Suits out, sequins in! ‘Diva of Divorce’ Ayesha Vardag reveals new firm dress code which encourages lawyers to express themselves with gold leather trousers, scarlet Dr Martens and even pink hair
Inspired by extravagant private member’s club in London’s Mayfair

Top divorce lawyer Ayesha Vardag has dropped a dress code update, encouraging staff at her law firm to express themselves with gold leather trousers, scarlet Dr Martens and even pink hair.
In a memo sent to staff, the self-styled ‘Diva of Divorce’ who runs family law firm Vardags said “times change” and her firm must keep moving.
“There was a time for our dress code with double cuffs and cuff links, formal dark suits and jackets — but now business suits are so much the domain of bankers and estate agents that they’re eschewed by some of the funkier London clubs,” said Vardag.
Her firm will adopt a dress code more like Annabel’s, a high-end private member’s club in London’s Mayfair, with the essence being “elegance”.
The update comes over three years after Vardag told staff to dress formal and ditch cardigans in an incredible 1,000-word dress code memo leaked to Legal Cheek. ‘Vardigan-gate’ made national headlines at the time.
Whilst “still formal, still absolutely top-end and appropriate to the luxury market with which we engage”, Vardag told staff they can ditch the ties and dress in a way that will “bring your personality to work”.
“Day to day if you fancy an electric blue sequinned jacket and gold leather trousers, if you want pink hair or scarlet DMs, if you want a purple velvet jacket, that’s all good,” said Vardag in the dress code update, which she described as “non-gender-specific”.
Perhaps reassuringly to some staff, Vardags added: “You can still wear your suits if you like (and probably need to for court, more or less).”
Vardag also added a list of fashion faux pas for staff, which included: “Not scruffy or ungroomed, not hoody-techy (except for the techy people, who I appreciate are hard-wired to wear hoodies), not trashy, always in good taste…”
Despite this, Vardag said she wanted her staff to “be as wildly fabulous as you feel like, and express yourselves to the full”.
Vardag’s original dress code, which was sent in July 2019, encouraged female staff to aim for “a Chanel/Dior/Armani look” and for men, “it’s a Savile Row look we’re espousing”.
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22 Comments
Miguel the third earl of Mayfair
Dr Martins?! This isn’t Shoreditch. This is Mayfair darling!
Mee Ow
Aside from the crass socioeconomic bias obvious from the memo itself, (Annabel’s? Really what is this 1989?), one can only assume this is a tragic piece of PR puff given the publicity the last memo received. However, while they say all publicity is good publicity, this should send warning lights flashing to clients and prospective staff alike. Still, at least the firm do not have dress like BA cabin crew, which is the look the managing partner seems to have perfected.
Anonymous
This is what a midlife crisis looks like folks.
Calm Down
Bit harsh. On midlife crises.
Anonymous
The fact that Vardag is concerned more about the dress of staff then the profitability of her firm speaks volumes in and of itself. Did I just say profitability? Who am I kidding…
Anon
I do most online meetings naked from the waist down. Clients have never had a problem. Nudity is in.
Omg
So tacky.
Ex DWF (don't tell anyone)
Great idea. As a lawyer I think this is refreshing. Humans seeking legal advice from humans. Rather than penguins in suits.
Pingu LLB(Hons)
I have a thriving client base, thanks.
MC Trainee
Yeah me too. This says: ‘we don’t care what you look like, we care that you can draft’.
👩💼
It’s not humans seeking legal advice (most of the time) though, is it? The clients are companies, with their own brands and reputations, looking to be represented by a law firm.
Wear double denim to your first trial though, let the judge know your thoughts on slaying and looking fierce. Best of luck to you
MC Trainee
Mmm the major shift in workwear post-covid makes it obvious the humans that are in those rooms don’t really care if you’re wearing a full suit. The only ones left caring are in this comment section, apparently…
Sure
By the sounds of it you’ve had less exposure to meeting clients than the print room.
MC Trainee
Slay!
And to all the chads who are trying to argue this kind of dress code and a profitable firm are a dichotomy, we see right through your motivation and you’re the reason we need more moves like this…
Comment Standards Board
MC Trainee or teenage TikTok grime hopeful? The language strongly implies the latter.
MC Trainee
Thank you Comment Standards Board for presenting using the word ‘slay’ and being a trainee @MC as a dichotomy. Comment Standards Board, you did not slay today, and we see right through your motivations too.
Coco
From the photos I’ve seen, getting fashion advice from this lawyer would be like getting financial advice from Kwasi Kwarteng.
Realist
Cringe, cringe and more cringe. No clients will take you seriously with pink hair. I appreciate that big law doesnt much prioritise personality but tough s**t. Blend in, get paid, leave.
MC Trainee
Look, I appreciate that some clients are still very conservative but overall the world has changed since the 90’s and (at a bit of a delay) so has commercial law in London. There absolutely are the odd one or two blue/green/pink haired trainees and they’re doing their jobs amazingly and bagging their NQ offers like the rest of us. Obviously always be on the conservative end when you join and don’t risk it until you’ve tested the waters, but posting comments that make it sound to prospective TCs as though they’re walking into a soul drenching profession where it’s a mischaracterisation at best is doing more harm than good.
Realist
Let’s see if you get retained.
Nope
No-one with pink hair would get near a meeting with any of my clients.
Law School
Grotbags
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