I was recently invited last-minute to attend a conference here in D.C. But I was so stressed with schoolwork that it wasn't until 6 a.m. the morning of the event that I found myself staring into the depths of my closet wondering what the heck I was going to wear.

Having no clue about the dress code, I pulled out my only suit, just to be safe. When I arrived, I looked around and breathed a heavy sigh of relief -- every single person was wearing a suit. I also felt a little uneasy at how close a call it could have been -- to think I could have been the only person in slacks, a cardigan and open-toed shoes.

Transitioning from a college-style wardrobe (tank tops, t-shirts, sweatpants) to one more suited for the office may seem like common sense, but it's a dilemma that somehow trips up many a smart quarterlifer.

In Hawaii, the dress code is not only a product of the culture, but also of the weather. With temperatures hovering between 75 and 90 degrees for most of the year, it's common in downtown Honolulu to see women trekking to work in tank tops and rubber slippers, clutching their "office" shoes, and men in shorts. Aloha shirts, while considered only suitable for Casual Fridays elsewhere, are fairly standard office attire in Hawaii.

In an atmosphere of slippers and spaghetti straps, where that sparkling blue ocean is only 15 minutes away from your office, it can be easy to forget about professionalism. Instead, it can be tempting to dress for work like you're going to the beach.

As I mentioned before in this blog, I've been going through a mini fashion crisis recently, trying to reinvent my wardrobe so I feel 24, not 14. I didn't even own a suit until my junior year in college, when I had one made for mad cheap in Beijing. It's not like I needed it much in Honolulu.

At the Advertiser, I made an attempt to dress up when I was actually leaving the office to interview people in person. But running around in the hot sun trying to collect interviews on the street, or schlepping 20 lbs. of camera equipment around on the beach places constraints on what you can wear. Even my office, the newsroom, was a jeans-and-Aloha-shirts kind of place, so I think it was often tempting to don what you would on weekends.

Why should twenty somethings care? Well, I'd argue that understanding and complying with your office's dress code is even more important when you're young, and especially if you're young and female. If you're a recent college grad starting out in a workplace full of co-workers who are older and more experienced, there will definitely be heavy expectations placed upon you.

In the places I've worked, it's also often the young female workers who commit the most egregious violations of the dress code. Your clothes should show your individualism, but dressing too casually or showing too much skin won't earn you any points from your boss or co-workers. Instead, it will just reinforce any uncertainty about your ability to do the job because of your experience or maturity.

It may sound superficial, but you want to start off on the right foot -- with the right footware! -- when you're just entering the working world. So, here's one instance where it's better NOT to act -- or dress -- your age.

photo: Quick! Job interview shoe quiz: Column A or Column B?
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More on the Dress Code Debate:

"Setting up a Dress Code in the Workplace," by Karen Klein for Business Week, Sept. 5, 2008.
"Five Office Wear No-Nos for the Urban Professional," by Roddy Jones in the Style Log of Roddy Jones, Aug. 26, 2008.
"No-sweat dressing for the office," by Elizabeth Wellington for the Philadelphia Inquirer, July 8, 2008.
"Attire speaks volumes about your ambitions," by Barbara Yost for the Arizona Republic (printed in the Honolulu Advertiser), March 29, 2004.
"Dress Code Anarchy and the Right to Bare Arms," by Valli Herman-Cohen for the Los Angeles Times, July 21, 2000.
Wear at Work blog.

Tags: fashion, Hawaii, work

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