London law firm tells staff to don high heels to show femininity
How much is too much skirt? How low should your blouse go? Are stilettos a no-no? Apparently not, according to a top law firm in the City who has advised its female staff to wear heels and skirts as a show of 'femininity'. Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer has gently suggested the female lawyers in the firm wear stilettos with skirts as opposed to trousers to 'embrace their femininity'.
However, although accentuating your leg length is highly recommended, necklaces are to be avoided for fear of drawing attention to the bustline; yes, really.
One of the oldest firms in the City, Freshfields has felt compelled to hire image consultants to offer honest opinions on workwear at the 2,400-strong company.
We wonder how the staff feel about that…
According to the firm, it has been offering the image-changing course to staff for some time now and 90 staffers have taken the course in recent months.
'It's basically a session on how to project a professional image within the workplace,' said one spokesman for the firm. 'It's advice rather than a list of dos and don'ts.'
Lucinda Slater, who used to be a lawyer but now runs image consultancy firm Best Foot Forward, explains: 'It helps them stand better and gives them height.'
Another source from the firm suggested that developing a 'Freshfields look' allowed staff to stand out from the sea of grey suits in lawyer land.
It beggars the question, if you make it into a top city legal practice, shouldn't you already know how to dress the part..?
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