TheApple

For those of you who think this article a waste of time, you'd be surprised how many fashion blunders I saw during my 10 years in the corporate world. I worked for a private European company at their U.S. headquarters that was very conservative, i.e. law-firm conservative, yet some people chose to ignore the employeed handbook and wear what they wanted-sneakers, sweatshirts, anything considered casual-on a business day. Casual Fridays? Try pajamas. I'm not kidding. So this article hopefully is reaching the absolutely clueless people out there.

Great article but i think you missed some really obvious ones.....Tooooo much clevage showing, see through tops and people (especially men) who do not wear underpants. I'm not joking I have had to address all of the above with some staff over the years. lol.

made one mistake personally>> no make up! i thk tracksuits are okay

This is hysterical! Thanks for the laughs! I teach fashion design, so how I dress is particularly important. Students and co-workers are definitely paying attention. And, PS, men do care!

Appearance matter to people whether I like it or not.
Whenever I get confused about the dress code and don't feel comfortable asking, I use my own personal rule: "When in doubt , pull a suit out of the closet." Straightening up the rest of me goes without saying.

The exceptions added a bit of fun. I think I do pretty well, but will admit to wearing a pony tail with "scrunchie" during summer school a few years back. I was driving to Indio, CA in 115+ degree heat when my old car had almost useless air conditioning, so I felt I was justified, but a short hair cut might have looked better.

Here's what teacher's should REALLY never, ever wear: anything outlined as inappropriate in your district's employee handbook. 'Nuff said. Now, what we could really use is a list of the most practical, must-haves in a teacher's wardrobe, as 'sandygirl' suggested. To start the list off, a neutral colored cardigan/jacket is a must for those days when the central air won't cooperate. Comfortable, professional, and safe (read: NOT high heels, slippery soles, or flip-flops) shoes. I love my mary-jane style shoes made by Mudd and Sketchers. I have pairs in black and brown that fit comfortably with or without socks or stockings, have rubber soles that don't slip, and look great with pants, skirts, capris, and 'city shorts'. And all clothes should have pockets for tissues, your whistle/clicker, stickers or other reinforcers, and all the treasures your little darlings collect. I know that my list is far from complete, but what list could be? We teachers aren't made in a factory and, thankfully, are as diverse and multi-faceted as our students. We work for different districts in a variety of settings and classrooms. An art teacher in an elementary school wouldn't necessarily have the same wardrobe as an economics teacher in a high school, nor would we expect them to. This list was intended to be a loose, tongue-in-cheek set of guidelines. Thanks for the laughs!