UBS dress code goes from toe to head

ZURICH, Switzerland, Dec. 17 (UPI) -- The giant Swiss bank UBS has given its staff a 43-page dress code that includes a dictum that women must wear flesh-colored undergarments.

While that rule has attracted the most attention, the code takes employees from toe (no fun socks and men should not wear the same pair of dress shoes two days in a row) to head (no hair dye for men and women should not have roots showing). The company even follows employees to the bathroom, advising women to take a hot shower and use body lotion to open pores before adding perfume discreetly, Deutsche Welle reported.

UBS said the code is not company-wide, at least not yet. Instead, it applies to employees at five pilot facilities in Switzerland, where executives say reaction has been positive.

Like many banks, UBS has been going through a rough patch, complete with bailout and could be trying to restore its image. Andreas Koehler, founder of the German company Image Consultants, said appearance is important.

"But of course, that a company makes such detailed suggestions for its dress code is a little embarrassing," he told Deutsche Welle.