For guys, how to dress up in banking seems straight forward – a pair of black pants, a pair of black shoes, black suit, matching a shirt, blue or white. On casual Friday, they alternate their blue or white shirts to pink – light pink only.
But for ladies, it can go full range – tricky. So tricky that when I started banking during induction week, the HR assigned us a 2 hour session to tell the girls what to wear and more importantly, what NOT to wear.
In 2010, UBS published a guidance of banker dress code of 44-page long! The presentation starts with, “An impeccable appearance can procure interior peace and a feeling of security”
For women:
- Do’s
- Wear your jacket buttoned
- When sitting, the buttons should be unfastened
- Make sure to touch up hair regrowth regularly if you color your hair
- Only when it is very hot, and after confirmation of your supervisor, can you wear the shirt without a jacket
- Skirts should descend to mid-knee and no more than 5cm below the knee
- Flesh-tinted bras are de rigueur to remain invisible under the blouse
- Dont’s
- Eating garlic and onion
- Smoking or spending time in smoke-filled places
- Wearing short-sleeved shirts
- Allowing underwear to be seen
- While blazers are equipped with pockets, they were not designed to contain a large number of personal effects or accessories. Leave these empty, so they do not deform
It has got a lot of criticism from the industry and the bank later took the publication off their site. Maybe the UBS 44-page guidance is an extreme, but some rule of thumbs is good to follow. Below is a collection of rule of thumbs for advice.
- Do not get nuts with colors
- Blouse speaks for itself
- Black blazer is a must have
- Heels? Flats are more comfortable, but heels are our best friend especially when we attend meetings
- Simplicity or fashionable? Go for quality and avoid high street trends
- Do not wear things that are too tight
- Do not wear a coloured bra beneath a white shirt
- Don’t wear poor fitting clothes
- Do not wear “clubbing” outfits
- Do not wear skirts too short
Original article by City Sail blog contributor. All rights reserved.