Recently, I attended a conference that had celebrity speakers. Two in particular became the objects of conversation among attendees.The buzz around the room was about the clothing appearance of the two speakers(one male, one female). The male had on a suit jacket that was a size or two too big and still had the removable sewn on tag at the sleeve end. The female had on a form fitting dress that also revealed the outline of her undergarments as well as the areas that didn’t have undergarments (and maybe should have).Keep in mind that this was a business conference, and the dress attire was business.

I cannot verify if either of them were traveling with their own or assigned staff. However, each of them had one or two people with them.

My question to you as colleagues and assistants is, Would you tell your boss something is “wrong” about their appearance? It may be too forward for someone to tell their boss that their zipper is open or that their undergarments are showing through their clothing (especially if the boss is of the opposite sex). I have corrected managers in the past. Thankfully, it was only regarding a food stain of some sort. And, if I knew they were attending an important business meeting, I would ask “Which power suit are you wearing?” I believed that my boss was representing me, as well as the company.

I’m not talking about “dress codes;” that’s an entirely different topic. I am referring to those times where you may have seen someone with lipstick on her teeth, or your boss’s collar is inside the jacket and it should be outside the collar.  Some may not speak up, and some may or may not care. What about in our office environment? Is it a “best practice” that you should tell your co-worker or boss that something is “wrong” with their attire? Where do we draw the line, or is there a line?