The Business Uniform

The other day a young woman at work stated that she wanted to get a “business uniform”.  Many of the female executives at my company wear the business leather jacket and black trousers – It’s kind of the auto-exec uniform these days.  It got me thinking about the business uniform we wore back in the late 80’s and early 90’s.  I remember at one of my first jobs (with Arthur Andersen – now Accenture); on our first day, HR handed us a book titled “How to Dress for Success” and told us that was the dress code.  Moving from there to Electronic Data Systems, I was prepared for the dress code of skirted suits below the knee, cotton shirt – hopefully with a bow or tie and small heeled pumps and always neutral colored nylons. Although we had permission to remove our jackets while sitting at  our desk, the jacket would have to be worn always should we leave the desk.

Today, the “official” dress code of corporate America is to “dress appropriately”.  The concept is great, however not everyone knows what that means.  It seems like many women are returning to crave “the uniform” in corporations.  We are seeing the rise of online women’s business clothing companies reflecting that trend, like my favorite MM LaFleur (https://mmlafleur.com). We are seeing a drive towards “Capsule Wardrobes”, minimal basic clothing, such as COS Stores (www.cosstores.com), and gender agnostic clothing.

The concept of a uniform isn’t new but time to make a come back.

I absolutely love uniforms – from traditional Greek ethnic dance costumes to the Olympic/Aegean Airlines uniforms.  Even the great Coco Chanel studied the nun’s habits to create her signature style.  With the style drive towards minimalism, uniforms are beginning to ascend back into corporate America.

The future corporate uniform will be different than we have seen in the past.  It may be individual for each of us vs. the IBM uniform of the 80’s with everyone wearing blue suit and white shirt.  The individual uniform is on it’s way to stay.