If the past is indeed prologue to the future, then the next couple of weeks will produce some of the most shocking sights and close-encounter experiences that federal workers have had since this time last year.

This has nothing to do with the steady diet of bad, work-related news feds have had for the past year.

This is about flip flops, tank tops (aka wife-beaters) and shorts that reveal fascinating tattoos and half-buried thongs.

Some federal fashion-watchers &mdash ranging from the amused to the horrified — believe that the last couple of weeks in August bring out the most (as in worst) in some of their colleagues’ wardrobe choices. After a long hot summer (and we’ve all had that) many people wear as little as possible either in an attempt to keep cool, be comfortable or because they have simply given up.

” A lot of people say August in DC is the best time, because so many people are on vacation and traffic is light,” said a Census Bureau worker. ” To those who think August is a beautiful month I challenge them to ride Metro with me to and from work. Some of the short-shorts the guys wear can ruin you whole day.”

An IRS worker in suburban Maryland said “summer is a time to catchup up on the latest person to get a tattoo.” She said she is “amazed” at the placing of some of the tats, some of which are only partial visible. She said the other day she saw “what looked like an arrow or a miniature road side sign headed for this woman’s nether regions. My question is who did it, what does it say at the bottom and who sees it. Like who wants to see it?”

” Last year, I e-mailed you that dresses couldn’t get any shorter,” said a woman, who didn’t want to identify her agency. ” Well I was wrong, bigtime. Dresses are shorter to the point of danger to both men and women. I cannot believe how some of my coworkers dress. Correction: I believe it because I am seeing it.”

A GSA worker who said he finds the summer dress code fascinating said he and a couple of coworkers have been taking photos (with their phones) and plan to post some of the better shots after Labor Day. ” The rub is going to be the editing process. Some of these are not to be believed.”

Benefits Q & A: This morning at 10 a.m., For Your Benefit radio show host Bob Leins will be joined by benefits strategist John Elliott. They are going to go through some of the best, most interesting e-mails they’ve had this year from feds and retirees with problems, questions or solutions to work-related problems. Listen if you can, call in if you like at 202.465.3080

NEARLY USELESS FACTOID

The largest denomination in a bill format is the $100,000 bill, issued in 1934 as a Gold Certificate and bearing former President Woodrow Wilson’s likeness. However, the bill — which is worth about $1.6 million today — used only for official transactions between Federal Reserve Banks and was not circulated among the general public.

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