Chronology v. status

My exams and papers being over (w00t!), I engaged in a little retail therapy the other day. (All hail outlet malls: 4 sweaters and a tank top for about $82! hooray! now if only I could find shoes...) And it got me thinking: I am in this weird social space where my chronological age doesn't match my status in my profession. I should not be dressing like a partner, but many women my age who went straight into law are now partners. I also shouldn't dress like I think I'm 25, but I share the same status as the 25-year-olds.

It's probably not all that big a deal for my summer gig, since the firm I'm working for is decidedly business casual (male partner my age was wearing a polo shirt and khakis during my interview). But it's still kind of a conundrum.

(This post partly inspired by this post, which I thought was kind of interesting.)

Comments

[Seeking Solace]

Yeah, the problem is that 25 year olds always win. :)

It's tough find clothes for the 30-40 something woman. You can't wear the young stuff and you don't want to dress like you are in your 60's. I think the best advice is to stick with classic pieces and be fun and funky with shoes and accessories.

[Thoroughly Educated]

Boy, the first comment on that post you linked to is unbelievably offensive. Glad I clicked over there for a reminder of why I don't want to end up anywhere near anything corporate. For me, MOAR COLOR! (Which, sorry, doesn't help at all with the substance of your post :-)

[Dr. Virago]

That Lawchic chick on the post you linked to was a total bee-yotch! And she would have disapproved of my suits in the early nineties -- I had a *purple* one! The horror! I loved that damn suit, but she would've said I looked like the paralegal I was. (But it probably did look cheap -- it *was* cheap.) But that was the only brightly colored one I had, unless you count the navy and pale yellow window-pane plaid jacket (with navy skirt) or the dark avocado and olive green jackets.

But nowadays I have the same problem you do, in a way, even though as a tenured prof I have the equivalent status of a junior partner. My sister used to complain about this: it's really hard to find professional clothes for our age bracket. Either you dress like the 25-year-olds or you dress like a "woman of a certain age."

I think Seeking Solace has the right solution: go younger with the accessories.

[New Kid on the Hallway]

Well, the upside of the comments at the other post is that the other commenters all jumped on Lawchic as well!

And it is kind of a limbo space for clothes, being our age. The funny thing is that the "classic" pieces are kind of "younger" in status, if by classic you mean "not bright and colorful."

I really love plaids or pinstripes with color in them. Mind you, I don't own any of these (yet), but I love them.

[Historiann]

I think Seeking Solace and Dr. Virago are right about using the shoez and accessories to jazz it up. But, I don't understand why you say you shouldn't be dressing as a partner. (Well, maybe once you graduate next year, that is.) Shouldn't you dress like the other women attorneys approximately your age-ish wherever you work? So if most of them are partners in their early 40s, then that's what you'll look like.

What's the down side to dressing like a partner? (It seems to me like there's more of a risk in dressing like the 25-year-olds.) Or are you just speaking of the expense of dressing like a partner, because that's out of reach for you until you're a partner too? I'd understand that--but then, you're highly effective in the outlet malls, so you could swing it, I bet.

[New Kid on the Hallway]

Historiann, it's an interesting question, but the biggest problem with dressing like a partner is that I won't be a partner, and my sense is that law is much more hierarchical than academia (where there isn't a "dressing like a full prof" equivalent).

I mean, I have no idea yet how this will actually play out in practice. But if one performs one's professional status in the same way one performs other elements of one's identity, it's just that my professional status and my age are at odds. I know the old saying of "dress for the job you want," but part of my approach to this whole new career thing is not to present myself as someone who believes that my previous experience/age entitles me to anything more than any of my classmates, if that makes any sense. I really do not want anyone to think that I think I'm professionally equivalent to people my age (who started law out of undergrad) just because I am their age.

[Z]

I favor dressing like a partner anyway. You'll need those clothes for interviews soon, too, so now is the time to start getting them. Problem: the good suits and things DON'T make you look 60 but they are more expensive. You have to find them discounted. Also seek out Joan Vass and
Eileen Fischer things discounted. They're 30-40 ish and not as formal, so perhaps not partner like. Or: maybe don't aim for the lawyer/banker look yet, but for a spiffy professor look. Female professors of Italian typically have the best youngish elegant business clothes. Search for one and observe, I'd say.

[Z]

This is cliche but I meant to say watch Michelle Obama's clothes http://mrs-o.org/
-- she's not wrong. The blogs and things emphasize the evening wear and dresses but catch the business casual looks. A lot of the stuff is off the rack and not that expensive.