How to Dress for a Court Appearance

When you dress for a court appearance, dress as if you were going for an important job interview.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Men's Dress Shirts
• Men's Dress Sweater
• Mens' Dress Pants
• Neckties
• Sports Coat
• Women's Dress Coats
• Women's Dress Pants
• Women's Dress Shirts
• Women's Dress Sweater
• dresses and skirts

1. Understand that a courtroom is a formal, serious place and that judges are generally conservative.

2. Choose clothing that you are comfortable wearing. You will look nervous and shifty if you are adjusting your clothing and constantly rearranging yourself in court.

3. Avoid sneakers, trendy clothing, lots of jewelry, loud colors (especially red), revealing outfits, outrageous hairdos, and stained or damaged clothes. Do not wear a lot of perfume, cologne or aftershave. Wearing leather is not advisable.

4. Wear a suit, dress, or blouse and skirt if you are a woman. Do not wear spike heels, sandals or open-toed shoes. Wear a bra and pantyhose even if it kills you. Be sure your bra and slip are not showing.

5. Wear a suit, jacket and tie, or shirt and tie (only if you don't own a jacket) if you are a man. Never wear a hat.

6. Remove your coat before entering the courtroom.

7. Look as serious, reasonable, modest and ordinary as possible. You don't want to stand out or call attention to yourself.

8. Take off any expensive pieces of jewelry if you are trying to get the court to award you money.

9. Leave pocketknives, guns and any other weapons at home. They are not permitted in the courthouse.

Tips & Warnings

• Navy is always a good color to wear to court.
• Any purses or bags you bring will have to be searched or x-rayed when you enter the building, so don't bring anything you don't want inspected.
• Throw gum out before entering the courthouse.
• Don't go crazy over your appearance. The judge isn't going to rule against you if he or she doesn't like your tie.

Who Can Help:

• Are you tired of cakey makeup? Try RawMinerals Free.

[SDKP]

on 1/31/2009 Great advice. Too many people dress sloppy and think that people "shouldn't" judge them by what they wear. The truth is, everyone does and they always will. You can use that to your advantage or your disadvantage. The choice is yours.

[Cafa]

on 10/9/2007 Great advice, thanks. I was in court yesterday, over an unclear subject (traffic violation) where it's my word against the other guy's word. I wore a leather jacket, jewelry, had a gum, didn't shave, didn't get enough sleep, and was nervous. Basically, I looked like a mobster who got caught. Next time I'll wear a blue suit and a wrist watch.

on 11/22/2005 In my opinion, if you're a woman and you have tattoos, try to cover them up. A woman in a dress with a bunch of tattoos showing, is tasteless in court. Also, if you NEVER wear a dress, maybe a nice pants suit or something. A judge will sence you are uncomfortable if you're wearing clothing you not used to AT ALL.

on 11/22/2005 Try to keep your makeup as neutral or light as possible. Heavy or bright eye makeup, foundation, blush and bright lipstick also tend to draw too much attention to the face.

on 11/22/2005 Do not wear a striped shirt or dress. This may remind jurors of prison duds! Blue is the color of truth and is always a great color to wear to court.