TGI Friday, slip out of that suit

The idea of dressing down at the end of the week has spread to these shores from the US, but the British are not very comfortable stripped of formality. Belinda Morris offers a helping hand with your `third wardrobe'.

The idea of Fridaywear, Dress-Down-Friday, Casual Friday - call it what you will - has always struck me as a strange concept. It reminds me of being in the fourth grade at St Athan Junior School when the wonderful Mr Evans instigated a sort of Friday free-for-all. We handed over our sixpences; someone (usually me) was dispatched to buy bags of Black Jacks, Sherbet Dabs and the like and then share them out. We spent the best part of the afternoon chewing happily while someone read from Ring of Bright Water. Bliss.

I learned how to make money stretch as far as possible and we all learned to behave all week in order not to forfeit this rare moment of laxness. What would have happened if a schools' inspector had walked in, I don't know - they never did. But perhaps this is what it's like working for a big corporation that has a strict dress code all week and then lets you go mad on Friday. There's the slightly naughty thrill of freedom (normally prohibited), with the added uncertainty of a sudden and unexpected visit by a new client/the bank manager/auditors to throw you into a tizz.

Like so many of these things, the Fridaywear concept was born in America, where someone probably decided that a productive workforce was a happy workforce, and that a happy workforce was one that was let off the sartorial hook from time to time. Did anyone ever imagine that the sense of laissez faire might also equate to a devil-may-care attitude, a drop in standards that inevitably follows when you swap shiny black Oxfords for a pair of silver wedged trainers? Obviously not - for news of the bright idea reached our shores eventually, and it is now spreading gradually, but insidiously, like a rash.

Unfortunately, we Brits are not really like Americans, who have a highly developed sense of smart-casual dressing, according to personal development consultant Katrina Prentice of Katalyst. As a result the dress-down Friday policy is patchily executed over here. "It can be confusing for clients if they arrive at a meeting and half of those at the table are dressed in suits, the others in jeans." British men are comfortable in their formality, know where they are with it, and the idea of throwing ties and caution to the wind, while still in the office, is, for some, an anathema.

"I've always worn a suit for work," says 50-year-old Ian Pritchard, corporate press officer for toiletries company Elida Faberge, "so it came as a bit of a culture shock when we introduced Dress-Down-Friday three years ago." But so popular was the move that the chairman even brought in company- logo polo shirts that men can wear any day of the week instead of formal shirts. And Friday is still a wardrobe free-for-all - anything goes as long as it's not scruffy jeans, rugby shirts or trainers. "As a friendly sort of company, we feel it gives us a less stuffy, more approachable feel," attests Pritchard.

Nevertheless, Fridaywear does present problems for some people. "No problem for creative types, but in a City environment it's important to maintain a level of authority and respect," explains style consultant Laurel Herman. "You're still being judged and images stick, so you may not want to wear your normal weekend clothes to the office. It requires a third wardrobe."

"It's a tricky area," agrees Patricia Davidson of Kingshill (who was an image consultant once). "When you meet someone for the first time, you're judged on how you look rather than what you say, and no one wants to look `wrong'. There are ways of dressing cleverly, a sort of between look and I don't think it can include jeans."

From the Kingshill own-label collection for spring, Davidson would recommend any of the jersey and knitwear pieces like the fluid trousers, cardigan jacket and fitted top shown here. However, since so many of the suits have a stretch element, tailoring need not mean uncomfortable. "Versatility is the key and a woman should keep a jacket in her office, just in case she has an unexpected meeting to attend. A female in a twinset will be asked to make the tea."

So, if a man in jeans might be asked to empty the wastepaper baskets, what should he wear to the office on a Friday? According to Dockers, the trouser division of Levi's, the future of smart but casual dressing lies in chinos (or khakis as they call them). And whereas they once had a rather older-man-dressing-casual image, the new style, with flat fronts instead of pleats, is much more hip. Their potential goes beyond the office and into the club and through the weekend (then into the washing machine, ready for Friday again). Lynda Phelan, buyer for casualwear chain Capolita Roma, confirms this: "Chinos are now out-selling five-pockets western jeans," she says.

Marks and Spencer, as well as having a relaxed approach to dressing on Friday for their internal staff, have catered for this market with their Workday to Weekend range of men's shirts. Specially ticketed zipped, collared shirts, polos and checked shirts are suggested as alternatives under a suit.

Despite its rising popularity, Fridaywear is, as yet, unidentified by most stores. Most managers however, (and personal shoppers), will be able to direct you to the key labels that will have the right "between" look. Carolyn Robertson, personal shopper at Dickens and Jones, directs confused customers to Kors' or Philippe Adec's easy trouser suits with sporty tops; Apara's heavy black, slight sheen jersey separates and Apostrophe's well- cut, side-zipped, stretch fine wool trousers - great with a slim-cut cashmere T-shirt. If in doubt, she says, avoid highly contemporary clothes or partywear - you're still at work remember.