Designer gives lawyers a right dressing down

DRESSING casual came under fire in Masterton yesterday when top fashion designer Karen Walker socked it to the room full of lawyers about how to dress and present a professional image.
For the men, novelty ties, short-sleeved shirts, pale coloured socks, cheap jackets, and quarter-length cargo pants, were among items slated by the New Zealand born designer. She also cried down flashy fake watches and "puffy ill-fitting shirts."
Ms Walker entertained the 100-odd lawyers in Masterton for the national law conference as she gave her opinion of New Zealanders' approach to dress and of the worldwide trend to dress down.
Aiming her message at the legal profession she said people expected "trustworthiness, dignity and respectfulness."
"You are offering a quality product and everything around you should state quality," she told them. "Nobody wants to see their lawyer with collapsing shoulders and cheap shoes."
Cheap shoes got a special hammering. "If in doubt go for a classic brogue, one pair in black and one in brown." Men's socks should always be black, matching and never with a gold top she added.
"Not that socks should ever be visible because if they are, your trousers are too short ? another bad look. She also advised to keep away from synthetic materials and patterns. It feels like the world's wardrobe is made up entirely of street wear."
She blamed technology for freeing up people from the physical office environment and new industries, where it has become quite acceptable to turn up in track pants or jeans and a laptop tucked under the arm.
Coming across the comfortable approach at a "notorious casual Friday" at a high- level government board meeting had her having difficulty keeping a straight face.
"I'd not taken into account that the meeting was being held on a Friday and that the scourge of casual Fridays was to rear its ugly head in the form of track pants and rugby shirts. It was only one step up from what Dad used to wear to mow the lawns in".
"The reality is that everyone looks like a castaway, but they're still stressed out and overworked. On the outside they look like a mess and on the inside, they're even worse."
At question time it was the men who dominated Ms Walker's time for fashion advice. She had touched on women's dress. She spoke of the importance of well-tailored suits for the workplace and would not have a bar of anything cheap.
"With women's suits there should be as much care as with men's in choosing the style. A suit is like a building. It's the stuff you don't see that makes it look good."
"The fusing, horse hair breastplates, taping, wadding and padding. A cheap suit will soon start to collapse on itself."
She loathed the latest women's summer fashion of flounces, fringes and raw edged blouses.
"It does nothing more than look like "crumpled lettuce."