — bright ones like red and yellow are out. Patterns are cool, as long as they are small and subtle, and denim works as long as it’s not light-wash.

These may sound like decrees from the glossy pages of a fashion magazine, but in fact, they are missives from Starbucks’ new employee dress code. The coffee giant had announced earlier this month that it was going to loosen up its requirements for what baristas should wear in its restaurants, promising that the new rules would allow for more “selfexpression.” Now, the restaurant chain released a 15-page lookbook to show employees (and the rest of us) what that means. It reveals something about the kind of workplace Starbucks is trying to be and the kind of vibe it is trying to create for its customers.

Starbucks employees will continue to wear the green or black aprons. But lots of subtle changes are coming to what workers can wear underneath. Previously, they could only wear black, white and khaki clothing; now, the palette is more varied and includes other subdued colors such as blue, gray and brown. And they are now permitted to wear patterned shirts, though there are lots of particulars about what makes for an acceptable pattern.

They might be sporting some hipster-chic hats now, too.

And while you might think of a server wearing a tie as something you only see in a fancy restaurant, Starbucks is inviting employees to wear them, so long as they are not in “neon, white, loud or distracting patterns.”

So why does any of this matter? The labor market is getting tighter, and retailers have to work harder to attract and retain talent. By giving employees more flexibility in how they dress, Starbucks is trying to distinguish itself from others with comparable schedules and wages.

But it’s also about telegraphing a certain feeling to customers. And by allowing more personalized attire, Starbucks seems to be doing something that is in keeping with a broader strategic trend in retail these days. Mega-chains in a variety of shopping categories are trying to make individual stores reflect their local neighborhoods.

Karen Bleier / AFP / Getty Images Starbucks workers in Washington, D.C., above, may embrace a personalized look different from those in Miami or in a Midwestern college town. Part of the new dress code’s aim is for locations to reflect their neighborhoods.