This document provides tips and suggestions for gender-expressive professional wear. It begins with an outline of the presentation topics, including legal issues, the history of office wear, style tips, gender diverse options, and sharing style tips. It then discusses laws around discrimination and potential harassment in the workplace. The presentation provides examples of professional styles, general rules for professional wear, and advice for building a wardrobe. It also shares free and low-cost resources for finding work clothes in Tucson. The overall document aims to help those with gender diverse expressions navigate professional dress codes and feel comfortable in the workplace.

1. EXPRESS
YOUR
PROFESSIONALISM
GENDER-EXPRESSIVE
PROFESSIONAL W
EAR

2. BY
SAM
I GARDNER
EDUCATION
&
EM
PLOYM
ENT RESOURCE
SPECIALIST
THE
ANCHOR
PROJECT
ANCHORPROJECTARIZONA.ORG

3. W
HAT W
E
W
ILL LEARN!
1. Introduction
2. Legal issues &
Finding an
Employer
3. History of Office
Wear
4. Style Tips
5. Gender Diverse
Options
6. Share Your Style
Tips
Presentation
Outline
&
Objectives

4. REAL TALK
LAW
S, COPING, AND
SURVIVING

5. WHY I AM I DOING THIS PRESENTATION?
• Many of you don’t/won’t have the privilege of being able to
search for the perfect inclusive workplace
• I am not doing this to force you to conform!
• I want you to have all the tools and information that you need to
navigate workplace dress
• Its not as simple as saying “dress however you want too“ because
depending on the industry, there may be little wiggle room in their
dress code.

6. WHY I AM I DOING THIS PRESENTATION?
• I want to help create opportunities
and doors for you!
• Being comfortable in the
workplace helps productivity and
hire-ability.
• Don’t think about this as
compromise; think about this as
building your professional
brand and developing your
style

7. IS THE LAW ON YOUR SIDE?

8. THE LAW IN ARIZONA
• Since 2003, Arizona has prohibited discrimination on
the basis of sexual orientation in government
employment and other public offices.
• Discrimination in employment on the basis of both
sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited by
the following Arizona cities:
• Chandler
• Flagstaff
• Phoenix
• Scottsdale (public employment)
• Tucson
• Tempe (public employment)
• This means that you can still get fired in
most of Arizona for being gender-variant,
queer, LGBTQ, etc.

9. YOU MAY FACE HARASSMENT

10. COWORKERS VS. CUSTOMERS
• Customers are tricky because in America
were are told that the customer is always
right… even when they are dead wrong.
• Always pass harassing customers to the
supervisor on duty.
• Set up a dialog with your supervisor on the
best way to handle offensive customers.
• Maintain dignity until the transaction is over or
can be passed onto another coworker.
• What about coworkers?
• Follow procedures outlined by HR in reporting
harassment.
• Discuss situation with supervisor
• Document any harassment and limit contact
with harassers to email, if possible.

11. WHAT IS UNLAWFUL HARASSMENT?
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission describes unlawful harassment as
such:
“Harassment becomes unlawful where
1) enduring the offensive conduct becomes a condition of continued employment, or
2) the conduct is severe or pervasive enough to create a work environment that a
reasonable person would consider intimidating, hostile, or abusive.”
Keep in mind that workplace bullying and harassment can be hard to prosecute so legal
action doesn’t produce the results as seen on TV.
CONSULT HUMAN RESOURCES AND YOUR
SUPERVISOR WHEN FACED WITH HARASSMENT.

12. COMPANIES THAT WELCOME DIVERSITY
• How do you find out if a
company is accepting?
• The HRC has a database of LGBT-friendly
employers
• ONE Community is a statewide organization
that promotes LGBT-friendly companies
• Check to see if they are an Equal
Opportunity Employer
• Go to LGBTQ job fairs and events to see
which companies sponsor and participate.
• LGBT-themed job sites like OutforWork or
Tucson LGBTQ Job Leads on Facebook
• Word of mouth

13. BRAINSTORM
W
HAT DO
YOU
THINK
W
HEN
YOU
HEAR
THE
TERM
: PROFESSIONAL
W
EAR?

14. EVOLUTION OF PROFESSIONAL WEAR
Beau Brummell created the
modern men's suit, worn with a
necktie. He took five hours to
get dressed, and advocated
that boots be polished with
champagne. He started the
trend called dandyism.
These European trends were
carried across the world as
colonialization and globalization
raised up European/English
fashion above cultural garb.

15. MODERNIZATION & CONFORMITY
Some cultural leaders fought back against
European trends while some embraced it
and forced it on their people.
Peter the Great decided to remake
‘backwards’ Russia by instituting European
fashion and forcing citizens to change their
clothes and even personally cutting off their
beards!

16. SUITS CAN BE REBELLIOUS
Suits have been a symbol of:
•Conformity
•Populism
•And
•Rebellion
These young men
are 1940s Zoot
Suiters who were
persecuted and
called ‘gangsters’
because of their
race and adaptation
of the suit.

17. WHY NEUTRALS, NAVYS, & MONOCHROMATIC
COLORS?
Neutrals, Navys, and monochromatic
blacks and whites are the classic colors
for office wear and now are associated
with conformity.
Yet in the beginning of the modern era,
they were seen as populist colors
because they were made from more
affordable dyes.
European nobles had many laws
concerning clothing with the aim to not
let commoners be confused with the
nobility.

18. WHY NEUTRALS, NAVYS, & MONOCHROMATIC
COLORS?
There is a
reason why the
guy tending to
the fire is
dressed in
brown and
everyone else is
in fancy colorful
robes!

19. BUSINESS
FASHION
1920S-1990S

20. HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL WEAR IN 1900S
In the 1920s and 1930s, there isn’t much of a
distinction between work wear and casual wear. Both
sexes were expected to dress modestly with
jackets/long sleeved shirts with skirts (women) or
trousers (men).

21. HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL WEAR IN 1900S
In the 1940s and 1950s, WWII and the Cold War
affect fashion by emphasizing conformity and
conservatism. Wartime rationing of fabric leads to the
rise of single-breasted suits and women forgoing their
stockings. The 1950s might have lead to more
abundance but fashion was still austere in the office.

22. HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL WEAR IN 1900S
In the 1960s and 1970s, color returns to the workplace and
men’s fashion enters its most fabulous era since the French
nobles of Versailles. Female clothing is losing its
standardization but no clear cut work uniform for woman has
taken its place. Patterns are approved, but a sense of reserve
in the length of sleeves, dresses, and trousers remains.

23. HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL WEAR IN 1900S
In the 1980s and 1990s, the excesses of the 60s and
70s takes men’s fashion back to basics. Masculine
touches are added to feminine office wear as women
try to break through the glass ceiling. Think Hilary
Clinton’s trademark pant or skirt suits. Then the 90s
were all about the khakis. For everyone.

24. WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM HISTORY?
• There has been a tried and
true masculine fashion
choice for the office for
centuries.
• There is no such office
default for feminine people
and masculinization of
feminine fashion is the
norm.
• Neutral colors and a
reserved style of
dressing has had the
longest staying power of
office wear trends.
• What do you think aboutWhat do you think about
the evolution of officethe evolution of office
wear?wear?

25. GENERAL RULES FOR PROFESSIONAL WEAR
• Now that you know the history, what
do you think are some general rules
for professional wear?

26. TODAY’S
W
ORKPLACE
STYLE
THE
NITTY
GRITTY

27. Finance/Banking:
• Conservative and formal
Sales
• Should correspond with the trendiness of your product and customer base.
Government
• Don’t be flashy or fancy
DRESS CODES BY INDUSTRY
Do you have an industry dress code that you would like
to share?

28. Hospitality/Medical/Manufacturing
•Uniforms common
Architecture /Advertising/ Media/Publishing/ PR
•Business casual with lots of personality
Non-Profits/Academia
•Varies by region but generally business casual to casual
DRESS CODES BY INDUSTRY
Do you have an industry dress code that you would like
to share?

29. REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN USA
Outfits are more casual in Tucson and the rest of the
West Coast.

30. INTERVIEWING CLOTHES VS. WORK OUTFITS
• Always dress more formally than the
office culture.
• You can’t remake a first impression.
• Dressing well shows the interviewer that
you are respectful, committed, and
knowledgeable about business norms.

31. 5 TIPS TO BUILD A PROFESSIONAL WARDROBE
• Choose timeless pieces and
avoid fads.
• Choose a color scheme so pieces
can mix and match.
• The shoes should be closed-toed
and comfortable.
• Insoles can turn pumps into
workhorse shoes.
• OSHA requires closed-toes shoes for
many workplaces. Check your
company’s dress code.
• Make sure that the outfits fit your
company’s level of professional
dress.
• Durability is key.

32. HAIR STYLES
Workplace hair has its controversies especially when it
has to do with People of Color. Check your employee
dress codes but be aware that more POC folks are going
natural with their hair and it has been upheld by EOE
Commissions.

33. HAIR STYLES
• Your hair should be tidy and clean with no artificial
coloring.
• Some workplaces now allow unnatural hair colors
but don’t expect it.

34. HAIR STYLES
• Your hair shouldn’t cover your face. Bangs should be
cut at your eyebrows.
• Masculine styles are generally more conservative when
it comes to bangs.

35. HAIR STYLES
Note: The Native American man in professional dress is
not being gender non-conforming with his braids. Many
native tribes hold braids on men with special
significance. Remember European-influenced styles
gender non-conformance is not universal.

36. • Makeup and
Accessories
• Less is always more
when it comes to
accessories and
makeup.
• Choose strategic
pieces.
• Example Makeup:
• Neutral eyeshadow
• Brown/Black Mascara
• Tinted lip balm
• Note: Some
industries accept
and expect more
flair with one’s
makeup.
MAKE UP

37. THINK ABOUT YOUR PERSONAL BRAND AKA
PROFESSIONAL STYLE
BRAINSTORM YOUR BRAND
• Don’t confusion
gender expression
with professional
style.
• You can do both, but most
people have to dress
differently for work.
• Take cues from
your industry’s
style standards.

38. FINAL WORD
• Find the
intersection where
your comfort level
and your
company’s dress
code intersect.
• Style Resources:
• Gigi Gorgeous (Youtube)
• ftmguide.rassaku.net
• JacobTobia.com
• Autostraddle.com Fashion Blog
• Qwearfashion.com

39. GENDER
FABULOUS
STYLE
EXAM
PLES, TIPS, AND
SUGGESTIONS!

40. Before my transition, I purchased all of my "male" attire (with the exception of neck
ties) in "women's" clothing stores or in the "women's" department of a department
store. It IS entirely possible to get a really good, masculine and tailored look entirely
comprised of women's button down collared shirts, dress slacks, trouser socks and
dress flats... No one else ever noticed that the buttons buttoned on the "wrong side" or
that the fly was backward, but I did and it made me feel comfortable in at least having
some sort of feminine expression, even though I was the only person who knew
anything about it.
- Gina H., Association of Transgender Professionals

41. GENDER FABULOUS
“My personal approach to
dress at GT Inc was to stick
strictly to the “male” dress
code, making sure to stay with
traditional slacks, button down
dress shirts and ties. So what I
was wearing were acceptable
business garments but not
“female” business dress.”
First Boi In – Dressing Queer in the Corporate
World by Carolyn Wysinger
-mediadiversified.org

42. GENDER FABULOUS
This is a great look because
of:
•Quarter-Length Sleeved
Cardigan
•Complimentary Scarf
•Well-Coiffed Hair
Trav Mamone

43. GENDER FABULOUS
“So why would a sartorial profile so obviously
marginal, so obviously outside the mainstream, so
obviously fraught with subcultural meaning and
potential controversy, have absolutely no
observable impact on her level of professional
success?
And it’s a theory my partner shares from her own
subjective experience of her life. The theory is:
she is completely and totally at ease with who she
is, and so people respond with similar ease to who
she is, instead of getting hung up on what she
“signifies.””
How To Dress for an Interview as a Butch Dyke
- The Professor Is In.com

44. GENDER FABULOUS
What do you think of these
outfits?
- Autostraddle

45. Suits are excellent--or even dress shirts and pants. A little more or less color, a
little softer or more structured cut of shirt. One can look feminine or masculine or
androgynous in the same suit, depending on how you style your hair and how you
accessorize.
-Tyghe D, Association of Transgender Professionals

46. GENDER FABULOUS
Lose the Smoke and This
is an Office Hit!
•Bow tie balances out
untucked in shirt
•Nice natural color
scheme
•Natural makeup
-Autostraddle

47.  This outfit would be good for
an everyday professional
look. The scoop neck is not
too low, flats are
comfortable but also provide
a sense of professionalism,
and the patterns are not
overly garish. The colors are
muted, which can fall in line
with some dress codes, and
for an interview an open
fitted blazer or jacket can be
added to dress the look up.
GENDER FABULOUS – MISS JAI’S PICKS

48.  This long sleeve dress and
leggings combination is both a
little casual and a little business.
The leggings are not being worn
as pants on their own and would
be covered by the long dress top.
The dress is cut a little lower, and
a neutral color camisole or short
tee-shirt could be used to prevent
the top from being too revealing. A
half boot and the pattern in the
dress add a fun mix of masculine
to the feminine look, for folks who
are looking to gender express. The
dress could be challenging
because of chest darts, which can
pucker for male-bodied folks
GENDER FABULOUS – MISS JAI’S PICKS

49.  This outfit is more for the wow factor.
There are lots of times that we are told
that our professional dress much match
a certain look, clean lines, more on the
masculine side, and not too flashy. This
outfit however I feel can be perfectly
acceptable as professional wear
because of its components. The skirt is
long, so again not showing too much
skin, worn in conjunction with the tank
top it can look like a long dress that is
intentionally brighter on top. Tank tops
are often not considered professional,
so covering with an open jacket can
help with that. Having something that
has a bit of shimmer to it can provide
that fun femme feel without losing the
professional quality. And finally the
shoes, though they may not be
considered traditionally professional,
they are certainly fun and again give the
wearer the opportunity to gender
express/gender bend while maintaining
a sense of professional dress.
GENDER FABULOUS – MISS JAI’S PICKS

50. GENDER FABULOUS
Which Outfit Is Best?
-Huffington Post

51. GENDER FABULOUS
Which Outfit Is Best?
• Bold yet
neutral
colors
• Reserved
sleeve and
skirt lengths
• Minimal
jewelry
-Huffington Post

52. FREE
RESOURCES
FOR
W
ORK
CLOTHES
• My Sister’s Closet
• Make an Appointment – Email
info@ywcatucson.org or call
520-884-7810 to make a one-
hour appointment Monday
through Thursday 9-4pm
• Feminine clothes only
• Eon/Mshape
• St. Vincent de Paul
• Masculine and Feminine clothes
In
Tucson!

53. LOW
-COST IDEAS
FOR
CLOTHES
• Goodwill
• Savers
• Clothes Swaps
with Friends
Recycle, Upcycle, Swapcycle!

54. BRAINSTORM
YOUR
OW
N
STYLE
W
HAT DO
YOU
THINK
OF
ALL THESE
DIFFERENT
STYLE
CHOICES?

55. THANK
YOU!
Go
Forth
And
Look
Fabulous,
Professional, and
Queerly
You!