In the City of London, there are ways to resist the predominance of men and their association with power. Indeed, there are ways femininity can be constructed as an advantage in the office.

Sometimes I’ll choose the ‘executive bimbo’ look. At other times, it’s easiest if I look as if I blend in, with plain but smart suits, looking very professional – no statement about me at all. It says, ‘don’t look at me, look this powerpoint presentation I’m talking to you about.’ I’m conscious about my wardrobe but sometimes you’ve got to have some fun, and by “fun” I mean wearing some kind of animal print – or a leather skirt, perhaps – because you know the guys on the floor can’t cope with it. It makes them crazy… which is empowering in a way.

When City Girls rummage through their wardrobes each morning, they’re not merely faced with a choice of style, but identity. I know perfectly well that I’ll be seen differently the whole day depending on what I put on. I will appear as a particular type of woman with one particular identity that excludes others. The La Perla fishnet tights rules out girlish innocence, the Armani suits exude sophistication, the Vivienne Westwood ties shout sex. Often I wish that I could put them all together, or appear simultaneously in each outfit, just to say, “Fuck you, for thinking any one of these is me. I can be all of them at once. Or none.”

I am a huge advocate of dressing ‘feminine’ and using sex appeal, subtly of course, as a means for success. The truth is that your City career – just like almost all City-based profits – is based on leverage, and your femininity is one of the assets you can use to your advantage. At the end of the day, there is there is more power in heels than in loafers.

I have this unpopular idea that when a man in the office finds you sexually attractive, he is paying you a complement… when he doesn’t that’s when you have to worry. If a woman decides to go into the big bad City, attractiveness is crucial to her salary and advancement.

Some shallow conspiracy designed by evil men? Hardly.

Unattractive women are advanced less often and receive fewer pay rises than their attractive female counterparts to a much greater degree by their women bosses than male.

In other words, women are hiring and promoting more attractive women than unattractive women in a way that hugely trumps whatever men have done prior.

There is a misconception that feminine work-wear has to mean spike heels, thigh-high skirts and plunging necklines, which can all seriously harm a woman’s image. When I was a young smart aleck trader, I thought I would reinvent how women were perceived and try to wear more provocative things to work. As a result, I realized that I just ended up being harassed and wasn’t taken seriously. There of course is a huge difference between being appropriately feminine versus what I was flaunting.

The bottom line is: in the City, there is a fine line between office classy and corporate trashy. And once you’ve crossed it, you can never go back.