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?

They can’t do that and if they do impose that requirement then it’s essentially a work uniform which they should provide.

Buy what you can afford- if your hair is neat and your makeup subtle, and your clothes are ironed and the lint has been removed, you will looked polished regardless of the cost of your suit. I’ve bought work clothes from Zara that I’ve preferred to some of my my LK Bennet ones- it’s all about how it fits you and how confident you feel in it.

Not sure if it is still the case but some charities that required staff to attend smart fundraising events as part of their job would proivde a limited clothing allowance.

Do a search find a company overseas who offer tailored suits, negotiate a price and send your accurate measurements. They stitch your name into your clothes. I got a few like this cost me <£200 for 2 trouser suits and matching dresses.

I worked in Consulting, and the dress code was smart business casual. I could have worn Primark stuff, but I'd have felt out of place. I got compliments for my work clothes, without spending loads. I had a skirt suit from TM Lewin, shirts from Hawes and Curtis. A few nice looking blazers from Zara (black as well as colours), nice fitted skirts from Zara, M&S, John Lewis, nice fitted blouses with some patterns or embroidery, loads of dresses from TKMaxx.
Key is to avoid clothes that look polyestery and shiny, and will bobble easily. Go for materials like heavy cotton, cotton blends, rich looking materials. Prefer clothes that have lining, as they look less cheap.

My first post schooling job was at firm like this, but it came with a sign-on bonus so we could afford to start a wardrobe.

I followed the men’s idea and just bought three good suits to get started. With time I added variety with visits to clearance racks and a mix of cheaper stores.

When I worked for a law firm I'd get the odd things in the Hobbs sale and get most of my clothes from Next, M&S and Sainsbury's.

If they want Whistles, Reiss etc (purveyor of expensive polyester) then can give you a clothes allowance.

Law firms are so up their own arse and 25 years behind anyone else. Often a bloody toxic work environment as well. Are there any female fee earners over 35 working there?

So glad I'm in-house. First thing I did was go and buy some more exciting work clothes than the drab shite I'd had to wear in a law firm.

And when I last worked in one 6 years ago no women wore suits and shirts unless they were going to court. Everyone wore dresses and a jacket.

I would be really interested to know who the firm is. I have worked in the legal sector for the last 30 years, yes 20 years ago the dress code was very much tailored suits and shirts (blouses). I always wore a Jigsaw Wool suit, with TM Lewin type shirts, cufflinks, matching shoes to bag and tights (sheer). Nowadays even whilst working for the magic circle firms the dress code is completely different. Last week I went in with the dress/trainer/denim jacket combo so many of us women in our 50's seem to gravitate towards. No one batted any eyelid and I didn't see anyone with a jacket or tie on.

Is this not just a way of saying ‘don’t look a scruff with polyester trousers’?

I second what every one else is saying but the other thing I would add is invest in good shoes, they go along way to making you smart - wear clothes that fit as others say and buy decent to last so plenty of accessories can make 20 or three skirts and a couple of jackets seem endless. Definitely second hand and look for charities with specific work wear sections. Ask around friends and so on if they are having clear outs and then you can afford to spend a little on getting clothes fitted. Skirts are easier to fit than jackets which often need pulling apart to do any sort of tailoring on them. If you are not legal team (trainee or otherwise) you can probably get away with more non approved clothing mixed in with one or two items, just don't buy supermarket as they are often odd materials and poor fitting.

I am amusing myself imagining a similar discussion among men.

I worked in a very old fashioned and status conscious environment nearly 30 years ago-and wore M&S suits.

Presumably you'd have a rock solid case for constructive dismissal if they object to your clothes.

Have you considered working for a different law firm?

Remind your employer how many hours take-home pay an outfit will cost and that they are basically expecting you to work for free for those hours. If you get nowhere, look for a different job.

I only had one friend from law school where there was a focus on “quality”, and that was for a private client firm in the mid 90s. None of the other firms I or friends went to cared as long as you looked smart and professional

This! Especially ' a good leather bag is a must'....

I haven't seen many people rocking a good leather bag since Canary Wharf c2009. It's pretty much all scandi rucksacks.

And frankly if they want to dictate your bag choice they are on another planet.

I worked in financial services and we had an American boss who used to go crackers if anyone wore flip flops walking into the office in the morning before they changed into shoes under their desk.

Ridiculous.

I don't think people do look a scruff in polyester trousers. Much better to have a hard wearing machine washable suit, if a suit is required, IMO. I'd be itching like fuck in wool.

I had a meeting at an office in Canary wharf recently and the women were semi smart. So lots of trousers, chinos, blouses, over sizes jackets, skirts and dresses. Basically people wore deconstructed suits using unmatching separates. Smart trainers and flat shoes and absolutely no heels in sight.

Sake for the men as well, trousers, shirts, no ties and a jacket in a different fabric to the trousers.

As long as you're clean, smart and groomed then that's all that matters. If they want a certain look then that's a uniform and they have to pay for it.

My employer supplies me with a uniform because they want their brand to be represented while we're visiting clients. They don't have a problem with paying for it either.

What your employer wants is a uniform on the cheap.

I was a partner in a very formal accountancy firm and had a lot of M&S and Monsoon in my wardrobe. Basically get a jacket that fits you really well in black or navy (M&S is fine for that but have a look in charity shop in "posher" neighbourhoods like Pimlico St John's Wood and Marylebone High Streets first to see if there is anything that is a good fit there). The buy a couple of skirts in a check or tweedy fabric that picks up the jacket colour but also has another one in it. A pair of tailored trousers that goes well with the jacket - could be a different colour eg red or green if matching is tricky. Blazer styles didn't fit me that well so I had single breasted jackets that I could button up so only needed a plain top undreneath but a blazer looks good with a formal shirt - look for TM Lewin in charity shops.

"good quality fabrics and adjusted to fit" - that says to me something like M&S, and just get it taken in if you need to.

Anyone in your firm who thinks it means fully tailored outfits and designer brands is living in cloud cuckoo land.

If they want you to wear expensive brands then they'll just have to pay for it themselves. There is no obligation on you to somehow rustle up a designer outfit while earning Primark wages.

Ridiculous to imply M&S isn't suitable when for decades it's been pretty much the default for business wear in the UK - especially for men, which I imagine most of these partners are.

Yes, and the earnest suggestions about trawling charity shops/eBay, ‘investing in’ expensive shoes, buying your own fabric and finding a dressmaker, learning to sew…
Why can’t people just speak up and stand up for themselves?

I buy formal workwear and I notice a lot of expensive brands are made from exactly the same types of fabric as the likes of Next and M&S.

It's often not so much the fabrics, but the fit thst makes tailored clothes stand out.

I agree with pps about getting a cheaper outfit professionally altered to fit perfectly. Maybe get things like the buttons changed too as these can let cheaper clothes down. And remove the labels from jackets so no one will see them if the jacket is taken off!!

Specifying brands is bollocks. It’s what it looks like, not where it’s from. There are loads of hideous expensive clothes around.

I would wear M&S and just not tell them where it’s from.

@Tinkerbyebye Frankly, I would be having a loud word with them to point out that where I buy my clothes and how much I spend on them is literally none of their business.

Vestiaire collective. You need to buy out of season for the best bargains and make offers on clothes that have been hanging around for a while.

“Just” to to Leicester with £500 and have 5 suits tailored was a good one