SEND IN THE CLOWNS

MENLO PARK, CA -- A clown suit.  A Cat in the Hat costume.  A disco dress.  These aren’t Halloween costumes; they’re actual outfits people have worn to work on days other than October 31.  The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service providing marketing, advertising, creative and web professionals on a project basis, recently asked 250 U.S. advertising and marketing executives to describe the weirdest wearables they’ve observed at the office.

Those surveyed were asked, “Other than on Halloween, what is the strangest outfit or article of clothing you have ever seen someone wear at work?”  Here are some of their responses:

• “A scuba diving outfit”
• “A plastic nose”
• “A clown suit”
• “A disco dress”
• “Sumo wrestling gear”
• “A full-body banana peel”

“Professionals in the creative industry often enjoy some freedom when it comes to office attire, but these examples show it’s possible to go overboard,” said Tracey Fuller, executive director of The Creative Group.  “Employees should dress in a way that ensures their ideas -- not their fashion choices -- stand out.”     

Some individuals, for example, took the business-casual concept a bit far by arriving at work wearing the following:

• “Bibbed overalls”
• “Yoga wear”
• “Pajamas”
• “Bedroom slippers”
• “Suspenders and a straw hat”

Accessories can liven up an outfit, but these next examples prove even a little “bling” can look bizarre around the office:

• “Shoes that light up when you walk”
• “Yellow snakeskin boots”
• “A sombrero”
• “A fur skirt”
• “A bow tie and sandals”
• “A black vinyl jacket, kilt and boots”
• “Paratrooper pants with a striped sports jacket and moccasins”

Many people dream of being someone else for a day, but these individuals took the hankering to heart by coming to work dressed like the following characters:

• “The Campbell Soup kid”
• “Santa Claus”
• “An elf”
• “The Cat in the Hat”
• “The Pillsbury Doughboy”
• “A pirate”

Then there were those who answered the call of the wild by dressing up as these critters:

• “A cow”
• “A chicken”
• “A rabbit”
• “A dragon”

Finally, there was the employee who took the concept of dressing for the part literally:

• “One of our graphic artists designed his own employee of the month T-shirt, which he now wears on the first Monday of each month.”

The Creative Group has offices in major markets across the United States and in Canada, and offers online job search services at www.creativegroup.com.