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Top 10 Signs That You Dress Unprofessionally

By Aditi Mukherji, JD | Last updated on

Dressing unprofessionally is a concern many attorneys have (or should have). When professionals strut too much of their stuff or commit other fashion no-nos, it can detract from the work and give clients the wrong impression.

Here are the top ten signs that you dress unprofessionally:

  1. White socks. In fact, ditch the black athletic socks during the daytime, too. If you wear dress shoes, wear dress socks. The color of your dress socks should go with your pants, not by the shade of your shoes.
  2. Tight shirts. There's a fine line (of fabric) between "fitted" and "tight." If you're wearing a button-up shirt and catch your coworkers nervously fixated on that button that's on the verge of going AWOL -- your shirt is too tight. This applies across genders.
  3. Plunging v-necks. Though it might sound otherwise, this is also a gender-neutral rule. Don't give a sneak peek at peaks and valleys, and the great beyond.
  4. Painfully skinny jeans. Don't be a hipster nightmare on casual Fridays. When colleagues aren't pondering the Bee Gees, they'll be wondering about your fertility.
  5. Anything Ed Hardy. We get it. You love to reek of Axe, drive your Bmer/Benz with your bros and pound house music. But please, don't be a walking Natty Ice advertisement at work.
  6. Highhh heels. You shouldn't look like you're the one going to be busted in a police raid. A sky-high stiletto might raise eyebrows -- not in a good way.
  7. More "boho" than "chic." Stores like Anthropologie have pretty clothes, but when you go overboard with boho-chic, you might take a turn for the frumpy. Your shirt shouldn't resemble a mini-caftan.
  8. Gaudy jewelry. If you're channeling Michael Douglas in "Behind the Candelabra," congrats on being as fabulous as Liberace, but demerits for being an attorney fashion faux pas.
  9. Wrinkled suits. Ironing is a pain and suits have so many components. But alas, attorneys shouldn't dress like old paper bags.
  10. Bedazzled clothes. We know, shiny is fun. But it's just not professional. Leave the sparkling to your smile!

It's hard out there for an attorney, we know. But whether you're strutting your stuff in court or in an office, let's keep it clean-cut, folks.

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