Work requires expensive tailored clothes

[PriscillaPartridge]

I work at a very traditional law firm. I earn very little compared to the partners who impose this policy. Work clothes must be of good quality fabrics and preferably fitted by a tailor/adjusted to fit. I asked if M&S was ok, but was directed to more suitable brands such… some places are £300 a skirt. Any ideas on where to shop for expensive looking but not big ££ clothes?

I’d be inclined to go to M&S and see if a local seamstress can take in/adjust so it looks more tailored. I hardly doubt they will be checking the labels of your clothing and I’m sure you’ll looks great. If they went people wake wrong suits at hundreds of pounds a pop then they need to pay and adequate wage!

Do remember woman I worked with, who was big into fashion, gushing over a coat I was wearing. Told her it was Karen Millen. After a lot of chat, said actually it was from JD Sport!
Unless they’re an expert tailor, who the heck will know what you’re wearing. Just bulls@@t them

When I worked I invested in a suit from Planet and a navy shift dress from Austin Reed. And everything else was M&S but top end of the range. Do they still do Autograph ?

Anyone who judges someone on their clothing is an odd person. I couldn't care less what a lawyer was wearing as long as they were good at their profession.

I haven't worn makeup for decades, and certainly not for an interview. I agree, if they didn't hire me because I didn't wear it then I most certainly didn't want to work there.

I got a work promotion and suddenly the clothing expectations went from Next to Jigsaw. Sales and charity shops or dress emporiums selling on second hand are the way forward. Also, no one is going to be checking labels as long as you look smart and presentable.

My Dad used to work in a Law Firm and used to pay a fortune in suits and shirts until he realised he could get them from charity shops instead.

I'm a lawyer and have never, ever heard of this, OP.

Are you a trainee? If so, just dress smartly, do your job to the best of your ability, and ignore any comments about your clothes. What are they actually going to do if you turn up wearing M&S tailoring? Send you home? Fire you? Frankly I'd like to see them try.

If you don't get kept on at the end of the two years because your face doesn't fit, it's not the end of the world. Learn as much as you can for the two years, go to networking events, work your contacts as much as possible, speak to recruiters and try to get a job with a non insane firm on or shortly after qualification.

If you're a paralegal or a qualified lawyer then just start looking now.

No one can tell you where to buy your clothes.

You work for a bunch of twats.

My friend works for a US firm and gets paid over £200k a year plus bonus. She isn't spending £300 on a bloody skirt.

Say you’re vegan and that’s expensive leather, wool and silk out. It’s a protected characteristic so they can’t force you

That sounds like a drag having to dress so formally and at such cost. Have you a designer outlet anywhere nearby at all. We have McArthur Glen Cheshire Oaks locally,
if not many websites have an outlet section.

Meanwhile i have calls with magic circle lawyers on a regular basis and they 100% do not all dress like this!

Was on with one from slaughters couple of weeks back who was in a polo shirt.

I'm surprised at all the people saying things like "how will they know where your clothes are from" or "buy <cheap brand> and have it altered".

Now, it's true that lots of high end brands (and lots of rubbish ones) are wildly overpriced. You can get top quality tailored clothes for a fraction of the price of most hoity toity brands - say £1500 for an off-Row bespoke suit compared to £5k+ on the Row (back when I bought such things anyway).

However, it's obvious from looking at something like a suit whether it's decent quality. Good fabric looks completely different from cheap, not to mention lots of high st stuff is synthetic blends that stand out like a sore thumb. Proper hand-canvassed, tailored construction is easily distinguishable from mass produced fused suit coats. Plastic buttons just do not look like proper mother of pearl shirt buttons or natural suit buttons.

So yes, if they're the sort who have a problem with you not presenting a high-end appearance to clients and colleagues, they're probably the sort who will easily be able to see whether you're wearing quality. So there's that.

And I think in many cases it's fair enough to make such a request. If you're running a high-end business you need to present a polished image to clients, competitors and to the rest of your team - it's not just about marketing, it's also about maintaining a culture of excellence, and it's important. I've worked for and run such businesses. At one point early on, a boss told me I had to replace my Ford Focus as it wasn't an appropriate car in which to be seen arriving at a client's office. And he was right, it wasn't.

BUT, and it's a huge, huge BUT:

If your boss wants to run a high-end business where staff are held to such standards and expectations, and generate a correspondingly high-end income, Then. They. Pay. For. It.
Either your salary reflects the cost of dressing for your job, or - like some firms I've worked with - they have a corporate account with a Savile row tailor and heavily subsidise your bespoke wardrobe.
If they won't pay you a high-end salary or directly pay for the wardrobe, they don't get to demand it.

I once worked with a lady who'd spent some years as a young associate at a top magic circle law firm. When she worked an all-nighter, she would go buy a new, good quality blouse and suit in the morning and expense it to the client. She soon had an extensive and quality (if off-the-peg) work wardrobe. Food for thought perhaps.

So yes, if they're the sort who have a problem with you not presenting a high-end appearance to clients and colleagues, they're probably the sort who will easily be able to see whether you're wearing quality. So there's that.

I really don't think most clients of magic circle etc care what their lawyers are wearing. I use Freshfields, slaughter & may, A&O on various things spending a lot on fees and couldn't give a fig if they wear a suit or not or where it came from.

At one point early on, a boss told me I had to replace my Ford Focus as it wasn't an appropriate car in which to be seen arriving at a client's office. And he was right, it wasn't.

Its fucking fine! DH is in a senior role working with HNWI and drives an old, unimpressive car. I personally think people who waste money on luxury car marques have no sense so would be actively unimpressed by a fool pulling up in an expensive jaguar.

I once worked with a lady who'd spent some years as a young associate at a top magic circle law firm. When she worked an all-nighter, she would go buy a new, good quality blouse and suit in the morning and expense it to the client. She soon had an extensive and quality (if off-the-peg) work wardrobe. Food for thought perhaps.

I wonder if this is an urban myth, as at both my former and current company we had this very example in our corporate bribery and corruption compliance training (produced by an external company) as an example of fraudulent expenses claiming which will lead to dismissal 😂

Don't you mean Austin Reed.

Well, crack on.

At one point early on, a boss told me I had to replace my Ford Focus as it wasn't an appropriate car in which to be seen arriving at a client's office.

Then your boss can give you a company car or pay for a swanky hire vehicle.

Why do people put up with this tripe from employers?

Yeah, urban myth, I reckon.

Absolutely no way would that be considered legitimate to expense to the client, or not be picked up by auditors.

Everyone I know who worked in the kind of firm where all nighters were likely just kept spare clothes in the office.

On the rare occasion that I've worked all night, I've gone to bed immediately after handing off in the morning meeting, not stayed in the office. No one can work accurately when sleep-deprived to that extent.

Yeah, this absolutely did not happen. As a law firm partner I can tell you there is no way this would be accepted as billable to a client.

Could they have masked it and classed it as something else ?

Committed fraud you mean? Er, nope.

Well in this day and age
Plus I may be biased with influences from the bbc series hustle, and the show the good wife, I'd guess not everyone would be completely honest if they want to achieve X.

Plus would it actually be fraud depending on the details of the wording they used as to how they achieved the item, as the devil is in the details so to speak, sorta like they use creative word salad, so that it's not technically fraud etc.

What now?

it’s quite simple - fees are charged as hourly rate plus disbursements. A disbursement is a sum that you, the firm, have paid, and want to be reimbursed for.

So Jane works 18 hours and buys a new suit in the morning. The bill states 18x Jane’s hourly rate plus £500 disbursement. In what way could you disguise the purchase of the new suit using “word salad”?

By including it as an overhead rather than a disbursement ?