Jane - I have a question! Do shoes like these count as heels?

Big no from me! I really don't think it's that difficult to wear work appropriate things that are comfortable.
The rules in all the workplaces I've been haven't been that strict.
Nothing too casual- sweats, t shirts, sneakers, flip flops, anything torn/stained, leggings as pants.
Nothing too skimpy-mini skirts, visible underwear, strappy tank tops, strapless anything, shorts, crop tops.
Jeans fine on Fridays- if the rest of the outfit is work appropriate.
That still leaves plenty of room for personal expression, while still looking like you're at work to work.

What we define as 'professional' attire is very subjective. Is it unprofessional for a woman to not wear a bra to work if she finds wearing them uncomfortable? I would say currently, it is expected that women wear bras. Men find breasts and cleavage distracting and so in a professional setting the rule is that women cover up. 20 years ago women were expected to wear hosiery, whereas now it is not required to look professional.

Dress codes have naturally evolved and have been very influenced by different industries and fashion small tattoos have a much greater acceptance now than previous generations.

The impact of covid on how we work will see changes: more acceptance of working from home, more virtual meetings etc and dress codes will adapt accordingly.

Rachy - I do love the Queen's 1950's inspired dress code. It has worked for her for many years and makes her instantly identifiable, so much more fun than a black hoodie or polo like the tech industry leaders.

@Gaylene That's also what I try to teach my students - they have spent much of their lives being told what to say & do, so I think some of them welcome the opportunity to share what they truly think & others have no idea how to voice it. We're working on it, though

@rachylou & @Bijou I think a part of dressing appropriately is commanding respect without being too distracting. I think the Queen is proof that that can be done even in head-to-toe colour

Rachylous picture reminded of one I saw recently of the queen mum touring some bombed out buildings in full dress and heels. My first thought was that she looked out of place (thinking that today we typically see politicians in jackets-and-khakis when touring disasters). But in the caption it was noted that she had said that she thought the people she was visiting would have worn their best clothes if they’d come to visit her, so she owed them the same courtesy.

That may be diplomatic dressing, but I tend to think the same way about office codes. I do like the idea that you are showing respect for the person you are visiting, which may be why some people have a “dress for your day” approach.

But I also agree that many people either don’t have this understanding or it isn’t an agreed-to norm. So maybe the goal should be to remove rigidity in codes (as Zaeobi has mentioned) rather doing away entirely with the code?

It occurs to me the question may be not so much should it be killed, but what should it be? Fresh slate.

Gretchen isn’t “respect” for the person you are seeing only one idea out of many? Those who like to have a lot of tattoos or piercings probably have a different idea, I’m guessing ( since I’m not into those things) an idea of “this is who I am” and being true to themselves, not wanting to cover or hide that. The Queen Mother idea seems more like what my mother taught me back in the day about clothes to wear to church to show respect to God. And I rejected that idea back in the 70s as a teenager, as didn’t she also teach that God could see you any time? If God could see me any time, what difference did it make if I wore jeans to church?
So I like Rachylou’s idea of a blank slate...

I definitely can get behind the blank slate idea!

@Jenni I guess 'respect' is more subjective than it originally seems. Your tattooed example VS the Queen's mother shows that there can be respect in authenticity as well as returning expected norms as a 'favour'. Food for thought...

Hi Rachylou, so sorry I’m slow to respond. I don’t think they are heels officially. But they are quite formal shoes. And not necessarily flats.

Useless information. The queen has a dresser, who has been with her for years and years and they are the same foot size. So the dresser breaks in the Queens shoes. How good is that.

(Happy Birthday Ma’am)

Thank you Jane! How interesting about the Queen’s dresser. But back to the shoes... would they pass a dress code where heels were required do you think? I’m thinking a Japanese woman might get sent home...