Choosing what to wear for work or a formal event was never easy, but changing attitudes have actually made things even trickier, writes Eleanor Bradford.
Dress codes always give me the fear. Over the years, I’ve had many epic fails, and now it’s harder than ever to navigate the world of fashion for work or special events.
Recently, celebrity lawyer Ayesha Vardag has dropped her previously strict dress code to embrace gold leather trousers and pink hair, in order to allow her staff to express themselves.
I think I must be recovering from the trauma of regularly getting it wrong on camera for 20 years. When I joined the BBC, I was determined not to follow its boring, unofficial dress code which was, at that time, a Hobbs coat and pashmina scarf (and has changed little since). I wanted to appeal to younger female viewers by wearing the latest looks, but I quickly found out that these did not translate well to TV news.
A fake fur collar looked like a dead ferret around my neck. Tasteful colours looked drab. Bright colours worked much better. (As I write this, I am watching a newsreader looking lovely in a pink trouser suit which, outside a studio, would look like an item from Barbie’s wardrobe.)
I was expressing my individuality, and the viewers hated it. “Your hair looks like it has been dragged through a hedge backwards and your jacket buttons up on the wrong side!” wrote Mrs Middle-class from Morningside.
I also watched young recruits get it wrong. Thinking they were entering a relaxed, creative environment, they would turn up in what was fashionable and comfortable, including vests and miniskirts. “The thing is,” said an exasperated female editor to a pretty young trainee, “I don’t mind the low-cut of your top and you have every right to wear it but (unnamed male correspondent) has now visited our desk five times already and he’s driving me mad.”
Such outfits were also not very practical when the trainees were dispatched to report on a storm, sent into a mosque or asked to climb up ladders on a building site, all of which were a regular occurrence. The trouble is that enthusiastic new office entrants, fresh out of a liberal college environment, have nothing to guide them, except fashion magazines and influencers who promote hot pants and high heels because they don’t think through the practicalities.
Navigating fashion out in the field and at home
Figuring out dress codes takes years of experience. Now that I work with quite a few different companies as a consultant, I carefully tailor my outfit to each one. Some like a creative look, some expect at least a jacket, and some require sensible shoes. A royal visit definitely deserves a brand new frock.
I have learned through bitter experience that fact-finding trips to laboratories require forward planning with matching underwear, especially if visiting with foreign nationals. If you have to strip and change into sterilised suits, you can guarantee your foreign companions have beautiful, silk lingerie, whilst you are there in a mismatched Bridget Jones belly-warmer and bra.
Lockdown also taught me new tricks. The most memorable company tendering for a contract was not the guy with all the answers, but the one who did the Zoom call in a room packed full of electric guitars and amplifiers. Whilst we all assumed that an intelligent-looking bookshelf was best, in reality, it turned out that a wacky room leaves a bigger impression.
And I still feel there’s something dishonest about a blurred-out background on a video call. What is so embarrassing in your house that it has to be concealed by special effects?
I’m not interested in how you’ve accessorised your outfit, I want to see how you’ve accessorised your home office. This is the new way to express yourself.
First impressions still count
Then, just when you think you’re getting the hang of the office environment, the formalwear environment goes feral, too. How lucky you are, men, to be able to fall back on suits and kilts, because, now, even the Jockey Club has relaxed its dress code in order to make its racetracks more “accessible and inclusive”. British racing’s largest commercial organisation is, instead, encouraging racegoers to “dress as they feel most comfortable”. Argghhh!
Heels, a figure-hugging dress and spandex is never comfortable, but it’s better than the pitying glances of other, glamorous guests still observing the old dress code whilst you brazen it out in the wrong “accessible” outfit.
If you are starting out on your career, Hobbs will see you through any situation, ladies, and save you a whole load of hassle
So, from the young woman determined not to be boxed into boring clothes, I have now done a full 360 and rely on a rail full of go-anywhere shirt dresses. First impressions count, and we’re a judgmental lot.
If you are starting out on your career, Hobbs will see you through any situation, ladies, and save you a whole load of hassle. Do yourself a favour and keep the gold leather for the weekend.
Eleanor Bradford is a former BBC Scotland health correspondent and now works in communications
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