DATE: Wednesday, October 15, 1997           TAG: 9710150044

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY KIM WADSWORTH, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:  126 lines

CORPORATE CASUAL FRIDAY'S RELAXED ATTIRE GETS MIXED REVIEWS FROM LOCAL BUSINESSES

IN A CORPORATE downtown office, on any given Friday, business is as usual - except for one small difference. Workers enter the workplace wearing definitively casual attire consisting of jeans, khakis, T-shirts, denim, perhaps sandals without socks or stockings.

Welcome to the world of ``business casual'' or ``casual Friday.'' The fashion term that began as a trend in the workplace has evolved into a lifestyle for many businesses in Hampton Roads.

But not all embrace the idea. There are skeptics in the corporate realm who believe the ``casualization'' of office apparel does not fit in every business context. Amid concern that the face of the workplace will get too relaxed and that Friday attire can get tricky to manage, ``business casual'' is met locally with mixed reviews. No manager wants the burden of writing ``fashion citations'' at the end of a long week.

For those who favor the casual end-of-the-week look, standards seem easy to enforce and work as long as guidelines exist.

Naomi Fitzwilliam is well-acquainted with the concept of ``business casual.'' Her previous job at Beverly Enterprises, a Fortune 500 corporation now based in Arkansas, was her primer in creating codes for Friday dress.

``There was actually a fashion committee at Beverly that created dress codes for the `Policy and Procedure' handbook,'' she said. ``Department heads oversaw the implementation. There were photos for employees to visually understand what they could and could not wear on Fridays.''

Fitzwilliam, now chief operating officer for Operation Smile in downtown Norfolk, introduced the Smile staff to the Friday dress concept 18 months ago. With the office location so close to Waterside, the idea of dressing down and having fun after work on Fridays jibed with the team-building philosophy established for the 38 employees. And, Fitzwilliam adds, it's a more manageable group without all the corporate levels that existed at her previous job.

Are jeans allowed? Yes. Leggings and shorts? As long as fit and length are appropriate, yes.

So who is wearing what, when?

According to a recent Cotton Inc. poll, 83 percent of office workers say at least one casual day per week should be allowed. But only 58 percent work in an office that actually authorizes casual days - a drop from 64 percent in the industry organization's 1996 poll.

Patricia Buchholz, director of public relations at Saks Fifth Avenue at Tyson's Corner in McLean, contends the main reason business casual has its problems is because employees at the corporate level are often required to buy a separate wardrobe - or at least supplement with some major separates - to accommodate the trend.

``Our customers have either total career or total casual,'' Buchholz says. ``The wardrobe they buy for the office is considered `investment' clothing. It takes a lot of mixing and matching to bridge the gap to `career casual.' The problems come in the translation - and that's when management has to start policing the issue at the office.''

Are fashion boundaries really necessary for this once-a-week look?

According to Crestar Bank Vice President Laura Williams, all the branches that decided to participate in the Friday casual ritual get gentle reminders from the top from time to time - especially in the spring and summer, when it gets tempting to bend the rules.

``At Crestar, casual Friday means taking dressing down a stop yet still keeping it appropriate,'' she says. ``Yes, things started to get out of hand. We saw sweatpants, very short mini-skirts and shorts, and outfits that were see-through. It ran the gamut from sloppy to sleazy.''

Most of the bank's offices, except for the downtown branch, have adopted a printed Crestar T-shirt, a denim shirt with ``Crestar'' printed on the cuff, or some casual-dress code, Williams says.

``Fridays are rough for us because we're so busy,'' says Ranada Covert, a customer sales representative at the Ghent branch. ``Being able to wear casual clothes and flat shoes makes things flow a little easier, because everyone is more relaxed. I definitely see a difference in the attitude.''

Attitude shifts aside, there still exist situations where business casual doesn't quite work. Take the trial law firm of Breit, Drescher & Breit in Norfolk.

``We've had to stick to the nature of our business,'' says partner Jack Drescher. ``Historically, Fridays are reserved for motions and court for our attorneys. And that requires us to dress accordingly.''

He says he would like to have casual Friday consistently but says there are weeks when it's just not possible. So memos are sent out to employees from time to time, encouraging informal dress when employees know there will be no depositions or visits from clients.

``We try to engender an atmosphere of working together,'' Drescher says, ``and we don't look at the hierarchy based on what is worn.''

Problems with casual Friday often appear because people define ``casual'' differently.

``If the guy at the top understands the concept of casual, he can set the example,'' says Brian Beecroft, chief executive officer of Beecroft & Bull Ltd., a men's clothier with several locations in Hampton Roads. ``And the term `corporate casual' is better because it dresses up `casual.' It's more of a qualifier.''

Beecroft considers the idea a perk - a reward designed to increase productivity and make people happier. He believes that if you take away the tie, the look becomes less constricted - as long as it isn't a license to wear wrinkled shirts and jeans.

Billie Keen, the personal shopper for Hecht's at Lynnhaven Mall in Virginia Beach, says women must be mindful of appearances, regardless of what day it is.

``The women I work with want to make the shift to a Friday look. For them, it's casual but well-groomed.''

Keen suggests sweater sets paired with a pleated-front khaki pant; a free-flowing dress with a little jacket; less formal and unrestricted jackets; and separates like suede and leather shirts layered with a mock turtleneck and skirt.

And Keen is a firm believer that denim is never appropriate in the office.

``It is exclusively reserved for the weekend.''

So where does all this relaxed talk leave us? According to Pendleton, a conservative clothing line, it is age, attitude, job position and office environment - rather than strict corporate policies - that determine what is worn to the office. The guideline is to take cues from others in the workplace, then build on a wardrobe to strike a balance between comfortable and professional.

Indeed, in a busy workplace, balance and consistency are everything. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos

BETH BERGMAN/The Virginian-Pilot

John Kane's ``corporate dress'' look, reflecting confidence,

includes wool chalk stripe suit by Samuelsohn, $895; classic cobalt

shirt by Ermenegeldo Zegna, $175; tie by Robert Talbott, $85. All

available at Beecroft & Bull Ltd.

Above: The ``casual Friday'' look...

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