Also, I don't see any shorts, even formal bermuda shorts, as work-appropriate in a business-casual environment.

Only in Bermuda, really.

To be frank, I think bare legs are more casual than hose.

I agree. Walking around bare-legged in a short skirt is a whole different vibe than one with hose. In a long skirt there is a bit more wiggle room.

If you tell me "dress professionally" or "just look at what everyone else is wearing, you'll figure it out", well, no, I won't.

Yeah, see, I'm a grown up and think that telling grown people EXACTLY what they can and can not wear is ridiculous. And why should I trust the fashion judgement of someone just because they were put in charge of deciding the dress code. They may think formal shorts are okay! Or dresses over pants!

Can we all agree than manpris are a no?

They've spread, have they?

For a long time I pretty much saw them in Chelsea. Then they seemed to filter in to the rest of the city. Now they've made it as far as the Carolinas... oh dear.

Only us fatties were asked to never leave our office or open the door without putting on a blazer when wearing a sleeveless shirt.

Jesus.

Although I do think that what's inappropriate varies by what there is to show. I can't think of a better example than Laura from Project Runway -- she always wears extremely plunging necklines, but is comepletely flat chested, so it's just showing more skin, not more boob. Not that that's right, but there you go.

I don't think shorts are business casual, and ESPECIALLY not with flip flops. Maybe with a jacket and decent shoes.

Also, I don't see any shorts, even formal bermuda shorts, as work-appropriate in a business-casual environment.

Thank god my company doesn't feel this way. I've been in shorts all week, AIFG!

The library director wears capris a lot, and I think to myself, I know we are in academia, but you should not look like you are at the beach!

When at the beach, I presume the library director wears the wetsuit.

(No, I will never let that go, for I am scarred.)

My sense of the twittiness of the business-casual marketing chick has nothing to do with the specific items of clothing -- it's that, Dude, part of being a grownup with a real job is that you learn to feel out the local customs for these things and don't squawk about how oppressed you are because your frakkin' generation is so much cooler than that!

How about jewel-encrusted battle-shorts?

How about jewel-encrusted battle-shorts?

To me, that sounds about half a step away from Dalek. And therefore, business formal.

I think the shorts thing varies by the availability of air conditioning. At one of my old jobs, we had no air in the summer, and the Dean used to come to work in plaid bermuda shorts. Here, our big boss wear shorts (and in the winter, sweats) to work all the time, but no one else does.

Y'know, I think that dress codes are silly in the extreme, as well as generally sexist and classist (when hair requirements come in, potentially racist) and playing to The Man.

And, well, eff that. Why do we require starchy, uncomfortable clothes as markers that We are Serious Workers. This is Serious Company?