Dear Adam:
Can I wear flip-flops to work in summer? How much bareness can I get away with?

Response:
I'm shocked, frankly, by what some people consider office-appropriate: pants that let the stomach hang out, tops with major cleavage. It's not the message you want to send the boss. Work is work, not a day at the beach. You should look as pulled-together as possible.

Flip-flops are for weekends, period. Bare legs and nice sandals are okay for work, but only if your pedicure is up-to-date. Going public with unkempt feet is the crime of summer.

Anything radically low-cut, short, or tight is taboo at the office. But I'm not going to say strappy dresses are wrong: It depends on your professional culture. Twenty- or thirty-somethings in a young, hip workplace can show some skin. If you're under 40 but the people in charge aren't, be more circumspect. And if your corporate climate isn't reason enough to cover up, remember that the bone-chilling temperatures of most offices in summer will be.