The Grand Opera Ball in Houston. Upgraded from black tie to white three years ago.
Arthur Andersen & Co., based in Chicago. Unlike IBM, this accounting giant still expects its number crunchers to meet clients in accounting attire, “dressed for the occasion.”
Harvard, Ill. In this farm town north of Chicago you can get arrested for wearing a Dallas Cowboys jacket or a Georgetown baseball cap. The reason: some Chicago gangs use sports-team casualwear as their identifying “colors,” and Harvard doesn’t want any part of it.
Burt & Jacks, Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Always one of our classiest celebs, Burt Reynolds insists on jackets at his restaurant. And no T shirts, unless they’re the classy kind with rhinestones on ’em.
Ten’s (formerly Stringfellow’s), New York City. At this garish “executive” topless lounge, male patrons can’t wear jeans, sneakers or collarless shirts. The dress code for the dancers is some- what looser.
Richmond Country Club, Richmond, Calif. Where Bay Area golfers’ shorts must go halfway down to the knee, because, the management explains, “if you dress the part, you act the part.”
St. Bernard’s School, New York City. Things started getting “sloppy” a couple of years ago, says the headmaster’s office of the exclusive boys’ academy. Seems the lads were wearing whatever jackets they wanted. Now all the young prepsters are uniformed in navy blazers and khakis.
The Nation of Islam. Followers must maintain the religious sect’s strict coat-and-bow-tie look; women are expected to dress “modestly.”
The mail room at the William Morris Agency, Los Angeles. Aspiring Hollywood agents with Ivy degrees sort and deliver their bosses’ FedExes in coat and tie, preferably Armani.
Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building, Room 9-307. From Johnnie Cochran’s double-breasted attorneywear to Marcia Clark’s sleek numbers, every player in the Simpson courtroom is suited up for trial and TV – even the jury. But some suspect that Judge Ito has sneaked sneakers under his robe.
