Fashion Blogs

It’s been a busy decade in fashion: hemlines have fallen; skinny jeans have boomed; the wedge trainer has flourished and died. And yet, judging by The Apprentice, the clothes we wear in the office have barely changed at all.

The show returns for a 10th series on Tuesday night and – aside from one courageous marketing manager in a cream blazer – the sartorial blueprint is clear. For the men it has always been dark blue or grey suits, with a tendency toward hair gel, pinstripes and alarmingly wide ties. For the women, the look originates in one of two power-dressing eras: the 1980s (Margaret Thatcher suit jackets over rigid pencil skirts or no-nonsense trousers) or 2005 (Roland Mouret-style bodycon frocks in primary tones). Increasingly, there have been gestures towards difference – a peplum or a shift dress or colourful socks. But overall, the silhouette remains the same.

According to the show’s producers, the conformity comes from the contestants themselves. There is no show stylist or costume director; candidates pack a suitcase and wear their own clothes throughout. Their only instructions are to bring “professional attire” for tasks and “leisure wear” for treats – and to avoid fine stripes and checks, which cause distortion on screen.

If this makes The Apprentice a genuine reflection of businesswear in the corporate Britain, Whistles CEO Jane Shepherdson isn’t impressed. “Perhaps the contestants think that if they wear generic clothes, like a uniform, they won’t give too much away or show weakness. Effectively, they are going into battle; they want to feel powerful,” she says, “but there is such a lack of imagination and creativity.”

“Most of them wore standard off-the-peg M&S suits and the odd bit of designer,” says 2008 Apprentice contestant Lucinda Ledgerwood, who now runs a herbal tea business as Cindy Ledgerwood. “Perhaps people are scared to project their personality. Perhaps they don’t want to be singled out; they want to be part of a group.” Ledgerwood, on the other hand, stuck her beret-clad head above the parapet on the show, wearing a selection of cheerful neckerchiefs and felt hats. Many viewers loved her look – she even featured in a beret-themed photoshoot in Grazia – but her teammates’ reaction was frosty. “I remember the first stage of being disliked by the other contestants,” she says, “walking towards them, and they were all dressed in black … it was a huge marker [of difference].” Lord Sugar eventually fired her for being “too zany”, an impression the jaunty accessories did not dispel.

“Workplace fashion is almost an oxymoron,” says another former candidate, Raef Bjayou, who subtly pushed the envelope with extravagant silk pocket hankerchiefs and Windsor-knotted ties. “By definition, a suit is deeply unimaginative – I would rather buy a wonderful jacket and match it to a separate pair of trousers. But for the main part, you can’t put the cat among the pigeons. Lord Sugar is quite conservative; anything too flamboyant risks alienating him.”

The current series presents a case in point: marketing manager Robert has stubble, a Scott Parker haircut and a tendency to mutter about Shoreditch. In the first episode he wears a royal blue suit with a vivid pink tie and loafers without socks, followed by a cream rowers’ blazer with delicate turquoise stripes and a bow tie. Sugar characterises him as “a little bit of an arty farty person” who talks “yuppie arty farty bollocks”.

And yet many contestants have noticeably devoted more time to their appearance in recent years. These are savvier, more knowing men and women who hope that The Apprentice could help build their brand or snag them a Channel 5 presenting gig. For many of the men, this is evident in fake tan, plucked eyebrows and the use of hair straighteners, as well as an infectious rash of tie pins and pocket handkerchiefs. For some of the women, body shapes are exaggerated with aggressive peplums. There is leonine hair, HD eyebrows and faces transformed via Kim Kardashian-style contouring.

For Savile Row tailor Patrick Grant, the men’s efforts are not altogether successful. “When you wear a suit regularly you become more aware of how the details look,” he says. “A tiny shirt collar will look daft with a big tie grabbed from your wardrobe; a slim tie would be much better.” For Grant, the contestants would be wise to master these points. “They need to take more care. Men’s clothes are all in the details, and business is all in the details, too, so it says something about a person if they can’t tie their tie properly.”

The situation is even more fraught for the women. This series, clothes are the basis of a disagreement just 11 minutes into the first episode, as project leader Sarah Dales (wearing a skirt suit the colour of a Smurf with scalloped-edge lapels) gives her all-female team an ill-judged pep talk: “Most people will buy from females,” she says, “because females are more attractive to look at. Tomorrow we need loads of makeup, lipstick, high heels, we’re going to wear short skirts …” Her fellow contestants roll their eyes and glower.

According to Luisa Zissman – a 2013 finalist who has since launched a cake business, shot her own calendar and appeared in Celebrity Big Brother – the glossification of the show peaked last year. “I think they have toned down the look, because of the amount of attention the show got about it – the press called us ‘Sugar babes’. It was an attractive year, but they didn’t say anything like that about the guys. But that’s women in business, isn’t it?

“Yes, you are aware there are cameras on you, and you want to look your best,” she continues. “We were actually quite sneaky in the mornings – our bedroom was above the front door, so I could hear the cameras coming in to set up before the phone rings, so we would have an extra half hour to get ready. We got told off for doing that because it doesn’t look very natural on TV. But the clothes I wore are what I would wear at work if I had a meeting.”

For Shepherdson, the glamour of some of the female contestants reflects the reality of some corporate environments. “I was in Canary Wharf recently,” she says, “and it felt like stepping back in time. The men were in suits whereas the women were dressed to look sexy, which is what I object to. What are they – eye candy?” Shepherdson recommends other ways for women to dress for power: “The Annie Hall look is really smart,” she says, “and you don’t always have to wear heels. Well-chosen separates can look very smart, too – a wide legged trouser with a simple crepe top. Even with a suit you can be more selective – maybe a midi skirt with shorter jacket.”Also read here:SheinDress evening dresses