Press

26 October 2006, page 8

"What not to wear to the office" 

 IT's the new trend sweeping the City. Some of the UK's top firms are hiring 100-an-hour image consultants to make sure their staff look and sound the part. From CEO to receptionist, staff learn how to dress smartly, inject gravitas into their voices, and improve their body language.

"If someone wants to run an international company and he wears a Mickey Mouse tie or watch, it gives the wrong message," said Toshiko Kobatake of London consultancy Talking Image, whose clients include KPMG, Price WaterhouseCoopers and IBM.