Female lawyers advised to wear high heels and 'embrace their femininity'

Women working at an established legal firm have been advised to wear high heels with skirts rather than trousers to "embrace their femininity".

Female lawyers at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, one of the City's oldest and most respected firms, have also been warned against wearing necklaces as they could draw undue attention to the bustline.

The company, which has 2,400 legal staff, has hired image consultants to draw up the sartorial guidelines in a bid to smarten up staff.



Male employees under 5ft 9in are advised against wearing ditch double-breasted suits in favour of a leaner single-breasted style. Men have been warned not to allow their ties to hang below their belts for fear of drawing unwanted attention to their nether regions. Brown shoes and button-down shirts are also frowned upon as "too casual".

Freshfields, which lists the Bank of England and Tesco as clients, says it has been offering the image course to staff for some time.

A spokesman said: "It's basically a session on how to project a professional image within the workplace. "It's advice rather than a list of do's and don'ts," he added.