Up for dressing down

While Ash was trolled for her purple lipstick on the red carpet at Cannes, Julia Roberts was applauded for kicking off her heels and walking bare feet on the same patch of red. In another part of the world, a young receptionist in London — Nicola Thorp — lost her job because she did the exact same thing. Refused to wear heels. Fashion rules it seems, can be bent only by a few and the fashion police too, is less or more forgiving of aberrations of the code, depending on who is making the faux pas, when and where. A sartorial slip at a social event may only lead to sharp stares, but those at work may bear more serious consequences.

The fashion industry for obvious reasons, is the most critical of gauche. Snehal Rana, before becoming an independent fashion blogger trained as an intern at a fashion magazine and says, “There was never an official dress code or written memo, but once you started working, you got the gist of it. The saying ‘dress for the job you want’ applied heavily there. A better-dressed person was appreciated. The unofficial dress code spanned everything from clothes and shoes to accessories. It tended to be nerve wracking, dressing everyday like you are going to be on show. Heels were encouraged. Later like any sensible woman, I started carrying my heels in my bag and changing out of super comfortable sneakers right outside the office. No one was reprimanded or sent home, but you did get a reputation as the person who shops off the rack or is a plus-sized woman. Of course, no one said plus-sized, they just said fat. And by fat I mean anyone who is not a size 2.”

But not everyone is as lucky. The public relations industry, in particular could be demanding, as it turns out. Anita D’Souza recalls her time at her PR firm quite bitterly. “It was like more importance was given to looking pretty than getting the job done,” she rues. Her bosses absolutely insisted on putting on makeup and dressing perfectly, even on days when they did not have client meetings. “I once saw a new employee getting publicly yelled at in the cafeteria for wearing pink pants. Some of them were sent to the dressing room to fix their makeup, or even slightly chipped nail polish.”

Fixing a chipped nail polish seems like a breeze when you compare it to what lawyers are subjected to, informs advocate Shreepad Murthy. Thanks to carrying on the colonial legacy, lawyers in the higher courts are expected to wear coats, bands and gowns, come rain or shine. Thankfully, the rules are relaxed for lower courts. “For the longest time, lawyers in the lower courts were expected to wear coats in the courtrooms. It was around 2002-2003, after an agitation helmed by advocate MP Vashi, that the rule was relaxed. The state bar council under the Advocate’s Act 1961, passed a regulation to allow lawyers to do away with the coats during the summer months — March 15-June 30. A band or tie however, is still mandatory.”

The hospitality industry is another area that pays much attention to suiting up. Five-star hotel receptionist, Ananya Chakraborty, is far from happy with the state of affairs. “If the hotel issues you shoes, you have to wear them to work whether they are comfortable or not and by the end of the day, my feet feel like they’ll fall off. Sure, a basic uniform is needed so that you can tell the staff apart from guests, but we even have to have the same kind of makeup and hairstyles. It can be exhausting.”

Thankfully, things seem to be changing outside workplaces, feels fashion writer Marcellus Baptista. Casual clothing at the racecourse for instance, isn’t scoffed at anymore. “One used to have to wear ties or jackets at the private box at the racecourse once upon a time. In the afternoon heat, it was quite terrible. But they no longer enforce that rule. Consulate parties these days also allow the national dress of the country. Besides, I’ve seen plenty of people come in trousers and shirts without jackets, even at formal parties, and they are not sent away.”The same cannot be said about gymkhanas though. They are still particular about closed shoes, but it’s changing. They aren’t that strict anymore.”