Coloradoan dresses down employees on dressing up

Fashion is a fickle thing. Trends come and go quickly, often leaving the unsavvy wearing last month’s styles.

Most companies have taken a more lax approach to workplace style, expanding “Casual Fridays” to “Casual Everyday.” More than three years ago, Woodward Governor Co. — long considered the last bastion of conservative attire — loosened its standards a bit. The change allowed production employees of the manufacturing company to wear jeans and T-shirts and office employees to wear “business casual.” Gone are the requirements of suit jackets and neckties.

But as some area employers loosen their hold on employee’s closets, the Fort Collins Coloradoan has decided to tighten its grip.

No longer content to rely on employees’ common sense to dress for the job at hand, the Coloradoan has implemented a dress code dictating what every employee who comes in contact with the public will wear.

Women are now instructed to wear “dresses or an ensemble that would include skirts or dress pants with blouses and hosiery,” according to a Coloradoan memo included earlier this month in employee paychecks. Men must wear “collared shirts with ties and dress pants or business suits with ties and socks.”

Casual Fridays are still in effect, but not too casual. “Keep in mind that ‘casual Friday’ is for casual business attire, which excludes sneakers, shorts, ripped/dirty jeans and leggings,” the memo reads.

Drycleaners may be the first ones to notice the change in Coloradoan style. At the very least, they’re likely to be the only ones who love it.

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