EDISON, N.J. -- A man in a tuxedo looks over some papers. A woman in an evening gown sits in a nearby chair, talking on the phone.
A wedding reception, perhaps, or some fancy soiree? No, it's just Friday at the Pollak Agency, a marketing and public relations firm where dressing up -- not down -- has become a fashion statement that's also good for business.They call it Formal Fridays.
"We get the strangest looks when we go into the deli for lunch," said art director Charlene DePrizio, clad in a black velvet floor-length gown with rhinestones.
Formal Fridays started about a year ago, the brainchild of Alison Pollak, director of media. Tired of having to dress in business wear for client presentations while others wore jeans, she suggested that all 10 employees at the firm try dressing to the hilt one Friday.
"I thought she was crazy, but everyone on staff liked the idea," said Alan Pollak, chairman of the company and Alison's father, who was wearing one of the three tuxedos he owns.
That one Friday led to another, and another. Along the way, what started as merely a fun idea became something of a statement. Some clients have started joining in, and the company even landed an account -- promoting pate -- from someone who read about Formal Fridays.
Michael Vastola, president of Exclusive Toy Products in Metuchen, N.J., is another Pollak customer taken with the idea, although he hasn't yet donned a tuxedo for meetings at the firm.
"You certainly remember that agency. It does give you the inkling that maybe this group is creative," said Vastola, whose company makes collectible dolls modeled after famous people such as Laurel and Hardy.
Formal Fridays are also a statement against what the Pollaks see as a business world that has gotten too casual.
Business casual used to mean not wearing a tie, said Helen Pollak, president of the agency, who was wearing a fur coat over her gold dress.
"All of a sudden it got to jeans," she said. "Now it's reached a point where employers have to counsel employees on what's appropriate."