I personally wouldn't, but if you're not seeing a client that day, I can't imagine that a pale pink dress shirt, as part of an otherwise conservative ensemble, would be completely out of the question. Just make sure it's a pale pink.

I imagine that it would also depend on your location. What would be considered business attire in Los Angeles might not fly in New York. And of course, proper definitions of business attire can vary from firm to firm.

 

Are pink dress shirts acceptable to wear in a business environment such as a law firm? Just curious, thanks in advance.

Depends. Depends upon the firm, your situation, your client, the type of the law you practice, and your activities for the day. Pale pink is always more acceptable, and pink is also more acceptable in summer when things are more relaxed and we are often wearing lighter colors. What you wear with it is also important, because they can make the pink shirt either stand out, or become discreet background.

 

As a rather senior partner in so-called Big Law, I say yes. I think the answer was an unequivocal yes before Big Law went business casual in the 90s, but now the more salient question is whether one must tuck his shirt in.

 

From a law firm partner in a firm that is still jacket-and-tie 80+% of the time, even during the summer, the answer is an unequivocal yes. Probably not a first-day-or-last-day shirt, nor a going-along-to-court-or-closing shirt, but well within the bounds for a day of researching and writing.

 

As a rather senior partner in so-called Big Law, I say yes. I think the answer was an unequivocal yes before Big Law went business casual in the 90s, but now the more salient question is whether one must tuck his shirt in.

And as an assoicate in so-called Big Law, pink shirts are just fine. Unless you are a partner, in which case all of the associates get together and make fun of you. (Just kidding Mr. Petrik!) :icon_smile_big:

 

And as an assoicate in so-called Big Law, pink shirts are just fine. Unless you are a partner, in which case all of the associates get together and make fun of you. (Just kidding Mr. Petrik!) :icon_smile_big:

Oh, they're going to do that no matter what we wear, and understandably so! ;-)

 

Good to hear. I'll be a summer associate this summer and own a nice pale pink dress shirt from Harvie & Hudson. I initially bought it just to wear on my own time for fun but yesterday went to a presentation where a young partner was wearing a nice charcoal suit with a pink shirt and navy grenadine tie and it looked pretty amazing: not stand out fashion forward or anything he made it look pretty conservative.

 

I should also thank everybody for their helpful input on building a great summer wardrobe. It's been a great help.

Finals are gearing up (hence why I am procrastinating here) and I'll be starting at my summer firm in a couple of weeks and am super excited. Nice to know that I have my professional wardrobe in place and don't have to worry about that any longer.

 

I'm not an attorney but as a banker I sure hope they are. I wear pink at least once a week.

 

As an attorney not in big law, I'd say "yes," "the paler the better," and "how do I know if I'm man enough to wear pink in the first place?"

 

As an associate in a rather conservative, "white-shoe" law firm, I can assure you that both pale pink and lavender shirts are worn regularly by associates and partners alike.

 

Pink shirts are a classic City trader look.

 

Boaltie?

As an associate in a "big law" firm in CA, it might draw one or two comments but nothing negative.

 

Yes. Pink is a step down from white and pale blue on the formality spectrum, but it's certainly acceptable in businesswear. As someone said earlier, "the paler the better."

Pink tends to be an especially flattering color on darker complexions, so if you've got tan or dark skin, it will look great.

 

Though I don't have any pink, I like pink end-on-end dress shirts. For casual wear, a pink OCBD is classic. However, I'm not sure I would wear pink myself.

 

Pink poplin and end-on-end shirts (pink oxford, too) are recognized menswear classics. Avoid magenta, cerise, fuchsia, and other battery-operated shades, and stick to lighter pinks, the kind you get from Brooks or one of the Jermyn Street firms.

Teamed with a dark-navy suit and a navy tie with a pink and lighter-blue pattern, this is actually a pretty conservative look.

Here's an example of the type of tie I have in mind:

 

So do we want pale pinks or light pinks for business wear?

 

I wear them and receive frequent compliments from colleagues and clients.

 

This is my first posting on here, but I'll add my $0.02 since you wrote "business environment"...

I work on the business side (as opposed to creatives) at a large, well known media company in New York city. It's a "blue blood, white shoe" company, and pink shirts are DEFINITELY acceptable. In fact, friends of mine who work in Corporate America at non-media companies all wear some flavor of pink shirts. Charles Tyrwhitt, Thomas Pink, Paul Fredrick., etc. and similar middle-scale men's clothing stores produce and sell acceptable pink shirts. Micro check pattern, striped soft pink, solid pink, etc.... go for it. When paired with a sharp tie, a pink shirt and nice suit is a winning combo.

Just use common sense on any style. If you think it might be too outrageous, check these boards or look around and see if anyone is wearing something similar these days.

Ez

If you *really* want to push the limit, try wearing a snappy bow tie with a pink shirt. :icon_smile_big: I wore one today with a micro-check pink shirt. Here's the bow tie I wore: I wore it with navy blue trousers and dark brown leather shoes.

 

So do we want pale pinks or light pinks for business wear?

Yes. Yes we do.

 

courtroom pink

Pink shirts with a suit are perfectly acceptable, and attractive. They are just fine to wear in court. Female jurors love them.

 

icy pink

Hey, where can I find a nice icy pink shirt? Which manufacturer and retailer? I prefer the weight & texture of pinpoint oxford, I do not like the real thin broadcloth... it tends to wrinkle too easily and doesn't breath as well. Any ideas?

 

I have about a 1 to 4 ratio of pink shirts...

in comparison to white. Of course, I love a clean white shirt since it allows so many choices for the tie color to pop, or to just blend in quietly. But I have about 7 pink shirts now, and am always on the lookout for more. I have also started adding lavender into the mix. These colors along with my light blue shirts give me many different looks.

 

Depends. Depends upon the firm, your situation, your client, the type of the law you practice, and your activities for the day. Pale pink is always more acceptable, and pink is also more acceptable in summer when things are more relaxed and we are often wearing lighter colors. What you wear with it is also important, because they can make the pink shirt either stand out, or become discreet background.

As a rather senior partner in so-called Big Law, I say yes. I think the answer was an unequivocal yes before Big Law went business casual in the 90s, but now the more salient question is whether one must tuck his shirt in.

+1 to both. Mike, that is so right on. The OP was talking about a pink dress shirt right, not a pink polo or night shirt. I ask becuase I'm at BigLaw in Chicago and I think I just saw someone go by in a night shirt.

As an associate in a rather conservative, "white-shoe" law firm, I can assure you that both pale pink and lavender shirts are worn regularly by associates and partners alike.

Wearing a lavender shirt in my office right now. OP, if you have pink, you must now get lavender.

 

At my "big law" firm, I wear pink or lavender once a week.