Plunging necklines not for the office

THE EDITOR: We the students of the Social Etiquette and Personal Development class, Hotel Operations, Year 1 of Trinidad and Tobago Hospitality and Tourism Institute TTHTI (Trinidad Campus) have noticed in today’s society generally people do not adhere to proper dress codes for professional engagements. Events such as court appearances, dinners or even professional ‘‘dress down days’’ have been abused. It seems that members of society are confused or have forgotten the concept of professional business attire.

On taking a walk through the streets of Port-of-Spain, a person may observe many flaws in professional dress codes. For example, individuals may be seen with open toed shoes, plunging necklines, flashy jewelry, very bright coloured elaborate hairstyles that may be acceptable for dinner but not the office. One wonders why this is inappropriate. There are types of clothing that stimulate relaxation and send a message other than ‘‘I am ready for work.’’ Some businesses allow ‘‘dress down days’’ to create a relaxed atmosphere for their employees. For this same reason certain organisations do not allow ‘‘dress down days.’’

From our group project we appreciated that professionalism in attire and behaviour must always be maintained during internal and external business engagements. We noted that the following should be taken into consideration: 1) Ensure that clothes are clean and well fitting 2) Ensure accessories are limited, for example one ring on each hand 3) Ensure that arms and legs are moderately covered, for example skirts should not be shorter than two inches above the knew and sleeveless tops should not be worn. Finally, for our project we recommend that one should ask oneself the following questions when dressing professionally: 1)Is my attire appropriate (for job, company, country, climate)? 2) Does it fit properly? 3) What message am I sending?

TWACARR
ASTRA DE SUZA
SHERELLE SOANES
MARCIA E MC DONALD
VIANA MOREAU