Exclusive: BLP bans trainee's fashion advice

A Berwin Leighton Paisner trainee's fashion advice for new joiners has been pulled from the firm's intranet after management decided it was inappropriate.

In the blog, intended to help future trainees dress properly for work, men are warned that skinny ties belong in "Hoxton bars, not the office" and that black suits are only suitable for "funeral attendees and bouncers". As for coloured shirts with white collars: "You are not an estate agent from Chelmsford".

Fashion no-nos for women include wearing a suit jacket as a blazer, which "fools no one and looks sloppy" and picking from Topshop's 'suit' range. The sternest prohibition is reserved for trainers. "Unless you are currently recovering from knee surgery, there is no excuse for wearing running shoes on your walk to work. None. Ever."

A BLP trainee yesterday

But it seems the tips were too much for BLP. A spokeswoman for the firm told RollOnFriday the blog had been removed, because it contained "misplaced humour" (presumably on the basis that humour has no place at BLP). It follows the firm's deletetion of a humorous job ad from its website last week, although to be fair that wasn't meant to be funny.

Click here to read trainee Trinny's guide and discover if you are a wardrobe malfunction.

Comments

Very good advice and it should be read by studes, who need to know. BLP should put it back up.

Wearing trainers when you may be cycling or running to work, rather than getting fat and unfit like so many law firm staff, is something people should be encouraged to do on the way to work.

"There is no excuse for wearing running shoes on your walk to work" - aside from the fact that the high heels most women wear in the office kill your feet and back. But I guess that's not important as long as your legs look nice. God forbit women should choose comfort over appearance.

It's pretty good advice, actually. Seems to me they should put it back up!

Classic inherent elitist snobbery we've come to expect from these types of firms. If the trainees are good enough to get in, they're smart enough to know what to wear. How patronising.

I bet all those partners leaving BLP wore trainers on their last day. You couldn't see them for dust.

A certain G Gekko Esq might take issue with the point about coloured shirts.

Pocket squares and tie bars? She forgot red braces for anyone working in the corporate department.

Ah - this is why they hire the posh trainees. To write the style guides so the plebby worker bees don't make the place look untidy. This article could be subtitled "how to look posher than your secretary". Nice to know nothing ever changes in City law firms...

And no jumpers. Bungle don't like jumpers

To the poster who says "God forbit women should choose comfort over appearance." - So why put the high heels on when you get to work? Always puzzles me that otherwise liberated and modern women freely wear the modern equivalent of the bound foot of ancient China.

In reply to the question above... "So why put the high heels on when you get to work?"

Answer: because you are judged if you do not. I have had two opposite comments about the same clothing outfit (with the same hairstyle and make up). The first day it was "you look really smart today". A couple of weeks later it was "you look a bit too scruffy for the office". The only difference... the first time I was wearing heels and the second I was wearing (still smart) flats.

I have been told by 2 different members of the firm to be 'careful' of my wardrobe because if I'm not judged to fit in, I will not get an offer at the end of my training contract.

Apparently, even a broken foot does not excuse the 'horrendous faux pas' of wearing flats at work.

I suspect this might be the good work of HR, misjudged, naive and clumsy. Nice one - we can always rely on HR to get it wrong!

Ergh; who would take fashion advice from a lawyer anyway. "Buy a suit from M&S"- have you been in there?! Granted Asos and Topshop attire isnt generally suitable for work but button up cream cardigans and pearls?! No. We dont all want to look like Camilla thanks. I would never wear anything that is ill fitting, made of polyester or too short, but I refuse to dress in a trouser suit. I read Vogue and ill take their advice over this garbage anyday.

An unpleasant piece of social snobbery - whoever wrote it will fit in well in the city. Though if he/she didn't understand that this would cause trouble then he/she doesn't have the wit to deserve to stay there.

This is too ridiculous...where does she get off thinking everyone should the same (presumably like her and her buddies). I'd love for someone to ''spot check' her roots on a monthly basis! What a load of elitist nonsense.

Comments

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