International Fashion Faux Pas: Leave the Red Purse at Home

Women lawyers traveling for business in Taiwan may want to leave the red purse at home. The color is considered bad luck. In some African countries, the color has worse connotations: it’s associated with witchcraft or death.

The handbag warning was among the fashion advice dished out recently by two shareholders at Fowler White Boggs, the Florida Bar News reports. The lawyers, Olga Pina and Je nnifer Roeper, talked at a Tampa seminar at Saks Fifth Avenue for business women who make international trips.

The Florida Bar News reported on other advice by the lawyers:

• A white linen suit may be a smart choice in the hot Florida climate, but it’s only worn to funerals in India.

• The color yellow is reserved for royalty in Malaysia, and the combination of green and yellow is considered offensive in Brazil, since they are also the colors of the flag.

• Dress conservatively in Asia. Black or navy suits with white or cream-colored blouses are a good choice. Keep jewelry to a minimum in Japan, and don’t wear colored fingernail polish. Cover up tattoos, since they are a sign of the Mob.

• Don’t wear pants in Middle East and Muslim countries unless they are covered by a skirt. Don’t show collarbones or knees in Saudi Arabia. Head coverings are required in government areas.

Elsewhere on the fashion front, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports on the rise of “power jeans” among the executive ranks. “Jeans must be carefully paired with a pressed shirt and good shoes to be elevated to business class,” the story says.

And don’t be the junior person in the room wearing jeans “in a room full of pinstripes,” the Wall Street Journal says. “No distressed jeans at work. No metal studs. No acid washes. No lavish embroidery. No boot cut. No skinny. No pedal pushers, shorts or cutoffs. No baggy high-rise. No super-low-rise. No holes. And no fussy ironing.”