THE VERY NOTION of uniforms is enough to provoke a childish dread in most of us. At best, they conjure up images from schooldays; the starched cotton shirt or synthetic nylon pinafore. But at least they solve the 20-minute dilemma of what to wear. At worst, they make us think of what many working in unglamorous service industries have to put on: drearily designed, functional clothes that stamp out any individuality.
What we may not always realise is that every day we all reach for a uniform of sorts. It’s the failsafe outfit that succeeds in projecting the right image at work or which helps to manipulate a situation to our advantage.
Compared with ten years ago, dress codes have relaxed in the workplace. We have ditched the unimaginative suiting and replaced it with a wardrobe that regularly crosses the divide into leisurewear. But has this complicated our choices? Do we stop experimenting with our clothes and always rely on the same trusty combinations, never evolving our style. What does an open-toe pair of sandals say? Can someone wearing a gypsy skirt ever be authoritative? Will that Jimmy Choo bag really help to clinch a deal? If anything, this freedom ensures that we give even more thought to the impression we create. Three women from different professions talk about the savvy and sophisticated manner in which they can use clothes to deliver a message.
CAROLYN TREVOR
Profession: Architect at Trevor Lahiff Architects
Age: 45
Salary: £50,000-plus
“I like to be practical,” Trevor, an architect and mother of five, tells me, somewhat unconvincingly. Most people might not consider 45 Diane von Furstenberg dresses (at her husband’s last count), 15 pairs of cowboy boots and a wardrobe full of jeans practical, but this is what works for Trevor. On a day-to-day basis, she needs to move freely between her practice, in the basement of her South London home, meeting prospective clients, and building sites.
Practical, as Trevor has discovered, doesn’t need to mean boring. “I am always being lectured by builders for wearing incorrect foot attire — what they call prohibited footwear — on site,” she says, laughing. “But I would never actually wear heels — an Olivia Morris wedge is about the limit — and most of the time I take a pair of boots in the car.”
Fortunately for Trevor, a fashion aesthetic can be indulged when she meets clients.
“I need to look smart but also stylish. Otherwise, why would anyone be inspired? Because I work for a private architecture firm, I can afford to be that little bit more casual and funky, so if I’m meeting clients, I will wear a smart jacket, jeans and a pair of boots or a DVF wrap dress.” The black Zara and Joseph suiting that she professes to wear occasionally sits lonely and unloved on her wardrobe rail. Trevor, it seems, can’t actually bring herself to wear any of it. “When I started accompanying my husband, who is my business partner, to client meetings, I used to wear a lot of black trouser suits and you know what? They thought I was his PA.”
So what does she wear on a typical day? “Usually something quite nautical because navy really suits my olive complexion. I hate anything too matchy, and I shop at Marc Jacobs for a more tailored look, although I love Topshop; there’s probably a ratio of 50 per cent high street to 50 per cent designer in my wardrobe.
“There is a crossover between work and out-of-work outfits, but if I need to change for an evening event, luckily home is only up a flight of stairs.”
TANYA KRIEGER
Profession: English and drama teacher at Acland Burghley secondary school in Tufnell Park, North London
Age: 25
Salary: about £25,000
On the first day Krieger reported to the headmaster’s office, she was mistaken for one of her pupils, who don’t wear a uniform, and turned away for not knocking. “That really made me think about the way I dressed,” she recalls.
Krieger had previously worked as a BBC researcher, where the dress code was relaxed. “I was so embarrassed,” she says, “that I rushed out and bought all these dull, corporate-looking clothes, which felt very dowdy, compared with what the other teachers were wearing.”
Krieger soon realised that she didn’t have to emulate Miss Jean Brodie to command authority. “Management wear suits but because of the subjects I teach, I don’t feel compelled to, and luckily there is not a uniform per se for teachers.”
She spends an average of £60 a month on clothes and her high-street wardrobe consists of outfits from Mango, Zara, Urban Outfitters and Primark. A typical day will see her in “a lot of black” (trousers or jeans), because “it’s easy and I start at 8am so I don’t have to think too hard in the morning”, as well as a wedge heel to add height to her 5ft 2in (1.57m) frame. To brighten things up, she sometimes ventures into colour and will funk up an outfit with layers of beads and bangles. “I rarely wear skirts because they’re not always practical for rushing around during drama lessons or up and down endless flights of stairs.”
Krieger remembers that before teaching, she dressed a little younger, funkier perhaps. “I have to be careful of what I wear,” she says. “My form class is all boys, so I’m not going to choose anything too revealing. In any case, when you’re also surrounded by sixth-form girls, who are so slim and mix and match everything so artfully, it makes you think, ‘Why bother trying to look cool?’ It can be hard when you’re trying not to dress like your pupils, yet trying not to conform in a conservative way. I think that I’m still able to express myself within those boundaries.”
KATE WOOD
Profession: Equities trader at Bridgewell
Age: 29
Salary: Six-figure
Equity sales trader, Kate Wood, might not share the practical or financial constraints of a teacher or architect but she is restricted by the predominant male culture and protocol of a City dealing room.
To be noticed but also be taken seriously, Wood needs to look groomed (waxing, manicures and pedicures are all on the agenda) yet still conservative.
But does that mean a lifetime of unidentifiable greige? Not in Wood’s case. She clearly enjoys an idiosyncratic touch. “My skirt or trouser suits might be neutral, but there will always be some detail that differentiates them from being just another boring suit, whether it’s a subtle pinstripe, a check or a sexier, waist-defining cut to a jacket.” The 5ft 9in brunette refuses to dress like a man to blend in: “If I’m going to wear a skirt, it’s just above the knee although never too provocative.
“I do hate shopping though, so I tend to do it in one big blitz. I have a great relationship with the sales teams at Matches and Selfridges and will buy around three skirt suits, three trouser suits and an armful of shirts each season.”
Preferred labels are Alexander McQueen and Dolce & Gabbana for “the great tailoring” and stiletto heels (because Wood can’t resist a sexy shoe) come from Jimmy Choo, Gucci or Dior, although, “open-toe sandals and wedges are definitely out” because they are a little too frivolous and give the wrong message.
Her weakness is bags. “They can really make you stand out and add that something extra.” Wood will happily buy four or five bags a year (Gucci, Chanel and Céline) at £400-plus each.
“I don’t do the high-street for work, (although out of work, I definitely hit Topshop like everyone else) because my clothes have to be really well-made to get me through a very long day. I have a 7am start, see clients on a daily basis and am expected to socialise during the evening up to three times a week while still looking slick!”
