Andy Doctoroff, Litigation — "I love

casual summer. I'm more efficient when

h e nose-to-the-grind-

I work in comfortable clothing." He

keeps a suit in the car for court.

Initially, Doctoroff was upset at spend-

stone attorneys at the vener-

ing money on a new wardrobe. "I only

able Detroit law firm of

wardrobe in 20 minutes. "I got two pair

had golf shirts," he says. But one night

he went to Nordstrom and bought his

of pants, a sport coat, a bunch of shirts

Honigman Miller Schwartz

and some socks. It turned out not to be

so expensive." Doctoroff proudly wears

the same pair of shoes every day.

and Cohn are coming to

terms with a new code in

When he invests in a suit, Doctoroff

has it custom-tailored from a clothier in

Boston.

the office — an everyday,

business-casual summer

dress code. This typically

buttoned-down group is

arguing the merits of a work-

day minus the suit and tie.

Herschel Fink, Media law —"I resisted

the casual thing but have come to like

it. I don't come casual most days

because I represent news organizations

and they have emergencies, so I often

So goes the office uniform of the

21st century. Slightly relaxed seems to

be the trend,.with the workplace envi-

have to run to court. It definitely proj-

ects an air of professionalism if you

wear a suit."

Fink admits he can pick out his own

ronment determining the degree of

suits, but defers to his personal shopper

casualness. It seems the dot-corn cul-

shopping. He buys his suits at Neiman

ture created a new look for tomorrow's

leaders.
The folks at Honigman, however,

are faced with a dilemma common to

law firms and other professional work-

(his wife Annette) for casual clothes

Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue, but can

find casual attire anywhere from

Neiman's to the center table at Costco.

His sea green silk shirt is from Cover Up

in Orchard Mall. When the office went

casual, he adds, he even had to pur-

chase a new sock and shoe wardrobe.

places. They move through several

environments in a workday and want to

feel comfortable that their dress match-

es the culture of the environment

they're visiting. They must present one

image in a courtroom and another in a

meeting with a casually dressed client.

While getting dressed in the morn-

Ken Gold, Environmental law — "The

ing used to be easy — a dark suit,

world is going casual, even blue-blood

white shirt, conservative tie — now the

law firms. No one wants to be a stick-

attorneys must invest in a completely

new wardrobe. And most keep the

jacket and tie in the office, for emer-

gencies.
We asked some attorneys to give us

their opinions on the pros and cons of

casual dress. For the most part, the

jury's still out. But here are the argu-

ments:

in-the-mud. We all want to be cutting-

edge." Obviously, Gold loves the sum-

mer casual policy. If fact, he argued for

it. "I get more work done when I'm com-

fortable and casual," he says. He admits

it was an investment, but he'll get lots of

use from his new wardrobe. He shops

with his wife, Linda, who advises him

on how to dress.

Gold likes Hudson's and Saks Fifth

Avenue. He favors patterned socks, and

owns three pairs of shoes. "It's awk-

ward not knowing when to be casual,"

he says. "Unless you know, wear a

suit."

• AUGUST 2000 • STYLE AT THE JN