Casual Fridays

Now that you’ve got your professional look down pat, enter casual Fridays. While policies vary from firm to firm, it’s the general rule that things are a little more relaxed come Friday. But that doesn’t mean your judgment should go into the closet along with your suit and tie at the end of the week.

“You always have to use your common sense,” says Hemmings. “I myself don’t typically wear jeans on a Friday, it’s just not my thing. But once in awhile when I do wear jeans, I typically pair them with heels and a jacket. You never know what’s going to happen. You never know if a client’s going to pop in to see you, and if they do, you want to look presentable.

“You want to look like a professional for your clients at all times. That’s the thing I always want to keep in the back of my mind: I’m trying to represent my firm and I’m trying to represent myself to people out there, and I like looking good.”

Bourchier is on the same page and says on Fridays he will stick with a button-up shirt, polo shirt, or sweater paired up with dress pants — no jeans, no sneakers.

Liston says that in the last few years companies, and clients, have moved away from the very casual look because a) some employees took it too far and b) fashion has moved toward a more dressed-up look. “We always recommend a jacket, a blazer, or a sport coat as a base to any outfit on the casual side. He can wear a nice cotton pair of trousers or if he still wanted to be on the dressier side, a shirt with no tie,” he says.

“The shirt may not be as business-like, you might want to play with a little colour here with these new shades of pink or lavender but it’s still a crisp, clean shirt.”