The irony is, that after spending five years observing journalists as an employee at one of the nation's biggest newspapers ... reporters really don't dress like Lois or Clark, unless they have a specific reason, like a meeting with the governor or Bill Gates, or something involving the state legislature.
Otherwise, they generally wear sweaters, slacks, sometimes jeans, and this one guy wears these terrible Hawaiian shirts that remind me of Ralph. The only women who dressed like Lois were the VERY high-up editors, one who was the second-in-command of the paper, and the other being the editor in charge of hiring and recruitment. They wore suits, blazers, tailored stuff, etc. Heck, I think I'm the only copy editor to have worn heels on a regular basis in YEARS.
That being said, I think Lois' look evolved with her standing at the paper. She was a badass in Season 1, but being 26, she hadn't been at The Planet THAT LONG (assuming she graduated from college when she was 22, since she was a Libra), so in four years, she definitely had made some inroads, but I can see the reporters with more seniority thinking she was a tad overzealous -- and got lucky a lot of the time with stories.
Lois called herself a senior reporter, but really, at a paper that big, there's no way someone who had been there four years would be a senior reporter. Ace reporter, yes. Senior reporter, no. I think she tossed that term around with Clark just to ensure he was aware of his standing -- under her.
Furthermore, it was emphasized that Lois was the better reporter, but Clark was the better writer, so as a team, she probably began to earn respect for her work. (And the fact that Clark didn't put up with her crap -- and yet still was able to work with her -- probably helped her reputation in the newsroom, too.) As time passed, they became a formidable duo, and she began to dress the part of a more respected, conservative journalist.
Some of her clothes in the first season looked young, like she hadn't cultivated her own professional image yet, and while she had some absolutely gorgeous suits in the second season, some of the skirts would get an eyebrow raised in most professional settings because they were so short. One thing to be considered is that maybe Lois dressed a little sexier back then -- even subconsciously -- because she was trying to get Superman's attention.
As a whole, I think Lois dressed really well. I can think of outfits in all four seasons that I absolutely loved. I have a pair of strappy heels just like the ones she wore in the opening scenes of Lucky Leon -- and the blisters to prove it.
