As you know, first impressions count. According to an article in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, the outward appearance and what you wear is a top factor in how you’re perceived by others. Among others are a firm handshake and a good posture.
As an attorney, you always want to look understated, professional and dignified. You don’t want to be perceived as flashy, dandy-like or fashionable. After all, you want to be respected as a man of the law and not that guy who’s just known for his colorful outfits. At th e same time, you don’t want to be like a cartoon character who wears the exact same thing every day.
Please watch the video as it contains visual details not outlined in the written guide and check out our guide on business attire dress codebecause it will help you dress better in your profession.
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This guide is about what to wear at the office, when you meet clients and what to wear in court. If you want to learn how to dress for a job interview as a lawyer, please check out this guide. Of course, if you work in environmental law, or if you have a lot of musicians or artists as your clients, your dress code will be more relaxed.
A suit is the hallmark of a lawyer’s wardrobe. An ideal suit would be asingle-breasted one, with a notched lapel. Ideally, you have some cuffs at the bottom or you can go without a cuff, maybe you want pleats, maybe you just want an iron crease.
Overall, a two-piece suit is a good way to start. If you want to be a little more formal, you can add a three-piece suit using a vest out of a matching fabric. If you’re just starting out I suggest you stick with single-breasted suits because they’re the standard.
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Double breasted suits are very traditional, they’re very classic and they’re a tad more formal than single-breasted suits. They also work really well for people who have a v-shaped body. However, some people may interpret them as being too overpowering and too Wall street-like so be careful when you invest in those. I think double-breasted suits work well with a softer fabric such as a gray flannel. When you’re just starting out it pays to invest in a second pair of pants or trousers because you wear them out much more quickly and that way, your entire suit will last you longer and cost less than if you have to buy two full suits.
For a year-round suit, a worsted wool is great. If you want a winter suit, a flannel is ideal, and if you’re in a hotter climate, maybe opt for a fresco wool because it’s breathable.
Apart from solids, a subtle stripe can also be acceptable. What I mean by subtle is maybe a pinstripe in a very plain color such as white, off-white, maybe dark blue or grey.
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Stay away from bold yellow, green, or pink stripes. You want the spacing not to be too wide and bold. The stripe itself should be subtle. So a fine pinpoint is okay, maybe a subdued rope stripe is acceptable too, but a wide chalk stripe is simply unacceptable. Alternatively, you can also go with a Prince of Wales check. I suggest going without an over plaid. It’s a very classic pattern and it’s appropriate as a lawyer if it’s very fine. Ideally, you want to stick to a 100% natural fibers because artificial fibers make you sweat and uncomfortable during the day. A 100% wool or maybe some additions of cashmere to make it softer are what you want. Keep in mind, heavier fabrics will always drape better and look better on you than thinner lightweight fabrics. So if you work mostly in an air-conditioned environment, go with something heavier and you would always look more elegant.
In terms of suit colors, you want to keep it professional, so navy blue and charcoal are your friends. Black is usually something worn at evening events, or for funerals, not at an office. Some will even argue navy or blue are better than grey because it connotates truth. In my opinion, both colors work very well.
Apart from black, ideally, you should stay away from brown because it’s too casual of a color unless you may go with a very dark charcoal brown. Green is something I would always avoid just like any other bright colors when it comes to suits. The reason being, you always want to look professional and bright colors have a tendency to make you look like a joke and people won’t take you seriously. Apart from that, they’re also a distraction and not really serving your client.
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The only exception to bright colors is seersucker. In many courtrooms across the country especially in the south, seersucker is an acceptable material, so if you do that, go with a classic blue and white and try to tone down the rest of your accessories. Make sure you always wear a dress shirt and not any kinds of polo shirts. You want a long-sleeve dress shirt, never short sleeved ones.
Ideally, you have barrel cuffs with buttons or French cuffs or double cuffs for cufflinks. In terms of colors, white and light blue are your staples. You can play around with the textures, have subtle stripes, waffle weaves, twill, plain weaves or whatever you want, maybe even some contrasting stripes, but make sure they’re not too bright and everything looks subtle and professional. Also, avoid extremes, that means no extreme cutaway collars, no seventies collars. If your face is round, ideally go with a more closed collar. If you have an oval face, go with a slightly more spread collar.
As an attorney, you want to wear neckwear. Traditionally, it’s a necktie. I would stay clear of bow ties because they’re a little too flashy. Of course, you should choose the right tie. So forget all the nineties and the hand-me-downs from your uncles because they look very dated and not professional. You always want silk ties either printed or jacquard woven and stay clear of textured materials which are great for a casual wardrobe but not for a lawyer’s professional wardrobe.
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In terms of colors, tones of red, burgundy, navy and blue are best. Alternatively, you can go with other subdued colors such as maybe a bottle green or a very dark orange or yellow. If you want to, maybe even a very dark purple. In any case, you want them subtle and not bright. Stay clear of shiny satin ties because they make you look cheap. Instead, the best solid tie for a lawyer is a grenadine tie. It adds texture to your outfit without being too bold or overly different. You also want a tie that is exactly right for your length because ideally, it should end just above the waistband. Unfortunately, it’s very hard to find ties in different lengths and for that reason, we designed a short, a regular, and a long tie so no matter your height, we offer grenadine ties in all kinds of colors appropriate for lawyers in the exact right length for you.
If you want to go with a stripe, I suggest a classic repp stripe in subdued colors works. You may also go with a polka dot or a pin dot tie but make sure it’s not too large so it’s all proportional and attractive. Alternatively, you can wear subtle patterns such as a Glencheck or Macclesfield neats which are small micropatterns that are recurring.
Stay clear of bold colors, bold patterns, and any kind of cashmere or wool texture, or maybe even shantung or dupioni silk because they’re not really appropriate for a lawyer. Also, nothing says I’m an investment banker as much as an Hermès tie with little animal critters on them in pink, and bold yellow, or turquoise. Stay clear of those ties. You’re a respectable lawyer.
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Another tie that is very underrated for lawyers is the silver and black tie. It’s a very formal tie at the same time it works well with navy, blue, charcoal, and mid grays. It works well with all kinds of hair colors and it’s just a wonderful tie for any kind of formal occupation such as an attorney.
No attorneys outfit is complete without proper over the calf socks. A lot of lawyers out there wear short socks that expose their calf. Not only is it unprofessional, but nobody wants to see your exposed leg hair. The golden rule is to pair the color of the socks with a pair of your pants and your suit. The problem is, it’s very difficult to match because there are hundreds of shades of navy. To avoid this issue, you should go with a pair of two-tone socks that has either two-tones of gray or two-tones of blue and that way, it works with any kind of suit color and it always looks stylish yet subdued and understated. My two pairs of go-to socks for lawyers would be the
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