June 05, 2004

What Not to Wear

There must be something in the water around here because all I seem to be able to focus on these days is frivolity. I'm having a great time, but let's just say I haven't been splitting atoms in my spare time.

One of my favorite shows to watch is the American version of What Not to Wear. I love watching this show because I am amused at all of the lame reasons people give for hanging onto that bright red sweater that has a picture of two mooses kissing on the front of it (said sweaters are almost always worn by people living in places like Miami).

I was discussing this show the other day when I was at work, in one of our conference rooms, sitting with a bunch of lawyers waiting to start a meeting. I mentioned how much I enjoy the show and someone said, "I don't like that show. The hosts are so mean." I replied, "Actually, that's why I like the American version, because the hosts on the British show are much meaner." A guy seated next to me said, "Yeah, but when British people are mean, it's funny." Point taken.

The conversation got me to thinking about the appeal of the show and why lawyers don't like it, and it hit me -- most lawyers I know could really use this show. Case in point -- the last two women who received wardrobe/haircut/makeup overhauls on this show were female lawyers. The two offending attorneys both made the same fashion mistakes -- both dressed like lawyers (read: clad in all black with big, clunky heels that could double as door stoppers and large, boxy jackets which could cover them and several of their best friends simultaneously). Of the few lawyers I know who attempt to "dress outside the box", few are successful. One woman, who shall remain nameless, used to show up for work looking like she'd been dressed by a color-blind circus clown. She wore a purple and black plaid, ill-fitting suit with bright blue tights and black, misshapen shoes. I'm still considering asking our firm to pay for my therapy bills to recover from seeing that.

That being said, dressing like a lawyer isn't easy (for a woman -- guys have it remarkably easy when their choices are suits, suits and suits). There's this struggle between wanting to look professional and not wanting to look dowdy. Between wanting to look fresh and not wanting to look inappropriate. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the show. A young woman who sells real estate for a living (God help her) was dressing far too skimpily (is that a word?) At any rate, she was modeling her wardrobe for the hosts and defending each article of clothing, when she appeared wearing a short red silk dress which looked like a cross between a kimono and a negligee. She said, "This dress is where east meets west", and one of the hosts deadpanned, "That dress is where hoochie meets mama."

Posted by Kitty at June 5, 2004 05:31 PM

Comments

Post a comment