Advice and fashion tips for women lawyers conducting business overseas
By Jan Pudlow
Senior Editor

That little red leather purse that looks so chic accenting your black outfit back home screams “bad luck!” in Taiwan, and in certain African countries red is associated with witchcraft or death.

A smart white linen suit crisply beating the heat in Florida is reserved for funerals in India.

The color yellow may send out cheerful vibes in the U.S., but take caution: It’s reserved for royalty in Malaysia.

In Brazil, it’s considered offensive to wear green and yellow – the colors of the flag.

Avoiding a fashion faux pas is not the stuff of fluff when you are a successful international business lawyer like Olga Pina, a shareholder at Fowler White Boggs in Tampa who speaks three languages and has an AV Martindale Hubbell peer review rating.

“One of your negotiation tools is appearance. You want to convey that you are a person of status to be taken seriously, but that you are also considerate and respectful of the person you are visiting,” Pina said.

For example, she said: “You wouldn’t want to tower over an Asian man in negotiations.”

Tip for tall women traveling to Asia: wear flats.

While men only have to worry about what color tie will accent their suits, business attire abroad is much trickier for women.

That’s why Pina and colleague Jennifer Roeper, also a shareholder at the firm practicing in the international and immigrant practice group, teamed up to provide a seminar for business women on dressing for international travel. Roeper is president of the Tampa Bay Organization of Women in International Trade, and Pina is on the Style Council at Saks Fifth Avenue at Westshore Plaza in Tampa.

So the natural choice for the September 24 event, “Dressing for Success in International Business,” was the second floor of Saks, where chairs were arranged theatre style in the designer department, wine and light bites were served, and members of OWIT modeled fashions worthy of packing for worldwide business trips.

Jessica Muroff, Saks marketing director, called the event “a great success” and said she “pulled the looks that would provide great daytime to evening flexibility” so one suitcase easily holds enough for a four-day business trip.

Fashions featured included Armani suits (“absolutely stunning, very classic, and embrace high professionalism”) and Lida Baday and St. John outfits that “travel well.” Also modeled were fashions by DKNY, Tahari, and Ralph Lauren. Prada shoes, both beautiful and comfortable, Muroff noted, are an especially good choice in Europe, where shoes and handbags are scrutinized and “where they are going to notice designer brands.”

In Asian countries, it’s best to keep it conservative, Muroff said, with navy or black suits worn with white or cream shirts.

“In Latin America, you can play with more color,” she allowed.

Using a Gucci square black wrap, Muroff showed how easily it switched into a hijab for traveling to Muslim countries, where head-covering traditions are maintained in government areas.

Louis Vuitton luggage was used to demonstrate how not to cram a suitcase, which only causes wrinkles. When every square inch is coveted in a suitcase, it’s smart to tuck jewelry inside shoes and have a product serve multiple functions, such as a Giorgio Armani cleansing cream that also removes all makeup.

When she was a young lawyer doing one of her first business deals in Mexico, Pina said she learned a lesson the hard way. There she was, all suited up for business, focused on getting through all of the necessary documents in a deal, when they broke for lunch. She thought they’d grab something quick and keep working, so was surprised when she “almost got kicked out of the building.”

Siesta time from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. is taken very seriously in Latin America, she learned.

When business resumed, her business associates returned with their spouses all decked out in cocktail wear, ready to dine late into the evening.

There was Pina in her business suit, feeling sadly underdressed.

That’s why Pina, with extensive experience in corporate transactions and international trade issues in Central and South America, stressed this tip showcased at Saks: Begin the day wearing a dress with a jacket that looks professional and conservative. After siesta, tuck the jacket in your brief case and pull out a vibrant flowered shawl to drape over the dress, and jazz it up with a different necklace and purse. Voila! An instant transition to evening mixing business and pleasure.

Other rules of thumb: It’s a no-no to show your silhouette in the Middle East and Muslim countries, so don’t wear pants unless you wear a skirt over the pants. In Saudi Arabia, hide collarbones and knees and think of the goal as “baggy concealment.” Don’t wear ostentatious jewelry in Sweden, where egalitarian values are embraced. In Japan, keep your makeup and jewelry minimal: no colored fingernail polish, and perhaps only a not-too-flashy strand of pearls.

“Whereas, in France, it’s better to wear the real thing, like a gold necklace, and wear it to all events,” Pina advises.

Individualism and drawing attention to self is expected in the United States and Europe, but it’s the opposite in Asia.

“In the Orient, if you are going to negotiate, you want to be a team with them, not attracting attention to yourself as an individual,” Pina said.

“One of our staff members formerly worked at the American Embassy in Japan. She said, ‘Keep in mind that if you are going out for dinner, you may be sitting on the floor. If you tuck your feet under your skirt that’s too straight or tight-fitting, you may not be able to get back up,’” Pina said.

“This girl also sports a tattoo. She was advised to wear pant suits, because in Asia, tattoos are a sign of the Mob.”

For anyone who doubts that clothes make the businesswoman, participants were advised: “In the international setting, your dress and appearance will often create a lasting first impression that assures your foreign counterpart that you are respectful of his or her culture; that you are trustworthy, reliable, competent, and successful.”