Fashion For Work- Something About ‘The Powersuit’ For Women

Nowadays, everywhere you look, you’re likely to see fashion and people trying their best to look presentable if not fashionable. There is always something about looking good and appealing. And with some others, especially women, looking good is not enough.  In fact , the sexier the better!

In the corporate world however, looking good or presentable depends on ‘What do you mean’? And finding a perfect explanation for that may never be straight forward, because it largely depends on the type of work place or work culture. In some working environments, people can exercise their fashion freedom and you can definitely rest assured that there will also be that one person (or more) who won’t be afraid to show off their fashionista side.

I know of certain business organisations where particular departments have a specific dressing code and the employees are expected to dress in a particular way. Maybe a suit, for women, a skirt below the knee, not too tight fitting clothing, etc are highly recommended. (a must!)

I personally know of some managers who are keen to ensure that their employees are not dressing up in a way that is too ‘distracting and inappropriate in their business environment’. So, what’s ‘not too distracting’? And what’s ‘appropriate’?  You might find answers to that in this article by Forbes, where dressing for success means to dress for business and not for pleasure. The article suggests that an attire that’s too distracting and inappropriate may include wearing  low cut tops that show the cleavage, micro minis, see throughs, etc.

When people talk about power suits, it is like that the first person to come in mind is Hilary Clinton who is known for her power dressing and polished looks.

So what’s the power suit all about?  The power suit is known to give a woman power! It’s a ‘suit of armor’ which conveys an ‘air of confidence.‘  A separate article by Forbes, highlights how world most powerful women leaders like Hilary Clinton, Condolezza Rice, Angela Merkel, Yulia Tymoshenko, etc. use their fashionable power dressing in their  careers.

According to Levo, the power suit started with the classy French lady Coco Chanel in the 1920’s and it has tremendously evolved since it’s origin. Evenn though an article by WSJ may be suggesting that the Power Suit is over, i think it just got better, allowing women to feel more feminine, wear more bright colours and florals and still be powerful and taken seriously!

I enjoyed watching an episode by Broadly- The Power Suit & The Fashion of Authority which highlights what women would wear to feel powerful, especially in our modern world where they are harshly critiqued for their style. Gloria Allred, the feminist civil rights attorney has good reasons to personify the power suit. I enjoyed listening to her tips. Listen in to hear all about the power suits.