Acceptable attire in the workplace - law firm bans fishnet tights

05/06/2008

Who would’ve thought a pair of fishnet tights could spark such a debate! Last week, an unidentified law firm's banned women from wearing fishnets to work, saying that female lawyers in fishnets distract male colleagues and look unprofessional.

An employee of the firm, thought to be based in London, blew the whistle on the ban by writing on the law website legalweek.com. Since then, a row has broken out across London's law firms.

From a recruitment perspective, Beverley Smith-Jagger, director of Sellick Partnership, Liverpool, said: “The workplace is changing and it is a refreshing change to see ladies wearing business attire which is different to the traditional business suit. It gives them an opportunity to express that they are women in business and not women trying to look like men in business.

“If someone feels good in what they are wearing, this will have a positive impact on their confidence, which in turn will help them perform better at work. As a recruitment specialist, our advice would be to be smart and conservative at interview stage, and once you’ve got the job, you can always experiment with being an 'individual' if appropriate.

“That said, what you choose to wear will largely depend on what industry you work in. If, for example, you work at a chartered accountants, it’s safe to say that you’d be expected to dress more conventionally than if you worked in fashion.

“In any case, fishnets may look very smart with a knee length pencil skirt suit and smart heels, yet they’d be inappropriate if worn with a miniskirt and low cut top.”