Lately, I’ve been reading up on what exactly business casual means.  I’ve come to the conclusion that business casual means very different things to different people.  On one hand, you have the “banker type” who wears power suits 5 days of the week.  In this industry, and many other corporate environments, one must adhere to business formal wear every day of the week – there’s no such thing as “casual Fridays”.  When you dress professionally, you come across as more credible and confident and in many industries, this can convey the message that you have a high level of expertise.

On the flip side, some professions don’t fit into this category – the marke...

A good friend of mine inspired this piece.  In her professional life, Melissa (we’ll call her) is an engineer – a field, she says, that is typically dominated by men.  On one of our more recent visits, she admitted to me that she wears “the uniform” to work.  “The uniform?”  I asked.  Yes, “the uniform” – a basic pair of dress pants, a dress shirt (un-tailored, I’m sure), a blazer, hair in a bun or ponytail, and a pair of glasses.  That’s it!  THAT’S what she wears to work every single day in her professional life!  I didn’t know if I should be offended by this or sympathetic towards her!  How awful, how boring…. how unfeminine.  Hmmm, WHY does she dr...