The only dress code is suitability

A friend working at a top-tier investment banking firm recently phoned me to discuss a training seminar that the women in her office had been required to attend. While the men went about ''business as usual'', the women traders were pulled aside, sat down and told how to dress, what shoes to wear and what body type each woman had.

Advice included that women should wear lipstick (specifically not lip gloss) at all times and they were encouraged to wear high heels to meetings. They were told to update their hairstyle at least once every six months to keep ''on trend''. Everything from earrings and handbags to makeup and perfume choice were covered.

The question put to me was this: where is the line between offering employees practical advice on ''dressing for success'' and outright sex discrimination? Are image consultants helping women by offering fashion advice, or is this practice legitimising a boys-club culture where women - regardless of their occupation - are expected to doll themselves up as office decorations for the men? And isn't there something a little bit patronising about a company that trusts you to manage multimillion-dollar deals but doesn't trust you to pick out your own earrings?

In recent years, image consultants have become popular, particularly within the legal and banking fraternities. One self-proclaimed ''image expert'' boasts clients including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Barclays Capital, Westpac and Mallesons Stephen Jaques.