Workplace fashion: What works for you?

Even though fashion is something I can enjoy, I don’t usually think too much about it on a daily basis. My office is fairly casual on its dress code, and I’m grateful for that. I wouldn’t mind having to wear a suit or dress up every day, but I’m more comfortable casual and it’s one less thing I have to think (or panic) about.

It seems to me that attire/fashion for attorneys has gotten a bit more casual as a whole. I can’t speak from too much personal experience, but from what I can tell (and based on stories from more experienced attorneys) I think this is the case in many offices.

It seems like most of the shift toward casual has happened in offices where attorneys do not see clients that often or every day, and that makes sense. Why not be comfortable if you can? But attorneys in offices where they see clients daily might not be required to wear a suit every day.

Even court attire for attorneys is sometimes relaxed. I’ve heard that it’s considered acceptable to wear peep-toes to court, although that remains up for debate. (For the record, I think that peeps are fine.)

Whenever I think about fashion and lawyers, I think about an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” (Warning: the link contains a profanity or two) in which a well-to-do older gentleman goes into an attorney’s office in order to have the attorney amend his will. The attorney comes out dressed entirely in denim. The gentleman (who is in a suit) becomes upset with the attorney for the way he’s dressed, tells him that he has a lot of money at stake and does not want an attorney in jeans handling his account. The attorney explains that it’s casual Friday and if the gentleman would could come back on a Monday or Tuesday he’d be dressed differently.

(I don’t do the scene justice, but the kicker is the gentleman dies a few minutes after he leaves the attorney’s office.)

Anyways, what do you think? Do you dress up for work? Do you like dressing up or dressing down at the office? Do you think that attorney dress has gotten more casual, or is it just me?