Rumor has it corporate America is dressing down.

The talk started with Converse, makers of athletic shoes. Based on a survey of 201 human-resource executives nationwide, the company reported fewer dress codes, shorter skirts, more loafers and more "casual Fridays." That prompted the media, including the Wall Street Journal, to announce \o7 casual\f7 is the buzzword of the day.

Now Levi Strauss, makers of 501 jeans, has chimed in with results from a similar survey of 504 human-resource managers nationwide.

So if the rest of the country is hanging loose, just imagine the freedom in laid-back Southern California. Dress-for-success and the codes that bind must be history, right?

Wrong.

Rejecting the dress-down theory, many Southern California executives say the trend is toward \o7 more \f7 power dressing, not less.

For men, that means business as usual in dark suits, crisp white shirts, tasteful ties and stalwart shoes, such as wingtips. Sport coats, striped shirts, tan or other light colored suits, loafers--even blue blazers--are considered too casual or trendy to cut the corporate mustard in many circles.

Women may have been freed from the tyranny of boring suits and little bow ties, but many still consider it risky business to wear pants, perfume, flashy hosiery, ostentatious jewelry and extreme hemlines (too long or too short) on the job.

Eliminating the risks is critical at Disneyland, according to Carla Marlenee, appearance coordinator for Disney West Coast Resorts and Attractions.

A 15-page manual, titled "The Disney Look," spells out the rules "for everyone from the hourly employee to vice presidents and presidents," at all theme parks and resorts, but not at the Disney Studio in Burbank, Marlenee says.

Changes in the manual are rare, but last year there was one. Now, women can wear black, brown, white or gray sheer hose, in addition to standard beige.

Among remaining taboos are: bracelets (they interfere with work); pants without a jacket; earrings larger than a penny; eye liner, eye shadow or false eyelashes; chipped nail polish; "unnatural hair color" (brunettes who go blond and vice-versa) or letting unsightly roots show.

Men cannot wear beards, mustaches or bracelets "except for medical reasons." Suits, shirts and ties are required for important meetings. But Marlenee says at other times, employees can wear sport jackets with turtleneck sweaters, chambray shirts with ties or "well-tailored" khaki pants.