To wear brown flat shoes to a City job interview?

[Neverbrownintown]

Would it mean instant rejection on sight?

It's really a bit depressing to see a thread in 2018 that heels are essential for an interview :(

As long as the shoes match the outfit and are smart, I would wear them. I wouldn't want a job at a place that rejected me for not being in heels!

What colour outfit? Only “brown in town” if they go perfectly with your clothes.

Supermarket shoes that are brand new would look fine.

Or wear flats into town, have a big handbag to put them in once you’ve bought new shoes, nip into one of the many city shops (M&S shoes may do for this!) and get some.

@storm4star I would usually agree but i think the issue here is the colour not the heels. Smart black patent flats would be perfectly acceptable.

A man in this situation wearing brown shoes would be seen as just as unsuitable for a city finace role, as they don’t understand the dress code expectations.

I have literally never heard of this rule in my life. And I worked in banking in the city of London for 10 years.

It is depressing. Why does it matter? Anyone on this thread involved in recruiting and endorsing this nonsense, please, please think again.

I work in finance and have never looked at someone’s shoes when interviewing! As long as they are clean and smart it won’t matter

What the hell is 'no brown in town'? I've just looked round my office (5 minutes from Fenchurch Street, so very much City), and 17 out of the 29 men I can see are wearing brown shoes! Mostly with blue suits, although there is one tweed three piece number and three chino and white shirt type outfits.

Was about to say the same, that's a very old fashioned rule.

It's truly ridiculous. Re the heels, it's discrimination to impose this as a dress code on women at work.
Re the colour of the shoes, crazy. How about if you wore a black suit with a nice dark brown silk shirt and (flat) brown shoes with that? Who could seriously object? Or a black dress with brown flowers on it, and brown, flat shoes, for example. Or a black velvet suit with brown silk boots. Whoa man, you are blowing my mind.

I've NEVER heard of no brown in town!

A large percentage of the commuters who flood past my front door every morning seem to be wearing brown shoes (men and women) , they are all commuting into central London. I was at a meeting at MOJ, Petty France yesterday and lots of brown shoe wearers and very few women in heels

Commuting shoes are the shoes that you kick off when you get to your desk and swap into the smart heels you keep under your desk for carpeted flooring. I don't think you can necessarily equate the shoes which women wear on a commute with what they wear in the office.

I am genuinely baffled by this. I see people commuting to/working in the city every day in a variety of coulours and types of shoes. I doubt most interviewers will notice.

And, as said up-post, if your shoes are so important and more so than your competance, do you really want to work there?

The thing is if it’s an interview which are on the whole hard to get, it is not worth taking the chance and wearing flat brown shoes with your outfit. If you were confident about your choice you wouldn’t be asking. Can you not pop to Next or somewhere

No one follows No Brown in Town in the City, unless people wear bowler hats in your office.

I find the description “city job” irrationally ducking irritating. Plenty of jobs exist in the square mile, from working in next to post boy to receptionist to Tesco checkout. And plenty of companies exist, from media to charities to graphic design, sales, recruitment. It’s by no means all wankers in investment banks. I struggle to understand why anyone who works in the area would pretend it is

@blueshoes they are smart shoes that go with their suits/outfits not commuting ballet pumps or trainers. As I also said I saw a number of brown shoes at the MOJ, Petty France yesterday which isn't renowned for being modern in its dress code, and almost all of the women I work with there wear flats.

Definitely not. As a senior woman in the City, I would expect someone interviewing at your level to look the part. Brown flat shoes don’t meet the standard I’m afraid.

Yes but it’s also civil service which isn’t known for its Dress code FASH84? It’s hardly Goldman Sachs

But as a senior woman in the city, you must have the intelligence to see that what you are saying is absolutely ridiculous?

I'm so so glad that I work for a modern, forward thinking organisation that isn't stuck in the 19th Century. I could not be doing with strange workplace dress codes, like somehow wearing a certain colour or height heel validates me more and shows I'm more able to do my job, nah screw that.

@blueshoes

I went to an interview slap bang in the City today. Navy and white striped dress navy jacket, navy nails, white loafers. If they don't offer me the job I'll have to assume it's because I wasn't wearing heels and not because I looked like an extra from Pirates of penzance

I am in middle management in finance in the City. I can't remember a single time I paid any attention at all to the candidate's choice of footwear. As long as they are not flip flops or trainers, you are absolutely fine. Mmm... don't do socks with sandals either. I myself haven't worn anything with a heel for probably a couple of years now.

Brown in town is a social crime. You can get really inconspicuous black fake leather shoes in most super markets these days. Honestly they will not even notice your shoes so long as they look like they are black leather and polished. Even if they obviously not expensive or fashionable. The kind of person that turns up in brien shoes to an interview is someone who doesn't know how to dress. They are looked upon as a liability whole may turn up on casual Friday in 'smart' jeans. Don't risk it.

I wouldn't feel comfortable interviewing for a job in flat shoes.

However, as an interviewer, I wouldn't discriminate.

Hmm.

Is the issue real, or in our heads?

You wouldn't feel comfortable interviewing for a job in flat shoes? But why? But how?

Contracted all over London in large & small Investment banks. I never wear heels. But... The smaller & older ones are hideously old fashioned so I'd find cheap black for interview. One PA got told off for bare arms in Summer. Which was bizarre as her bosses cleavage was something to behold & she didn't believe in hiding it!