#FormalFriday

With a closet full of ties I acquired while teaching and no longer need to use, I decided to start #FormalFriday at work -- encouraging people to cut against the grain of our largely casual work dress and turn it up a notch on Friday.  It has grown exponentially linearly since then.  Here's my blog post from our team's group website explaining the relative levels of #FormalFriday and how one can evolve:

---

As you've surely seen, #formalfriday is sweeping the nation. Between the first and second week in December, the number of people joining the revolution doubled.

But I'm sure you're curious: how do I start? How do I proceed? Surely I can't go full-on tuxedo on the first day.

To help you through this quandary, I've put together an evolutionary chart to help men with this transition.  Unfortunately, I'm not an expert on women's formal wear (as evidenced by the fact that when my wife asks me to choose between two things she wants to wear, she always ends up wearing the thing I didn't pick).  Perhaps someone else with that knowledge can write an equivalent post for women's fashion.

Base Level: Clothed

Level 1

Tee shirt and jeans

Level 2

Polo and jeans/khakis

Level 3

Button-up dress shirt with khakis/slacks

Level 4

Sweater/sweater vest with khakis/slacks

Level Up > Gentlemanly

Level 5

Shirt and Tie (regular or bow tie) with khakis/slacks

Level 6

Shirt and Tie (regular or bow tie) with blazer & khakis/slacks

Level 7

Suit and tie

Level 8

Three piece suit and tie

Level up > Dapper

Level 9

Black tuxedo

Level 10

Black tuxedo with tails

Level 11

White tuxedo

Level 12

White tuxedo with tails

Level 13

Colored tuxedo with top hat, ruffled shirt, and cane

Level up >  Dashingly Ostentatious

Level 14

17th Century Naval uniform:

Level 15

Spanish Bullfighter's garb

Level 16

Embroidered suit with waist coat, breeches, and powdered wigs

Level 17

Embroidered shirt, neck ruff, corset, doublet, breeches, overcoat

(Source: Anonym_Erzherzog_Karl_II.jpg (image)

---