Dressing for success in the workplace is a must: clothes can project powerful image.

• Author: Ulrichsen, Heidi
• Position: NEWS

When asked if it's ever appropriate to wear shorts to work in the summer, Tony D'Angelo sits speechless for a moment.

"You're not going to get my vote. I wouldn't think so in an office. I don't think so at all. If you went to a dentist, and he had shorts on, would that be acceptable to you?

D'Angelo, who owns Joe-Lesar Men's Wear Ltd. in downtown Sudbury along with business partner Fred Zimmer, said dressing appropriately for the work environment shows respect for employers, co-workers and clients.

But many workers, particularly those belonging to younger generations, simply don't know how to dress appropriately.

"We grew up in an era when we dressed. Now it's just not important to anybody, especially the 30-year-old guys."

D'Angelo said he even observed a young man wearing a plain white t-shirt and shorts at a funeral recently. "I said to him 'Excuse me? You've got clothes. Go home and change.' He said 'I just got off the plane.' I said, 'I don't care where you got off'."

Men working in an office environment should be wearing a dress shirt and dress pants, he said. Ties are a nice touch, but they have lost popularity in recent years, D'Angelo said.

While shorts should definitely never be worn in the vast majority of workplaces, D'Angelo doesn't have a problem with men wearing short-sleeved sports or dress shirts on a hot day. "I'd rather see them in a nice short-sleeved sports shirt than a t-shirt," he said.

Casual Fridays, said D'Angelo, have gradually come to mean Jeans Fridays. While jeans shouldn't necessarily be vetoed in the workplace, costlier, tailored jeans are more appropriate for business wear, he said.

Employees should look at how the managers of their company dress, and start dressing similarly, said Karen Brunger, director of the International Image Institute in Richmond Hill.

"Clothes can make a difference in your career. Absolutely. No question. They can either open the door for you or close it. It doesn't mean that you can't succeed without the right clothes, but it can certainly make it easier."

Among other services, Brunger's business provides image consultations for clients focusing on appearance, behaviour and communication.

The services of image consultants cost between $100 to $300 an hour depending on the consultant's experience and qualifications, she said. Business executives and politicians are frequent clients, Brunger said.

"Usually there's an assessment first to find out what their needs are so we can set up...