What Not To Wear ... to Court

Another installment in my occasional educational series on sartorial choices.

This blog had an interesting round-up of comments attributed to judges referencing appropriate courtwear for attorneys -- although appropriate courtwear seems to be always limited to appropriate courtwear for women.

(I will note, though, actually, I had heard a story of male attorneys during a weeks-long trial who were admonished not to wear sports jackets to trial. And there was that patent attorney from the Pacific Northwest who thought he coul go without a tie to the Federal Circuit, which didn't go down so well).

Anyway, I will say that the whole pants suit v. skirt suit thing is a little silly. I wear both, although usually skirt suits. The rest should really be obvious for both sexes --dark, neutral colors, and basically don't wear anything that would make the judge remember what you were wearing rather than what you were saying.

I do have to disagree with the blog author, however, if she thought that high-heeled leather boots with her skirtsuit was appropriate footwear for court appearances. Even if it was winter in the Midwest. There's another, more vulgar term for those types of boots -- and that is not the message you want to be sending to the bench or to opposing counsel.