Dress-ups in the office

REGARDLESS of the sector you're in or the position you hold in the corporate world, high-end fashion is coming back to the office as the downturn signals a return to smart suits and crisp shirts to project commitment and ensure job security.

The end of the financial year usually means a bit of an office clean out, but this time round it appears as if it's also time to clear out of the closet.

It seems many Western Australian businessmen and women have been improving their image in an attempt to bolster their work opportunities.

London Court bespoke tailor Joseph Anthony, who has been trading for about nine months, says sales have steadily increased each month despite the downturn.

Joseph Anthony partner and store manager, Eduardo Parra, said a significant percentage of these increasing sales have been to clients wanting to impress their bosses.

"If you're a professional, you want to look your best and that's especially true in light of the economic downturn," Mr Parra told Business Class.

"You don't want to appear unprofessional at this time in the economic cycle."

Mr Parra says his business partners have recently been in Paris sourcing fabric specifically to cater to their clients' increasingly classy needs.

It's a view shared by Deborah Tana, who, with her husband, Vic, is co-owner of Australia's oldest gentlemen outfitters based in Perth, Parker & Co.

Mrs Tana says her husband is currently in Milan, gathering ideas and inspiration to service their local clients.

"Our clients' presentation is very important," she says.

"Also, the fact that there's been some job losses means they're trying to keep their positions and competition for those jobs is very tough so they want to look their best."

Mrs Tana describes recently fitting out one young client from head to toe on his way to an important job interview.

"He left here feeling a million dollars, so in his view he needed the suit to feel professional and give him that confidence to win the job," she says.

And the trend is spreading wider than just the ranks of stockbrokers and lawyers, with a marked increase in sartorial elegance among consulting engineers.

BG&E Engineering director Judith Uren previously told Business Class that she had noticed her employees changing dress sense in response to the downturn.

"I'm seeing a great change in some people in the office where they're coming to work dressed smartly, they've got their head down they understand they have to appear busy," she said.

"It is fantastic, not all of them are doing it but ... I've been noticing."