Bruce Oldfield is the first to admit it. “One doesn’t necessarily think of McDonald’s and chic in the same sentence,” the designer-to-the-stars said cautiously as he sat in the Cannon Street branch in London of the fast-food chain yesterday. “But my aim was to design a uniform that was exactly that.”

Unveiled in London yesterday, and soon to be introduced to all the company’s 67,000 employees in Britain, Oldfield’s new collection of McDonald’s uniforms features sharp suits, kick-flare skirts, flowing scarves and every variant of “neutral” in the spectrum – from biscuit to beige.

“I could have picked out lime green highlights,” said Oldfield, gesturing at the lime green lights, walls and seats. “But I think that might have worked for a week.

“I wanted to do something that would stand out, but without being too quirky or too eccentric. Eccentricities are fine for a photo shoot but then the reality kicks in.”

Reality is not something that tends to feature in the glamorous gowns Oldfield has created for the likes of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Charlotte Rampling, Sienna Miller and Diana, Princess of Wales. But for the past 18 months, the British designer has been forced to consider the sweaty, greasy practicalities of work in a burger bar.

He has found himself designing sleeves short enough to avoid tomato ketchup, machine-washable ties and size30 skirts. Almost entirely out of polyester, he has created a vast range of sartorial options to cover every body type, every preference and every job. The new uniform’s wearer guide features 17 pages of clothes and accessories, including aprons and baseball caps for the kitchen staff, waterproof trousers and fluorescent jackets for the litter patrol, and maternity clothes for the pregnant.

“It was a big challenge,” Oldfield said. “I had to come up with something that would work for a huge range of sizes, shapes and ethnicities.

“But I’m very, very pleased with the result. It was great to walk in here this morning and see all these kids running around wearing my uniform.”

Among the “kids” was Sarah Bailey, 32, the manager of a McDonald’s outlet in Stoke-on-Trent. A McDonald’s employee of 13 years, she has been through four changes of uniform, and says that this is by far the best.

“It looks so much more professional and the quality is much better,” she said. “It’s fashionable too. I see this kind of skirt in Debenhams.”

Shad Ruhana, 17, was so tiny that the skirt hung limply from her hips. But she had been working at McDonald’s for only a month and was thrilled with her timing. “It’s very beautiful,” she said shyly.

“The feedback has been very positive from our staff,” said David Fairhurst, the chief people officer at McDonald’s UK. “From our research we have learnt that the staff feel more confident in their new uniforms and the customers treat them differently.”

The uniforms will cost McDonald’s £2.5 million this year, and another £2.5 million every 18 months when they will be “ethically” disposed of and replaced with new ones.

But at the Cannon Street McDonald’s in the City of London yesterday, few customers even seemed to notice the change – or to care.

“I guess it’s more presentable,” said George Dhanda, a 24-year-old student. “But as long as I get my food, I don’t care what they’re wearing.”

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