To think that spaghetti strap dresses/tops are not appropriaye/professional office wear no matter how hot it is?

[SerenDippitty]

Except perhaps on a dress down Friday and perhaps not even then.

@IheartNiles

Genuinely are you suggesting pale skin is offensive?

Its not about how hot it is, its about how hot they are, amirite?

Dont see a problem at all. Might not look so attractive on a hairy backed male in the office mind you

I'm mostly just so amazed that people find bra straps offensive... surely you're well aware that most women are wearing bras today, and so the evidence of it isn't shocking or disgusting? Before anyone says "well then why cant we just show out knickers", you can't do that because then your vagina/bum is about 2mm of cotton away from the world and probs clearly outlined. All that's under my bra straps is a bit of shoulder skin, which until this thread I didn't know was offensive

argumentativefeminist I don't find bra straps offensive. I don't mind showing mine at home, in a gym or on the beach. But not in a workplace. I'm sure my colleagues would rather not see bits of my underwear or a glimpse of armpit! I would prefer not to see theirs either. When you're in close quarters in a professional environment it's respectful not to show too much bare skin. We have a dress code that states no skirts or shorts above the knee, no jeans or low necklines.

Professional? No, definitely not.

Acceptable in most office situations? It would seem so.

But if I was seeing a doctor or a solicitor or a similar professional, I would expect them to be wearing something more appropriate.

Depends on the dress code and general feel of the office/business surely?

Well apparently not. Some posters can't seem to grasp that not all work environments are the same, or why someone might dress differently depending not whether or not they were seeing clients. Apparently this is a difficult concept to get one's head around.

Professional? No, definitely not.

Acceptable in most office situations? It would seem so.

But if I was seeing a doctor or a solicitor or a similar professional, I would expect them to be wearing something more appropriate.

If the solicitor isn't seeing any clients all day, and sitting at their desk doing desk work and calls, do they still need to dress the same though?

If you're seeing them then that's one thing. But if they're sat at their desk at work with no F2F client contact, does it make them any less professional if they're wearing a strappy top while they speak to you on the phone or via email?

My office has a no shoulders on show policy and a nothing above the knee policy. Everyone knows where they stand with what they can and can't wear.

God knows what they have against shoulders but I assume it's to stop inappropriate tops in general as most people wear blouses or capped sleeves and a decent neckline.

Spaghetti strap tops not allowed in our office.

In fact had an email round the office today reminding us of the dress code.

Plenty of professional clothes you can wear which don't leave quite so much exposed.

We don't have air con but windows open.

It very much depends on your place of work but there's a very big difference between office wear and professional wear.

If the solicitor isn't seeing any clients all day, and sitting at their desk doing desk work and calls, do they still need to dress the same though?

No I suppose they don't. Tbh though, if I had a job where meeting clients was even a possibility, I would want to be dressed appropriately at all times at work in order to be ready for that eventuality. I did read down thread someone saying she would put a shirt or jacket on to meet clients. Good for her. I would find the dressing and undressing too much of a faff, personally. But then, I don't think wearing a short sleeve top makes me much warmer than wearing a spaghetti strap top.

I don't mind shoulders but hairy armpits (either sex) are not something I'd want to see in the office. Or belly buttons.

DH is a teacher. His school dress code requires him to wear a tie and shirt. He has to take a jacket to wear when moving round the building.

I am a manager of a supported housing project. Our dress code is nothing with offensive written/drawn on, no pants on show or rips on the arse of your jeans. That's pretty much it. I spend most of my day barefoot.

I don't think it looks good regardless of where it is. The UK is not a nation of style.

I did read down thread someone saying she would put a shirt or jacket on to meet clients. Good for her. I would find the dressing and undressing too much of a faff, personally

That was me.

To be honest I rarely had spontaneous client visits; usually if a client popped in to drop off some forms or ID etc it was something my assistant could deal with.

But yeah I’d tend to wear a slip like those posted in the Next link earlier and add a jacket or a smart wrap shirt over for a meeting so no real faff.

Depends to be honest I saw a really fat guy in a suit the other day he looked awful buttons not done all the way up because his beach was to fat
Tie not done right because he was to fat and the suit jacket looked like a crop top

We have a dress code which states (for both male and female) that no underwear can show. So that means no spaghetti straps,

Strapless bra or bandeau style; no underwear on show even with thin straps.

It's nice to see that so many people think my body is ugly and should be hidden away...
I am pale, very very pale. I have dirty ginger hair and freckles. I also have quite dry skin so it's not super smooth. I'm a size 12 and 5'3 so not exactly slim and definitely not toned.
Personally I find capped sleeves uncomfortable and I don't like them. I either go sleeveless or long sleeved.

I wonder what the replies would have been if this post was about a man telling a woman her shoulders were inappropriate....

@Metoodear so he was wearing the wrong size suit and it was too small for him. But would you be so nasty about someone slim wearing clothes too tight for them?
Sounds a lot like fat shaming rather than anything to do with their clothes.

Some posters can't seem to grasp that not all work environments are the same, or why someone might dress differently depending not whether or not they were seeing clients. Apparently this is a difficult concept to get one's head around.

and some posters cannot grasp the fact that people can have an opinion on what is appropriate office wear, and what is acceptable to wear when you work surrounded by colleagues.
Even if I don't have a client facing role, I still don't want to see colleagues in their pjs, in a onesie, or looking like they are going clubbing. You can be as casual as you want, there's absolutely no need to wear tank tops and spaghetti straps, no bras or ridiculously tight jeans.

Some posters might try to turn it into discrimination against women because they like feeling like a victim, but in RL the same rules apply to everyone.

Good for the posters who work in an "everything goes" office, I would hate it

ikeepaforkinmypurse

Completely agree

Surely it depends how casual or not the office is? Jeans, thin straps, flip flops are all fine at ours and are worn by most including the boss.

The op is entirely reasonable. In the workplace we need to consider other people's feelings and sensibilities. Appropriate dress and how we communicate with each other is important.

Personally I think visible armpits, feet (eg in flip flops) or chest hair (for men obvs) is not appropriate for the office..

Anditgoes yes, officially!!!! 😀 But I'm sure the powers that be would find a reason why you shouldn't be allowed to let your boobs hang free. Maybe health and safety?