Don't be a rock 'n' roll fashion victim on the job

You may love Christina Aguilera, but dressing like her at your job is not going to cut it. Whether you want to model yourself after Madonna, Lenny Kravitz or Steven Tyler, your professional image is at stake.

The "uniform" of the workplace has been changing over the past decade. Gone are the starched white shirts and ties. Silk blouses and pearl necklaces are items of the past. Business casual is how today's dress code is described. Which means employees can wear ... whatever they want? Not exactly.

"Many employees are seeing business casual as weekend casual," says Anne Warfield, president of Impression Management Professionals in Minneapolis, Minn. Unfortunately for the flip-flop, miniskirt wearing employees out there, that's not quite what the execs had in mind. Generally what businesses mean by business casual is not quite as casual as the jeans and T-shirt style of Blink182, or as sexy as J. Lo or as funky as Sugar Ray's lead singer, Mark McGrath's, retro look.

"If you have to explain how you're dressed, then it's not the best," says Warfield. "With business casual, you should have the same concern as with business dress. Clothes need to be ironed and in good shape." She adds that in most places business casual still means no jeans, T-shirts or sweatshirts with logos.

Clothes cues
"Dress code policies are vague," explains Ilene Amiel, co-author of Business Casual Made Easy. Amiel describes three levels of business casual: classic, which would require a jacket, though not a tie; smart, which would be layers or separates, and require shirts with collars; and most relaxed, which would allow jeans. "The main dividing line is jeans," she says.

If you're not sure what to wear at your job, take a look around at industry expectations and perceptions. In other words, pay attention to the traditions and standards for your field of work. "If the industry is more conservative and you want to move up, it's best to dress to fit in," says Jennifer Maxwell Parkinson, president of Look Consulting International in New York. "In the music industry or arts, trendy can work."

Warfield says in looking closely at your industry and yourself, you may discover an inherent conflict. If your standard visual image is non-conformist and high energy, yet you want to work in a conservative business, you still have a couple options. For example, if you're an accountant, but not a tie or pantyhose type person, you could look for accounting work in a creative industry, like at a music magazine. It's a big obstacle when your chosen image works against the perceptions of your job.

Image is an especially important part of the job if you're on the front line meeting with customers, explains Marilyn Bedford, training and development consultant of the Human Resources Administration at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) in Indiana. So keep in mind who you are dressing for. "You have to think about your clientele," Bedford says. So consider how your job interacts with the public -- and what impression you want to give. A banker's clientele wants to know they can trust the banker. On the other hand, a kindergarten teacher's students will appreciate something colorful and fun.

Whether your company has a formal dress code or not, you can get an idea of what's accepted from your co-workers' choices. But again, with the vagueness of "business casual" dress codes you might see everything from halter tops to polo shirts to expensive linen pant suits.

Most folks know to go all out for a job interview, but then they scope out the dress code of their future co-workers. After the first week on the job, a new employee may take it down a few notches -- sometimes a few notches too many.

Hiding in the closet
"Remember the person at the job interview is the person who got the job. Don't surprise them," says Parkinson. The way you dress doesn't get any less important once you've snagged that dream job. You're still trying to make the right impression, get your job -- and career -- off on the right foot. You might want to make sure that foot and the rest of you are in step with your desired professional image -- at least until you establish yourself.

Your best bet is to stay in tune with your particular department. And until you know your boss' temperament for experimentation and fashion creativity, take your cues from someone who's doing well at the company. Or consider following the example of your boss.

Dressing like someone in a higher position may help bring you to the attention of your superiors at promotion time. "You want them to look at you and see you in the next position. The more they perceive you in that position, you automatically come to mind [when filling the position]," says Warfield.

Then again, have caution when looking to your superiors for examples of an appropriate wardrobe, warns Amiel. If the owner of the company dresses like a Beach Boy, that doesn't mean you can follow suit. A female executive in a short, short skirt may have been with the company awhile and proven her worth -- she can get away with being more trendy. Those at entry level or new to the company, on the other hand, might want to temper their wild side for the time being.

Clothes call
Warfield suggests asking yourself, "How do I want others to perceive me?" She suggests thinking of 10 words how you want to be described. Then figure out if your wardrobe reflects that image you want.

If you're ready to improve your business image, then it's time to inventory your closet. You'll probably find a few things that will fit your professional wardrobe requirements. Next, make a list of clothing and accessories that you need. So you don't have to buy everything at once, prioritize these needs, ranking them by urgency and versatility. A pair of khaki pants or a navy blazer may be most useful because they can work with many other clothes.

Warfield provides these tips to make a professional wardrobe easier to manage and to afford:

• Dress in a style that's right for your body.
• Pick three to four colors to simplify your wardrobe.
• Have clothes that you can mix and match.
• Avoid trends in larger, more expensive items.

Even in a conservative field or company, you can still express your creative side -- on a smaller scale. Wear an outrageous, funky pin on your navy blue suit, or add color with a silk scarf. Additionally, buying a whole ensemble in a hot new color or trendy style could get expensive, explains Warfield. Instead focus your trendiness on pieces of the outfit, she suggests. In other words, skip the purple suede suit, and pick up a beautiful purple silk blouse instead.

A rock 'n' roll look
So, now you're dressing more like Robert Palmer than Lenny Kravitz ... but you still have that nose ring? Again, depending on your industry, your particular company and your own work reputation, a rock 'n' roll sense of style may not succeed.

Amiel studied of 165 top executives across eight business sectors and discovered that tattoos are still taboo. She says, "They're still a negative. Top executives don't want to see it." Well, of course, you could consider that these top executives are probably a generation or two older than the younger employees who adore tattoos. But for now, you can be sure someone who looks like Tommy Lee still isn't going to be asked to sell camcorders or counsel abused women.

"You don't get up the ladder of success by breaking the rules," explains Amiel. She's referring of course to clothes rules. Other rules could be another story.

"Do you want to fight your image and people's reactions?" asks Warfield. She adds that having the proper clothes for your job and for your ambitions will improve your self-esteem and your chances of success. So until you've got the clout to do otherwise, keep that rock 'n' roll look for the weekend.