Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Angela Marino

There is a style of workplace-appropriate attire in the Bay Area called business casual, which is often misunderstood, said a fashion and style expert.

Teresa Morisco, founder and chief stylist of the Wardrobe 911 Web site, said business casual consists of a slightly more relaxed version of a suit.

"When dressing for a business casual environment, it is important to not match bottoms and jackets," she said. "It is all about wearing complementing solid colors and breaking up the monochromatic outfit with occasional sophisticated patterns."

Wardrobe 911 is a style blog that educates and provides fashion advice worldwide, according to the Wardrobe 911 Web site.

Morisco delivered a PowerPoint presentation called "Dress for Success" to about 40 students Tuesday evening in the Pacifica Room in the Student Union.

Morisco said most students' wardrobes will have to be replaced when students enter the workplace, so it is important to understand the basic work outfit.

"Sometimes when we dress inappropriately to our surroundings it can hinder what promotions could be in the future," she said.

Ashley Holbrook, a sophomore business marketing major, said the presentation showed her how important it is to dress according to a company's style during an interview.

"The rules for what to wear at an interview was interesting," she said. "A suit in one office setting may be too much, whereas a suit at another office may be exactly what you are supposed to wear."

Morisco said the proper colors that complement a person's complexion are found in the eyes.

"People don't just have brown or blue eyes," she said. "If you look closely you can see other colors intermixed with the dominant color in your iris that will work with your skin tone."

Senior history major Matthew Gulbraa said he learned how to pick out the colors that work best for someone's complexion.

"When (Morisco) talked about using your eye color to determine the tones of color to put into your wardrobe was helpful to understand what colors look best on you," he said.

Morisco said certain shoe styles can easily be inappropriate for the office, and women need to know what is appropriate and what crosses the line.

"The height of heels are important, but when wearing boots it is crucial to know that knee-high boots are not the most appropriate shoe to wear in an office," she said. "Knee-high boots can be pulled off in a tasteful way at the office, but with appropriate tights, without showing any bare leg."

Senior marketing major Jennifer Ang said the presentation showed an interesting way to understand a business casual wardrobe.

"The heel height of two and a half is a good rule because at a certain point heels can become unprofessional," she said. "It is a good rule to keep in mind when buying shoes with a specific measurement in mind. It makes it easier to understand what message you are conveying with your wardrobe."

Shauna Ryan, a sophomore business marketing major, said the PowerPoint presentation displayed actual photographs of different business casual outfits that made the concept of office-appropriate dress more understandable.

"We are still in a college setting, so we don't see what business casual looks like, so it is helpful to have a picture of what an outfit would look like," she said.

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