homeschoolin'mygirls Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 My sister is attending an emergency court date regarding the care of my 16 year old nephew Dec 14th. (Some of you might remember that my nephew ran away from a drug treatment center . He was found safe, returned to Teen Challenge, and then Dad removed him because he felt he(son) had "had enough") My sister is not the type to dress up; her ex-husband comes to court in a high-power type suit and, frankly, looks fairly impressive . This is going to be a tense situation and my sister wants to be sure she projects the right image. For her, that would be competent, caring and confident. She is around a size 16 and is about 5'5 . She prob has a clothes budget of -maybe $150. Possibly a little over that. I'm going clothes shopping with her on Friday . Not looking to buy anything online as we want to see it on her--but would appreciate pictures to look at. All help appreciated Nandell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 My gut is full on power suit - Black and red, hose and heels. My hubby concurs and we are both from managment backgrounds. This would be aggressive. If she wants to present as a little softer and friendlier then navy blue suit and light blue blouse or perhaps a white or cream blouse. Still hose and heels. Well groomed, hair and make-up. A darker grey or charchol is acceptable or a very conservative what I would call business dress. She doesn't want bright, flashy colors or soft, feminine ones either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 My gut is full on power suit - Black and red, hose and heels. My hubby concurs and we are both from managment backgrounds. This would be aggressive. If she wants to present as a little softer and friendlier then navy blue suit and light blue blouse or perhaps a white or cream blouse. Still hose and heels. Well groomed, hair and make-up. A darker grey or charchol is acceptable or a very conservative what I would call business dress. She doesn't want bright, flashy colors or soft, feminine ones either. Go conservative, avoid red! Blue or green are good colors, a skirt with a twin sweater set, hose and lower heels. Avoid anything sparkly no flashy or dangling jewlery. No blue jeans. This is what our lawyer advised us when we were subpeoned to testify at my sister's divorce proceedings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I vote for the sweater twinset with a nice skirt, hose and moderate heels. If the ex comes in with a power suit on, he may come across as too intimidating, like a bully. If your sister is dressed similarly, the judge may see it as a power struggle. If she is dressed slightly more demurely than the father, the judge might have a little more sympathy. Just my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I was thinking something along these lines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plimsoll Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 My gut is full on power suit - Black and red, hose and heels. My hubby concurs and we are both from managment backgrounds. This would be aggressive. If she wants to present as a little softer and friendlier then navy blue suit and light blue blouse or perhaps a white or cream blouse. Still hose and heels. Well groomed, hair and make-up. A darker grey or charchol is acceptable or a very conservative what I would call business dress. She doesn't want bright, flashy colors or soft, feminine ones either. I agree. She should dress as if she is interviewing for a senior management position at a conservative company. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom2GirlsTX Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 If she wants to present as a little softer and friendlier then navy blue suit and light blue blouse or perhaps a white or cream blouse. Still hose and heels. Well groomed, hair and make-up. A darker grey or charchol is acceptable or a very conservative what I would call business dress. She doesn't want bright, flashy colors or soft, feminine ones either. I think power suits are great in a different type of lawsuit, not one dealing with parental rights. No red, no black suit. She needs to exude competance as well as confidence, but in a more subtle way than a man. I think KidsHappen suggestion of the friendlier navy blue suit is very on target. A nice suit in a dark conservative color, with low heels, well manicured hair, no jangly jewelry is a must. I think the sweater set is to informal for this type of court trial, but that is just my opinion. However, given the location of the event a thinner sweater worn with the suit would be nice. No floral prints or large prints of any kind, way to distracting. No bright colors. She is there to present the image of a competent caring mom... You are a good sis to help her. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cammie Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 As a former family law trial attorney, the only suits we used to see in the courtroom were on the lawyers! But that is Portland, OR so maybe it is a little more casual than most places? I would suggest the following - first, she should be comfortable. If she is uncomfortable in her clothes or her appearance - it could affect how she comes across in court. So comfort first. Second, neat and clean. No jeans, no ripped clothes, no ratty fingernails or messy ponytail. Show the judge that you take her and the case seriously. Any judge worth his/her salt is not going to be swayed by who came in the most expensive suit. That being said I would suggest flats (for comfort), slacks or a skirt in a muted (not black) solid color and a blouse, minimal jewelry, neat hair, tidy makeup. The point is not to overwhelm the court but to show that you take it and yourself and the situation seriously. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 No red! Black and white or navy and white -- no hanging earrings, no excessive make up or jewelry. Her attire should be the 'background' to her personality and demeanor - which will of course be respectful, capable, competent, caring, confident, and assured. Thoughts and prayers are with her! Pls let us know how it goes.:grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I'd hit the local thrift stores/Good Will and find a dark skirt, first, or some slacks. Whichever fits. Then shop for a blouse/jacket or sweater set to match. Nice shoes (not sneakers.) We had to be in court to get a guardianship on my now 18-yr-old son with autism - I am a jeans and sweatshirt, sneakers gal. Had to get some brown slacks, brown dress boots, and wore a green, nice sweater I already had. I was actually better dressed than most of the people (non-lawyers) in the courtroom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claire up north Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 My gut is full on power suit - Black and red, hose and heels. My hubby concurs and we are both from managment backgrounds. This would be aggressive. If she wants to present as a little softer and friendlier then navy blue suit and light blue blouse or perhaps a white or cream blouse. Still hose and heels. Well groomed, hair and make-up. A darker grey or charchol is acceptable or a very conservative what I would call business dress. She doesn't want bright, flashy colors or soft, feminine ones either. :iagree: Caveats: I would not go with black, but I would definitely pick dark grey or navy blue. This is no time to be "hip"--definitely go with hose and close-toed heels. Polish them up and make sure they look nice. People notice. Also, I would not be afraid of a pale pastel color for the blouse or a subdued pinstripe. The goal would be to look professional and confident while also being "human" and approachable. (This is why I would avoid an all-black suit.) Also, if I had the choice, I would pick a skirt/jacket (1st choice) over pants/jacket (2nd choice) over a one-piece dress (3rd choice). good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homeschoolin'mygirls Posted December 1, 2009 Author Share Posted December 1, 2009 looks like a conservative suit, hose with low heels is the favored choice. My sister is unlikely to get a lot of use out of this -she is so not a dress up gal and we hope so much to not be in court anymore over this-- So I'm looking conservative & classic so she can use it hopefully in years to come. Her spending range is around 150--200. We'd like it to be a good quality but not spend more than she needs to. Suggestions for suit styles--best place to buy suits? (My little sister thinks I am so smart about all of this but honest, I do give the hive credit!) nandell Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cera Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 I would also go with a twinset and skirt, hose and closed toe shoes. A suit would be a good choice as well but given the budget you have it will be hard to find a quality suit (and cheap suits tend to look like cheap suits). You would also probably need to have the suit tailored, I have never had a suit fit well that wasn't custom tailored. Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, J Crew and Brooks Brothers are all good quality at a decent price (lots of sales). If you have outlets anywhere nearby that is another good option (outletbound.com). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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