Work Dress Code Row Erupts As City Lawyers Told Not To Wear Brown Shoes With A Blue Suit

* Advice was given by an unnamed partner in a City law firm to junior staff Despite a perceived relaxing of sartorial rules in the City over the years, one top law firm has sent out very clear ideas on how to dress for success. The unnamed partner, who was speaking at the ‘Transforming Women’s Leadership in the Law’ conference in London last week, put their foot down and reportedly told trainees “don’t wear brown shoes with a blue suit.” Unsuccessful It chimes with the old adage “don’t wear brown in town”. As one City worker remarked brown shoes are only permissible if it is Friday or you are an American, otherwise colleagues might assume you are “unsuccessful”. The comments from the conference, which were first reported by the news website Legal Cheek, have been met with criticism on social media. Alon Riza wrote on Twitter: “sounds like lack in sense or fashion; or quite possibly both. People should wear what they want. The partner should get out of others’ wardrobes, or just get out more. People see an expert for his/her expertise, not for their dress sense”. Irrelevant Another user, MCarruthers-Watt who described herself as a lawyer said the advice was more suitable for a character in a PG Woodhouse novel: “Probably dates from the same time as de rigueur gloves and hats for ladies and the advice about not wearing “brown in town”. Fine if name B. Wooster but largely irrelevant now!!” There were those who agreed with one anonymously commenting: “That is literally basic good taste. It is in the same league as “don’t wear running shoes with a suit to your interview”. However, the partner may well have a point. Polish A  2016 study released by the Social Mobility Commission reported that investment banks are less likely to hire men who wear brown shoes to a job interview.

It found that bright young candidates were being turned away from investment banks because of their lack of “polish”.