Ha! I usually feel so
out of my depth with questions on this forum – that’s why I’m here after all – to learn. But this is a question I cananswer with some authority.
Short answer – no! Somereasons are:
Comfort – a real-life workday likely involves spending 10-12
hours hunched over a computer, eating lunch at her desk, seeing only the handful of co-workers that office nearby – a nice pair of slacks and blouse or sweater and low to mid heel shoes are a lot more comfortable. And more forgiving of a few pounds gain or
lost. Ditto the other common combos – pencil skirt and cardigan, chemise dress, shirt dress, etc.
Real life – her commute may be a long city walk and/or a
commute on public transit. Can you imagine riding the subway in a Roland Mouret dress and Manolos? And then stopping off at the grocery store or to pick up a toddler from daycare?
$ - Corporate lawyers do make pretty good money – but not
wear-a-different-$2000-sheath-dress-every-day-of-the-week kind of money. I’m not sure who makes that kind of money – hedge fund managers, maybe? But they are all men….
Clients – Outside of big law and accounting firms, virtually
every business in America is business casual. Meaning when corporate lawyers meet with their clients, they tend to wear business casual, too.
Decorum/Being Taken Seriously – The bombshell look carries
risks few professional women welcome. A really fashionable female corporate lawyer would dress much more like the cast of The Good Wife than the cast of Suits.
Court – Conservative business suits are the rule for planned
court appearances. Might be Theory, or Boss, or Brooks Brothers, or Armani, but it will be conservative in cut, style and color. Blending in and having the emphasis on the argument and not the attire is the norm. The only real debate I ever hear about women’s courtroom attire is whether pants suits are acceptable. There are still a handful of older male judges who believe that a skirt suit is the only acceptable attire for court appearances, while many women – particularly younger ones – feel that pants are more appropriate and conservative. Attire for last-minute unplanned court appearances are a special category, consisting of the conservative jacket kept in the office just for this purpose worn over whatever the lawyer had on that day. Sometimes the results are pretty hilarious from a fashion standpoint.
