Business Casual Done Right

陳豪在北京的ABC美國公司工作。他有個問題要請教美國同事Amy。

(Office ambience)

C：Hi Amy. 你有一點兒時間嗎？我有個問題想問你。

A：Sure, I need a little break.

C：我聽說最近從美國西岸調過來的幾個同事在要求什么"business casual", 什么是"business casual" 啊？

A：Business casual is the term given to dressing down at work.

C：Dressing down?

A：Yes. If you usually wear a suit and tie to work, dressing down means wearing a sport jacket and tie. If you normally wear a sport jacket and tie, to dress down, you leave off either the jacket or the tie.

C：我們不是周一到周五都應該穿西裝打領帶。為什么又要休閑呢？

A：It's an American phenomenon that started on the west coast of the US years ago. Some people believe that they are more productive when they are dressed in comfortable relaxed clothing.

C：那你覺得穿著舒適休閑會提高工作效率嗎？

A：Personally I do not feel as confident or professional when I dress down. I believe that I lose some of my credibility.

C：我們的新老板會不會考慮放松我們的著裝要求呢？

A：Well, I have heard a rumor that he might, but only once a week - on Friday.

C：哦，怪不得我聽大家都在說casual Friday, 休閑星期五呢！

******

MC：第二天，陳豪在飯廳里遇到了Amy.

A：Hi Chen Hao. Did you hear the news about Casual Friday? The boss has agreed to try it for three months to see how it works.

C：這么說以后星期五我們愿意穿什么就穿什么嘍？

A：Not at all. True business casual means dressing down just one notch from business professional. You don't have to wear a suit and tie, but it doesn't mean that your old jeans and a T-shirt are acceptable.

C：怎么還那么多講究啊？

A：Yes, this is business casual. Think of it as a merger of professional and casual clothing. Professional clothing is tailored, consists of suits and ties, dark to medium colors and fine fabrics.

C：職業性裝束要求穿西裝、打領帶。那休閑服裝呢？

A：Casual clothing is loose, relaxed, and made of softer fabrics and includes things like jeans, shorts, T-shirts and tennis shoes.

C：Business casual就是介于二者之間嘍？換句話說，我不用穿西裝，但是也不能穿T-恤衫和球鞋上班了。

A：That's right. We need to combine the business credible look with the comfortable creative look.

C：看來我要出去買衣服了！