Lynne, a professional image consultant from House of Colour provides WATC members with her views on flip flops in the office…… Summer is here and it is flip flop season. I see several different pairs flip flopping past, you would expect to hear the sound of lapping of waves and maybe the crunch of the sand underfoot. Except I am not on an idyllic beach somewhere soaking up the sun instead, I am standing at Liverpool Street Station watching hundreds of commuters scurry past.
It is a question I am often asked in summer…’Is it ok to wear flip flops to the office?’. The answer is always no. When it comes to dressing for the office, always think of what the item was made for. Flip flops are for the beach. Flip flops will not enhance your overall image, or personal brand. They have no height, no protection and they expose dirty feet & chipped nail polish. The correct and most professional look for the office, all year round, is to wear tights or stockings with a closed in shoe with a heel. These days we can buy light, thin, 7 denier tights for those few weeks when we do get warm weather.
Tights actually help stop perspiration affecting the shoe. Bare, sweaty feet encourage shoes to stretch, making them too big for when you want to wear them again with tights.
Conversely, if you wear sandals it is not correct to wear tights with them, so if you do go for this option, it is bare, hair free legs with sparkling clean feet and well painted toe nails.
Protect your feet and protect your personal image and above all have a great summer.
Lynne Cantor, Personal Image Consultant, House of Colour, helping you dress from top to toe www.houseofcolour.co.uk/lynnecantor.
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