Suitable Office Atire???

Okay, my brother is an attorney, if he wore hose I would be worried about him. I am an accountant, a professional. I can assure you that you wear stockings if you are wearing a skirt. I think you can be a little more light in a law firm but in accounting if you look like you are going to a funeral you have nailed the look. :)

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She should err on the side of caution until she sees otherwise. I worked in several offices (not law) and did not wear hose, but I know a lawyer who ALWAYS wears hose to court and a legal secretary who always wears hose as well. She can ditch the hose if she sees that it's not a problem or she can specifically ask the woman about the hose. Get a copy of any corporate dress code.

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Wear the hose. If she gets the job, she can take a look around and see what everyone else in her work environment is wearing and go with that. But she has to GET the job first. Wear the hose.

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In most very professional offices, wearing open toed shoes and/or having bare legs is an absolute no-no.
Female attorneys don't show up for court with bare legs.
The dress codes for all the offices I've worked in state that you can't have bare shoulders either. No "spaghetti" straps, no bra straps showing, nothing along the lines of a tank top. Nothing low cut and nothing too short.
No denim.
"Professional and modest".

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Oh definitely she needs to wear hose. My best bud works as an executive at the Mayo clinic and she wears business suits or dresses all week and then she can do slacks on a Friday sometimes. She wears hose withe her suits, it's just life in the exec world. When I was a receptionist at a law firm, it was like 15 yrs ago, everyone wore hose, including me! So I vote yes for hose in a law firm or any executive position. I wish her the best!

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i think she should definitely wear tights or hose. err on the side of caution, definitely. yes it's true there is talk of hose going out of fashion (although kate middleton is bringing hose back, supposedly!) but that is a casual look no matter how you look at it. in a law firm...DEFINITELY hose!

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She needs to dress more formal than she thinks she needs to. Better to be over dressed than under dressed, IMO. This is a law firm, not a construction office. She needs to wear the hose. She can wait until after gets the job to inquire about the hose.

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I have found that my professional friends - CPA, attorneys, etc. wear hose much more often than me and my non-profit, quasi-governmental co-workers.

I think it really depends on the law firm and their standards. If the only thing keeping your daughter from getting this position is her clothing style, and the firm has given her specific feed back on that, then it is time to go out and buy a nice suite, sensible pumps and hose.

What has she noticed about how the other women dress when she has been at the firm, especially how the woman who interviewed her was dressed? She could also, once she has stepped up her dress style, ask the woman for her advice on what to wear and where to shop.

I vote for hose for the final interview - then when she gets the job, she can let them go if the other women do not wear them.

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I think in many places they are a thing of the past. She might just wear them to the interview and see what other women are wearing around the office. I usually go all out in the interview and then determine what's appropriate for the office after my first couple days.

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Well I don't, sorry, but I'm going to say that she should err on the side of hose is this woman specifically mentioned her wardrobe. I mean isn't it better for her to be overdressed instead of under?? I'm sure in the summer/warm months it is probably more likely that women wouldn't wear them but I'm almost certain that in colder months hose, probably mostly tights, would be necessary and fashionably appropriate. In fact, it would seem to be in appropriate if there was cold weather and bare legs! I hope she gets it!!!

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Business Attire ~ NOT business casual...spend the money on a nice suit, hose and decent shoes. You want to impress the boss, dress the part! Black or Navy suit, white blouse, hose, and nice shoes would be what I would wear.

I dress for any job interview in this type of attire and have raised my kids to do the same. 4 are managers at their place of employment, one is in school for her masters degree. However if you asked all of them they would tell you that mom has it ingrained in them!

Best of luck to her, tell her to spend the money ~ you can shop the sales at the department stores. Dillards has suits on sale most of the time, so does JCPenney's, doesn't have to be expensive, just nice!!

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Along with most of the others - wear the hose! Better to wear them than not! You can't go wrong by wearing them. I work in an engineering firm that acts as expert witnesses to lawyers in product liability cases. Everyone there is at least 20 years my elder, some 30. The women (50-60 yrs old) in the corporate expected to see hose, even though it wasn't a written dress code. I dressed for the first few years as people their age would have in an office setting (with a younger look). I didn't do suits (they weren't required), but no open toe shoes, no short skirts (everything was below the knee or dress pants), no sleeveless shirts, (even if they were dress shirts), no low cut tops. I found a lot of my clothes & still do at resale shops. I still don't wear alot of it, I have just incorprated my own spin on the "older" style, so it suits me better. Apparently she is doing well, but something to keep in mind is most don't like "slang" in language or in email. My 66 yr old boss cannot stand it when the Lead Admin in one of our other offices sends out an email with all of these text acronyms in it. Not saying your daughter would or this firm definitely will mind....Just food for thought. Tell her good luck!!!

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I work for a CPA firm and we have to wear hose. I would have her wear it at first, at least, until she sees how others in the firm do.

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I've seen both at larger firms.

I've worked in the legal field for over 12 years now. The only time I wore hose, was meeting at another firm, or a client was coming in.

If she wants to wear a skirt, then nice dress shoes will make a better statement than hose.

I shop for my work clothes at TJ Maxx and Marshalls. I find a lot of basic pieces there, even shoes. Their clearance section is great for deals.

Layering pieces, a nice scarf, an extra punch of color through jewelry can really dress up your basic outfit.

Let me know if I can help in anyway.

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Always dress 'up' in the beginning. Wear the hose.

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Your daughter should ask the potential employer for a "dress code",then she will be spot on.

Blessings....

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It's true that in most offices women do not wear hose. No one in our office does.

However,in a professional service firm (accounting, law) that meets with clients, traditional proper business attire (suits) is a must. When our accounting firm is in our office on casual Fridays, the men are still required to wear a tie.

Reminder - it's ok to be overdressed, but NEVER ok to be underdressed

ADDED - For the interview she needs to wear a suit - pants or a skirt (hose a must with a skirt), a blouse, and a jacket. After she gets the job, she can ask about the dress code policy or simply dress similar to others in the office who are in a similar job.

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I worked for Nordstroms and they made us wear hose from Oct 1st till May1st
I say hose for part of the year!

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I don't, but yes, Yes, YES!!! She should wear pantyhose or tights with a skirt, I'm sure trouser socks or tights with slacks.
Unless this is an extremely casual law firm. (And then they would have never mentioned it in the first place!)

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What are the interviewers wearing?

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My last job was in a nice law firm. I never wear hose, and didn't to the interview or to work. I really don't think they were thinking about hose. As long as you are well groomed and professionally dressed, it doesn't matter about hose.

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I work in an engineering office where business wear is required and hose are an absolute MUST!

Do not forgo the hose and miss the job opportunity!

When interviewing, it is best to err on the side of formality.

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It depends. Google the law firm and try to get an idea of what type of firm it is. Always for any interview wear a suit at a law firm, even if it's the 3rd interview. I worked for a very conservative law firm and had to wear hose and closed toe shoes every day, unless I was wearing pants. I also worked for a law firm that let me wear jeans everyday. And then there was a law firm that was in the middle. I had to dress business everyday, but I could go without hose and could wear open toe shoes. Maybe your daughter could email the woman she's been dealing with and ask for a copy of the companies dress code.

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The moms below are so right, the dark suit is the only way to go for a law office/business setting interviews. It could always relax if she gets the job. That was actually very nice of the hiring manager to giver her a heads up about her clothing, many companies would have eliminated her based on that. Good luck to Anna!

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