European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - March 17, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine w dress codes admit it or not there they Are by Michael Gross new York times w Hen Jeff lesion was Salesman at International business machines in Newyork no one told him the company had an unwritten dress code but he said you got the  so he dressed in dark suits conservative ties and White shirts with Button Down collars your Collar could t be too Long or too  then one Day he rebelled. His Boss eyed the Blue shirt Leston had chosen to Wear and asked Jeff Are you Selling to the air Force this morning there Are ways to apply pressure to people said Leston who is now a financial management consultant. Maxine Yee a spokesman for ., insisted we do not have a dress code policy. We have never had a dress  but unwritten rules like those Leston believed were in effect at  Are an acknowledged fact of Urban professional life. If you Are in a service business the client wants to feel you can be trusted said Jerry Fields president of Jerry Fields associates an advertising and executive search company. In business in general in Banks insurance steel automobiles the image is set by top management not by writing not by edict but by everyone saying do As they do. Let s not make Waves " All people with Money and Power act walk talk and dress in the same style said John Molloy the author of dress for Success Wyden 1975columnist researcher and self described corporate image Engineer. There s very Little difference at the top he said. The men who run lbs Don t dress differently from the men who run ." and their style Molloy insists is by no Means arbitrary. Research shows a Blue suit White shirt and Maroon tie project honesty he said. That s Why it s the politician s  that uniform is the garb of Choice for most male business executives today. There s something about the importance of being proper said Patricia Grodd merchandise coordinator for Paul Stuart. We sell More Navy and Gray suits for that reason. There is a code but it should t be thought of As a uniform while Molloy says dress codes vary Region by Region and Industry by Industry he still insists on the uniform s universality. Recently he was hired As a consultant by a Small san Diego accounting firm that was opening a los Angeles office. Its principals firmly believed potential entertainment business clients would distrust accountants in suits. They even Call them suits " or. Molloy said. But at his urging the accountants donned the uniform. Now they have 19 offices Molloy said and they Only have one Rule  the moral of the Story people who Wear Gold chains won t give their Money to people who Wear Gold  those who strive for corporate Gold however do Well to follow the Lead of those who already have it. Style and dress filter Down from the the top said Jerry Fields. Lee Niedringhaus who worked for the Marine Midland Bank in new York London and the far East before becoming a vice president of the Mclean group a financial management consulting firm agreed. Banking dress codes Are communicated through osmosis Niedringhaus said. You look arund he said. You look at the chairman s picture in the annual report. Good fashion is not a ticket to the top. But it s a secure Means whereby you won t be  the uniform is the banking Norm. But the banker s code is More detailed than that. Tassel loafers Are acceptable footwear Niedringhaus said though they should almost always be Black. Never Brown shoes he said always Black socks. Always Boxer underwear. Polka dotted if you want he added laughing. The Only exception is in summer when Bankers May Wear Tan suits. But in july and August Only Niedringhaus said at which Point you Are also allowed to Wear Brown shoes. Never a Blazer though. You always Wear a  Price waterhouse the accounting firm has similar unwritten rules. You Wear a suit said Arthur Jenks a recruitment partner. That s just common  professionals ignore the rules at their peril. To dress in what would be considered a flashy Mode is a ticket to a no successful career Niedringhaus said. In creative areas of businesses such As film music publishing and advertising flashy and even eccentric dress can be a plus. But Flash is proscribed for those dealing with corporate clients and particularly for corporate Job seekers. There Are standards we look for said Barry Nathanson president of Richards consultants an executive search company. A certain kind of image not overdone. A certain kind of shoe not beaten  Brown suits Are verboten. Brown just in t done Nathanson said. It shows a Lack of sensitivity As do wrong coloured Short socks or tight sweaters and plunging blouses on women. Those indicate she s trying to sell herself on some other level than she should Nathanson said. Business dress codes for women Are a Tough subject said Neidringhaus who believes the banking Standard for women is still a suit with a Little Bow tie and a White or occasionally striped  but today s businesswomen seem to have More Freedom in dress than do men. It s dramatically changed said Christine Sheppard a registered nurse and assistant director of clinical services at Lenox Hill Hospital. In the past she said nurses were viewed As subservient so they were in uniform. A person in uniform has less corporate America is still dressing by the Success formula. Up photo  today s nurses have More education and Independence she said so we no longer dress the  Karen Shatz Kirvan entertainment lawyer worked for a Large Wall Street firm while attending Law school. I wore dramatically Short skirts she said and they treated me like a professional despite dress which was not appropriate. Now i care about  still she disdains the Success suit with its demure Blouse and Bow tie even when meeting her most formal Wall Street clients. Women have More leeway she said pointing to the combination of colors she was wearing a Green Corduroy skirt and Brown jacket. A Man could t Wear  in life women have More choices said Jacalyn f. Barnett a partner at Shea & Gould a major new York Law firm. In our closets we do  she wore tailored suits during her first year at the firm she said because i was insecure  now she tends to dress More fashionably. When you have Confidence you feel More comfortable wearing what you want she said. Still Barnett keeps her dress appropriate to the occasion she compared going to court in pants for example to playing russian Roulette with your  appropriateness also guides Linda Stein a real estate agent with Edward Lee Cave whose clients Range from heirs to Rock stars like Madonna. If i m out with Hollywood types i Wear leather and suede she said. For old Money i m  the same unwritten code of appropriateness guides her in Matching clients with dwellings. People looking in a buildings Are usually comfortable in a buildings and know How to dress appropriately when they meet the boards she said. People who Are creative who dress creatively feel comfortable in an environment where creative people Are  feeling comfortable is finally what unwritten dress codes Are All about. Served by uniformed professionals clients feel secure. Surrounded by lookalikes so do corporate leaders. But some successful professionals still cast an iconoclast s Eye on dress restrictions. Jerry Simon Chasen an entertainment attorney wore plaid shirts and Bow ties even when he practice at Stuffy Midtown Manhattan Law firms. It s always struck me As amazing he said that people entrusted with advising corporations on multimillion Dollar deals Are also the ones who Lack the Good sense to take off a Necktie in 90-degree  monday March 17, 1986 the stars and stripes Page 13