Dressing for success as a woman in the legal profession
In summertime, village cricket is the delight of everyone. Unfortunately for law students, most of us do not spend our summers on the idyllic cricket field. Instead, many of us will be joining the workforce from May to August, sadly spending our hard-earned vacation time trapped in the office.
Many employers are asking students to work in-person at the office instead of working from home or working hybrid this summer. As we shed our comfy sweatpants, oversized sweaters, and ratty t-shirts and leave the non-judgemental space of the law school, we need to know: what do we wear to work?
For guys, this is relatively easy. Just wear a suit. If your workplace is less formal, you might not even have to wear a suit jacket. Nice.
Women, on the other hand, are subject to different standards. Let’s be real. We could theoretically wear the same suit every day, but it would probably raise some eyebrows. “Business casual” for a woman means something different than for a man; we’re allowed more “flexibility” and don’t have to wear long pants in the summer, but we’re also expected to be stylish and modern, formal and fashionable—and expected to make it look effortless.
For women who’ve never worked in corporate before, these new expectations can be daunting, and, even worse, they can be expensive. Getting a work wardrobe together, even a relatively simple one, will cost you. Plus, women’s fashion changes often—a practicing lawyer I spoke with suggested that trendy styles change every three years or so, while a man’s classic-cut suit can keep forever. The viral, perfect-for-the-office pants you bought for your 1L summer could be out by the time you write the bar.
Yet, despite the struggle, clothing can also be a source of confidence. When you’re comfortable in your own clothes, you’ll feel more comfortable at work. And when you’re navigating the unfamiliar ins and outs of being a summer student, you need all the advantages you can get. A good outfit can serve as professional armour, something that establishes that you know what you’re doing and underscores that you are not a woman to be messed with. There’s something to the phrase “dressing for success.”
So, where do women in law buy their clothes? I attended Women & the Law’s Professional Networking Cocktail Event on March 9, where I polled practicing women-identifying lawyers and judges for their favourite brands and their fashion advice.
Some of the brands listed below are well-known, but there are also some hidden gems. Here are all the brands I found, along with some of the comments I’ve collected. The prices can vary, so take a look and see what works best for you:
Clothing
- Aritzia
- Athleta (A lawyer explained that this is Gap’s athleisure line, but they also have business clothes—meaning the clothes are machine washable, stretchy, comfy, and have pockets.)
- Banana Republic
- Club Monaco
- Dynamite
- Eloquii (A lawyer highly recommended this plus-sized brand. They’re based in the United States, so you’ll have to pay for shipping to Canada.)
- Everlane
- Ever New Melbourne (A lawyer compared this brand to Aritzia, but better quality.)
- Femme de Carrière
- Joe Fresh (This surprised me, but a lawyer said they do have business clothes, although they can be pricey.)
- M.M. LaFleur
- Massimo Dutti (A lawyer mentioned they have good sales.)
- Reformation
- Simons
- Uniqlo (A lawyer mentioned that offices can get cold, so she recommended layering HEATTECH, Uniqlo’s base layer line, under your clothes to stay warm.)
- Zara
Shoes
- Steve Madden
- Stuart Weitzman (A lawyer’s advice: always wait for a sale.)
Accessories
- Kylie Jenner lipstain (A lawyer said she wasn’t normally into influencer makeup, but this lipstain won’t smudge on the inside of your mask.)
- Sheertex tights (A lawyer said the cost of buying new pantyhose can add up, and these do not rip. I was told to stock up during their Boxing Day sale.)
One lawyer also suggested checking out online forums for more suggestions. Reddit and Fishbowl have discussion boards for professional women, and there are often threads with advice on office fashion. Instagram and TikTok can also be good resources if you can navigate the right discussion spaces.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel, though. I spoke with a judge who’s been on the bench for a while, and she said that judges wear whatever they find most comfortable under their robes, even if it’s not the most fashionable outfit. Who knows—one day you could find yourself getting appointed to the bench, where you’ll be able to flex the “casual” part of business casual under the cover of an oversized robe.
As a final note, the gendered expectations around fashion in the modern office are definitely outdated and sexist, creating social pressure for women in the workplace. Things like WFH (“work from home”) and the ongoing movement towards more comfortable, inclusive workwear are certainly making things better. After all, we’ll be able to do our best work in clothes that work best for us.
