Dressing for the office How cute is too cute

Dressing for the office How cute is too cuteDressing for the office How cute is too cuteUnless you work for Candy Crush, chances are good that you have to temper your inclination to be adorable in the workplace. That said, we all want to personalize our workspaces and make them feel friendlier or funnier, and many of us like to add a bit of quirkiness to the more traditional 9-5 corporate uniform.Here are some ways to be cute in the workplace without seeming unprofessionalTry not to repeat yourselfI was recently fortunate enough to meet style icon Tim Gunn who mulled over my question of how cute is too cute? Gunn believes that if youre dressing or styling yourself in a way that is 10-15 years younger than your chronological age, you probably should stop.While Gunn doesnt believe therbeies one way to dress thats age-appropriate, one imagines that wearing the tops or pants or accessories that served you well in college might not be the best choice when youre working for a living. If yo ure wondering if its too cute for work, chances are good that it is.Define cuteMy friend Karen is extremely smart and extremely stylish. When I posed the how cute is too cute question to her, she thought about it for a while. She then reminded me that we all have different ideas of what the definition of cute is. Something vaguely whimsical might not register on my radar, while it might offend someone in a button-down profession.Before putting your own quirky imprimatur on your office or work wardrobe, pay attention to whats accepted or frowned on.Define age-appropriateI had a chat recently with the 90-something still active chairman of Echo Design, Dorothy Hyman Roberts, whos worked for her familys business for nearly seven decades. Roberts gave me some subtle side-eye when I presented the cute question to her and explained that different things seem cute depending on your age or stage.Then again, Roberts is at the office at 830 a.m. four days a week making me feel like a total slo uch. I think in this instance we might be forgiven for completely tossing out the notion of the right way to look or act your age.Put it on a corkboardIf youre most interested in decorating your workspace, realize that its important to take your colleagues, co-workers, clients, and bosses into account. So, maybe instead of wallpapering your cube with every meme or comic youve ever seen or printed along with a life-size Idris Elba poster, you should try to limit it to anything that fits on a particular space.While youre at it, review your board every couple of weeks or months to make koranvers youre not holding onto or displaying something that makes you seem politically incorrect or woefully out of touch.Test it out firstMeanwhile, if you have an office or are about to move into one, you might want to test out the placement of your diplomas and tchotchkes before you do. Gunn recently partnered with Command Brand on coming up with smarter ways to decorate your space, even temporarily .I like the idea of this gallery wall project, which is impressive and has enough personality to spark conversation, but not giggles.Dont let it out of your sightIm not sure if stand-up comedians have business cards, but Ill bet they have funny ones. If youre not sure how your humor will be received, try to keep an eye on it. In other words, test out jokes or punchlines or slogans before incorporating them into your conversation or professional visuals.Something might be cute once but could potentially grate on someones nerves if heard or seen too often.