“Wear a shirt under your suit that is not too tight, not low cut, not brightly colored, not patterned, not ruffly, and not too feminine.” Panelists at a 2010 “What Not to Wear Fashion Show” co-sponsored by the Chicago Bar Association.
For years the battle of what women should or should not wear inside the courtroom has been a battle. Today there is still controversy over whether women should keep pushing the limit of what is socially acceptable, wearing skirts longer than the knees, plain colors, panty hose and close toed shoes … or relaxing the status quo of what women should be allowed to wear in the court room, giving women more freedom to express each individual style.
There is an interesting factor at play here. Not only do female lawyers come under scrutiny for their clothes they wear from the judges they appear in front of, men in the field who say they become distracted by females clothing choices and the notion from other females that women should dress conservatively … women lawyers are also paid to present a story of another in front of a panel of juries. When a lawyer is presenting the story, Judge Judith S. Kaye, a former chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals, said, “My dress should not be noticed. We should stand out for the quality of our presentation … But if it draws attention, it’s because it looks good, not because it belongs on a beach or Times Square.”
I absolutely love this quote as it summarizes my belief on the topic. Although I am staunchly against pantyhose, I am aware that conservative attire can be the best way to go for women walking into new courtrooms where they don’t know the judge or they are in front of a jury trial. I don’t feel that clothes should be worn for the simple reason to be noticed, but I think that women lawyers can have fun with the clothes they wear, still be professional and able to look good in their individual style and be comfortable in the clothes they choose to wear.
When I found this quote in an article, “Order in the Closet: Why Attire for Women Lawyers Is Still an Issue” which was written by Ann Farmer. A lot of the ideas presented above were sparked by conversation this article started between me and my friend Emma Nelson. In my podcast last week, Emma Nelson and I sat down to talk about an experience she had as an undergraduate Mock Trial student. During one of our trials, a judge commented on Emma’s outfit and you can hear her describe the event in her own words by clicking the below:
Listen to last week's podcast by clicking here and check in again on Thursday for a quick list of 5 tips & tricks to make yourself the best dressed pre-professional possible!!
