Casually Yours

(Reposted from a previously published diary)

Well, the entire office was all buzzing with the latest news. Just this morning, a memo came, direct from the owner of the bank, announcing that casual business attire would be acceptable daily dress until further notice. I hadn’t yet opened the e-mail memo when I began to hear whoops and hollers from all points of the floor on which I work. I stuck my head out of my door and asked one of the revelers if I had missed something.

"Haven’t you read your e-mail?” he inquired with a countenance that reminded me of my son on Christmas morning.

“What e-mail?”

“The one about casual dress. Starting Monday, we go to business casual full-time, with jeans allowed on Fridays.”

“That’s cool,” I said, trying earnestly to match his enthusiasm.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Despite my profession as a banker, I really don’t feel comfortable in business dress attire. I tie my tie in the parking lot in the morning and can barely wait to get to the car after work to pull it off. I guess I was just taken aback by how much this move to business casual meant to everyone. From all of the talk, this was the best news the employees had received in quite some time. Everyone seemed to like it.

It got me thinking that if so many people seem to dislike dress business attire, why in the world has it taken this long for the casual movement to take hold? But then, it hit me. My Dad always wore a tie to work, and he seemed to like it. He even dressed up to relax at home. I don’t even own a pair of slippers, yet my dad, and all the men portrayed in the sixties sit-coms, wore full leather slippers to compliment their bathrobes and pajamas. They didn’t take off their dress slippers until they were getting ready for bed.

Do you think, just maybe, that all of this movement toward casual dress started with the tennis shoe craze? I mean, it all seemed connected in an odd sort of way. I remember the day my dad got his first “tennis” shoes for everyday wear. They were a Christmas present from my mom, and Dad held them up with pride. I remember thinking how dumb it was to have tan-colored, leather tennis shoes. They didn’t remotely resemble the Converse All Star sneakers that I was sporting in those days, but Dad was pleased, and so I did my best to look enthused. I think I said something like, “that’s cool.”

Anyway, I think that was the start of my own dad’s movement away from traditional dress attire. From that day forward, when he came home, he would remove his suit, put on pressed trousers, a button-up sport shirt, and those tan, leather “tennis” shoes. This became his after-work attire. I believe it was the following Father’s Day when mom decided that the shoes were just not blending well with the pressed trousers, and so it was off to the department store to find a new look. I remember Mom saying that she thought it best for my brother and I to put our name on Dad’s new jeans, while she claimed the Old Spruce after-shave and talc powder as her gift. Shoot, it was her money in the first place, so it’s not like we had any choice. I think she just wanted to avoid being tied too closely to such a strong fashion suggestion.

I can’t really remember Dad opening the jeans, but I do remember him wearing them. Soon, the pressed trousers migrated to the back of his closet, and we were buying another pair of jeans. Dad seemed to be getting into this movement, and I had to admit, the tan tennis shoes looked better with jeans.

I’m not sure of the year, but I do remember it was Christmas when Dad opened one of a matched pair of presents from Mom. They were name-brand athletic shoes. “They’re specially constructed for walking”, my mom proudly announced. My dad beamed and took off his slippers to try them on. They looked a bit funny with his pajamas, but I had to admit, they were trendy. But, it was the gift in the matching box that I remember most vividly. Dad opened the box and pulled out a dark blue, jogging outfit complete with accenting white stripes. He held them up and smiled. “I thought this would be great for our afternoon walks at the mall,” Mom said with excitement. “And guess what?” she added. “I have a matching suit to wear with you.” At this point, my jaw dropped. This was going too far. I mean, my friends knew who my parents were. They had been seen with me at my school sports functions.

“Gee,” I said. “Don’t you think that is a bit too casual for the mall?”

“Nonsense,” my mom chided. “Everyone is wearing them. And they even have zipper pockets to carry a wallet and cash.”

“I suppose that means that you are actually planning to enter stores dressed like that?” I asked. Mom’s expression and the roll of her eyes was a clear message for me to hush.

Well, as best I can remember, the whole thing started with those tan shoes. I talked to Dad the other day, and he mentioned his office had gone to business casual attire. It was in the same phone call that he mentioned a wind suit as a gift idea. “How are you doing on footwear?” I asked.

“Oh, I don’t need shoes,” he responded quickly. “I have a pair of loafers for the office and for after work I have my walkers, my joggers and my cross-trainers.”

“Oh,” I said. “That’s cool.”