How to nail dress-down Friday
Words: Hamish Roy
Dress-down Friday has become a 21st century ritual, an early celebration of the death of the week. The concept first appeared in Hawaii as ‘Aloha Friday!’ – sold, of course, on the basis that life on a Friday shouldn’t be taken too seriously, and that islanders should break free from the iron-like grip of the corporate world. At least, that’s what the garment industry wanted them to think. It was, in actual fact, a shrewd marketing technique designed to increase sales of Hawaiian shirts. Not quite as subversive as one might hope, then. But before we slide into disillusionment, it’s worth noting that dress-down Friday is a great way to express yourself a little more – particularly for those whose work garb is normally fairly rigid in its formality. Fridays clothing can be a tantalising expression of what is to come: all the pleasures of the imminent weekend.
Smart-casual is a relative concept
Think of yourself, during those four long days of drudgery and deadlines, as a coiled steel spring. Dress-down Friday should be the start of a gradual easing, coil by coil, rather than an explosive snap. A good rule is to take formality down a tier – perhaps two – rather than careening from Thursday’s jacket and tie to a vintage 90’s tracksuit the very next morning. Then again, the rules here aren’t set, and that’s the beauty (and difficulty) of it. Dress-down Friday involves asking a question: what does casual mean in your office?
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