WSJ: On Style: Law Without Suits: New Hires Flout Tradition

Basically, get with the program youngsters. You aren't as inexpendable as you think. And if you don't believe me, just wait for the economy to continue crashing...

Style -- On Style: Law Without Suits: New Hires Flout Tradition --- Young Attorneys' Casual Attire Draws Criticism at Big Firms; A Crackdown on Ugg Boots
By Christina Binkley
31 January 2008
The Wall Street Journal

One of the lifestyle perks law firms increasingly offer young lawyers is the chance to dress comfortably at the office. With "business casual" as the new dress code of record, ties hang in closets and jackets await their day in court at home.
There's just one problem: It can be difficult to get young associates to shift gears and don traditional dress when the need arises. A decade after the dot-com boom made casual Friday a weeklong event, many people under 30 have never witnessed a suits-only office.
Older people have long complained about the sartorial sloppiness of the younger generation. But the divide is stark in the legal profession.
"I share the lament and disgust about the general level of associates' attire," says Tom Mills, the 60-year-old managing partner of the Washington office of Winston & Strawn LLP. "I think it's abysmal."
For young men and women, a business suit is an uncomfortable yoke to be dusted off for special occasions. "Getting up in the morning and putting on a suit is hard," says Sara Shikhman, a 26-year-old legal associate at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP in New York. She says she hasn't worn one in six months.
When associates show up at work in suits, their peers think they have a job interview, Ms. Shikhman says. "Guys don't really polish their shoes," she adds. They go for cool, rather than traditional. "They wear shoes like you might see Johnny Depp wearing to the Oscars." She recognizes that her firm's partners "definitely look more put together than associates, but they also get more sleep than the associates."
Yet in lawyering, half the battle is the posturing. Many experienced lawyers see their wardrobe as a tool to win the trust of clients, juries and judges. Legal associates who aren't sartorially prepared may not be invited along to a new-client pitch or to take a leading role in court, regardless of the office's stated "business casual" dress code.
Mr. Mills says he is partial to well-fitted Brioni suits for himself. He notes that the going rate for new associates in New York, Los Angeles and Washington is $160,000 a year -- enough to buy suits while paying down school loans. Yet all too often, associates show up at work in jeans -- attire that he doesn't condone "unless it's moving day."
When it came time to pick a point person for a plum assignment at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips recently, the New York law firm chose "a polished, professional-looking associate" over a "brilliant" and experienced associate who had been counseled, to no avail, to improve his grooming and attire, says Renee Brissette, a partner at the firm.
The firm opted for someone more presentable to the client, says Ms. Brissette. She notes that associates are often loath to believe their attire could affect assignments or promotions. "Young lawyers don't like to hear that it's anything but their intellect," says Ms. Brissette. She notes that for women, being professionally attired doesn't require a man-suited look: She has a wardrobe of Nanette Lepore suits that are unmistakably feminine without being inappropriately flirty.
Brad Tobin, 25, who is working at a midtown Manhattan law firm, says he is certain that clothes don't affect job assignments at his firm. "Not at all -- it's really based on work product," says Mr. Tobin, who is working part-time while he completes law school. He says he owns suits but doesn't bother to wear them at work.
Law firms are attempting to raise the bar. Some associates at Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft this winter received a note asking employees to change out of their snow boots after young associates began wearing their Ugg boots all day at work, says Ms. Shikhman. A Cadwalader spokeswoman says she wasn't aware that such a note had circulated.
Winston & Strawn brought in a personal shopper from a local department store last year to address associates on how to shop and dress for work. Mr. Mills says that when some associates do make an effort to dress up, they seem to base their look on Hollywood. "You get the TV-woman lawyer look with skirts 12 inches above the knee and very tight blouses," he says. "They have trouble sitting and getting into taxis."
The firm also hired etiquette consultant Gretchen Neels, a former executive recruiter, to give lectures on grooming, dress, and etiquette standards such as where to place one's napkin at dinner.
She says many members of the so-called millennial generation have never been schooled in the traditions that previous generations learned at their parents' knees. Yet these 20-somethings are still being evaluated by old-school bosses and clients. Many members of this generation not only "don't own a watch -- they've never owned a watch," says Ms. Neels. In many white-collar professions, an expensive watch signals success, while a cool cellphone or iPod, though it tells time, signals hipness.
Ms. Neels, founder of Neels & Co. in Boston, has been making the rounds at law firms, as well as law and business schools at Duke, Harvard and other universities. She hears all sorts of complaints from scandalized partners: One young attorney wears yoga pants to work. Another associate blasted out a firmwide email searching for a size-32 belt when an unanticipated court appearance required him to dress up midday.
Ms. Neels notes that business-school grads share law associates' casual sartorial attitude, and she tries to connect the dots between what they wear and how they come across. When she was coaching M.B.A. graduates at Harvard last weekend, she says only about half came in a suit. One young man showed up in cargo pants, and his cellphone rang during the interview.
"What I'm getting from you is that you're a jerk," Ms. Neels told the student as part of her feedback. "Can you see how I'd get that?"
"Yeah, I guess," he responded, she says.
Trial attorney Rosemarie Arnold says young lawyers need to learn that "courtroom drama is all about control." Ms. Arnold represented Joran van der Sloot, one of three men who were with student Natalee Holloway before she disappeared in Aruba. With courtroom appearances in mind, Ms. Arnold spends $150,000 a year on clothes, she estimates. She is partial to Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana in particular and black suits in general.
"Trying a case is like a movie," Ms. Arnold says. "Wardrobe is everything."
---
Email Christina.Binkley@wsj.com.

Pinkberry & The Empire State Building?

AT LONG LAST. The Pinkberry on 3rd Ave. and 26th St. is open!! I wasn't sure at first, because there was no Grand Opening or line wrapped around the block...but a few people were working inside with customers drifting in and out. Is it too cold outside for The Berry? Does nobody know it's opened? Is this 'hood not full of yogurt eating throngs of 20-somethings akin to those on the Upper East Side? This may be a good sign for my neighborhood, however I fear that the masses will descend soon enough. I am trying to figure out how to get a vacuum tube constructed so that the swirly goodness can be delivered through some kind of suction apparatus from the store and into my hands in a "beam me up" instant.

I also noticed that the Empire State Building was illuminated in a similar green color tonight - see the similarity in the following video? Is the ESB lit up in Pinkberry green in honor of the opening? Probably not, a fun coincidence, perhaps.

Showroom Seven Spring Sample Sale

Showroom Seven Spring Sample Sale
LAST TIME ON SEVENTH AVENUE

Monday, Feb. 2 - Friday, Feb. 15
Weekdays & Saturdays, 9 a.m. - 7 p.m.
498 Seventh Ave., 24th Fl. (between 36th & 37th)

Featuring:
A&G Cashmere, Charlotte Ronson, Clarendon, Erickson Beamon, Issa London, Kova & T, Margaret Loves, Orla Kiely, Robin, Romeo & Juliet Couture, Sue Stemp, Sharon Wauchob, Soundgirl, Tara Subkoff for Easy Spirit, Tony Cohen...

Cash, Visa, M/C and Amex
Photo ID required for building access
Ph: 212-643-4810

From The New York Times' Urban Eye, these things seem cool and fairly accessible to the regular people out there. Well, at least for once I have a vague clue as to what they are talking about anyway:

Art That’s Worth the Coat Off Your Back
If you’re really stylish, you can pull off the following together: the popular coat of the season, the barrel-shaped black and white shadow plaid, according to Bill Cunningham, and the sneaker to have, namely Nike’s Horse Pack in zebra-stripe pony skin ($140 at Blue & Cream, 1 East First Street at Bowery; 212-533-3088). Too much?

If you’re the thrifty type, check out the Thrift On! clothing swap at Botanica on Monday night, or stop by the galleryesque Pawn Shop on Ludlow Street. It trades art by walk-ups and stars (Aleksandra Mir, Miguel Calderón and Gardar Eide Einarsson) for cash. Barrel-shaped black-and-white shadow plaid coats — however artful — probably don’t qualify.

Too Many Restaurants Week

Post-holidays, I promised myself that I would cool it with restaurants and take out food, but alas, this week made that nearly impossible. I visited the following restaurants, one being an old standby favorite known as: Les Halles (the one on Park Ave. South).

Les Halles - A great, crowded New York City brasserie that isn't exactly the height of cuisine, but it is solid, consistent, and fun. The kind of place you should bring out of town guests when you want to ensure that they get a real New York City experience without being overly touristy. While not cheap, it is not too pricey. My recent visit included 3 drinks, dinner and dessert and ended up costing me $70 all told.

Benjamin Steakhouse - An extremely nice looking room on E. 41st St. where you can go for your office Christmas lunch or if your aging parents come to town. Good food and service, a bit stodgy for the likes of the Guerilla Shopper, but meat is aplenty in this joint.

Le Miu - A decent sushi joint on Avenue A. I had an interesting meal consisting of sashimi over soba noodles - a new take on an old dish and something I had never had before. So big points for originality. Otherwise, the room was nice but not anything spectacular. Maybe I'd go back - but only if I couldn't think of a better option...

Sugar "Tiny Cafe of Big Sweet Nothings" - This is that long narrow place on the corner of Allen and Houston under whatever giant child porn ad American Apparel is pimping these days. I love my desserts so I love this place. It's not comfortable or convenient at all, but there are endless treats a la Willy Wonka and therefore I shall return.

Te Casan: Spring Arrivals

This Guerilla Shopper is too busy with her day job this week! However, thought you might enjoy the above from shoe innovator, te casan.

Domain Home (furniture): Chapter 11?

Yes, so remember how I wrote the other day about the great armoire I bought on clearance sale from Domain Furniture a couple of weeks ago? Well I got it and it is great. But when I called to find out about getting my "Free Delivery with Rebate" as advertised on the site, I was told that they had just filed Chapter 11 and that if I wanted my rebate I should file with the courts in Delaware!

So while I want my damn $135 back, I am also thinking...might this mean that they will be selling ALL of their stuff at cheap cheap cheap prices in the very near future...a la Bombay Company?

Kids, I think we might just have a recession on our hands.

STICKLEY Furniture: Winter Sale

It may not be known to the public yet, but the Stickley Furniture winter sale has begun right about now. I know this because while I have not bought clothes for weeks upon weeks, I have been intently researching and purchasing furniture and other related items to upgrade my living space. I am also buying additional renter's insurance (as you should if you don't have it! Call the Cafarelli Agency in Smithtown, NY at 631-543-6363 NOW! Seriously, it's cheap and can save your financial life should something like, say, a FIRE destroys your home).

So I traipsed on over to the new-ish NYC location on W. 25th St. right off of 7th Avenue and met with my man Kevin. I am the soon to be proud owner of a new Metropolitan bookcase (see photo) sleeper chair-and-a-half, as well as a recliner covered in upholstery that took me no less than an hour to pick out. And while this stuff is in no way cheap and barely verging on affordable, it is great quality and SO FRIGGING NICE. And with the current sale going on, you really can't go wrong. Oh, and if you want to get an extra 5 percent off, find someone you know who is an interior decorator or architect to send them a note requesting a "professional discount." I did!

Caravan Sale: Jan. 21-31

I wouldn't have told you, but New York magazine's Best Bets did, so I may as well too....

Caravan is unloading Vivienne Westwood coats for $200, Erotokritos Grecian dresses for $100, and men's Blue Marlin hoodies for $40 at the winter sale.

When: 1/21–1/31 (call for store hours).
Where: 2 Great Jones St., nr. Broadway (212-260-8189) and 128 E. 91st St., nr. Lexington Ave. (212-722-7282).

Project Runway - The Avant-Garde Episode

Did you watch Project Runway last night? OH MY GOD. I have to say the Chris/Christian team and the Jillian/Victorya teams produced some of the best designs I have ever seen in the show's four seasons. While I would DIE to own and wear J/V's outfit (black coat), I was happy that C/C won (dress) - they really created a piece of breathtaking art.