Power Dressing Tips for Women | The Huffington Post Power Dressing Tips for Women 07/07/2010 02:47 pm ET | Updated May 25, 2011 Charlotte Safavi Anglo-Iranian-American Journalist When it comes to power dressing, I always think of the late 1980's in Los Angeles, where I had moved from London to become a film agent, before throwing it in for a freelance writing career. For me, power dressing is frozen in time. The women wore big shoulder pads and carried fat Filofaxes; the men sported dark Armani suits. Both sexes shopped and cut movie deals while dining at the Palm, the original Spago's or the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel. Of course, my male friends in England at that time, many of whom worked in finance, wouldn't be caught dead in Armani. Power dressing for them was about Savile Row suits and Hilditch and Key shirts, maybe a Harrods tie. When I picture their female counterparts, I think tights and court shoes (panty hose and pumps). My point is -- power dressing is culturally relative, even job specific.

But there are certain universal principles that apply. The key for women is to look professional, yet retain their femininity. When power dressing, I propose the latter be achieved through subtleties, the faint scent of perfume, a waist cinched with a crocodile belt, a slight ruffle peeking out of a suit jacket's neck or cuff. The good news is that women no longer have to look like quarterbacks. The shoulders came back, but thankfully, not with a vengeance. So let's play ball with some basic power dressing rules. 10 Tips for Dressing with Power and Style 1. Suit Up: I don't care what business you're in. When you have the right occasion for power dressing, you wear a suit, or perhaps a tailored shift and matching jacket. Think iconic designers, Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, dare I say it, Giorgio Armani. When suit shopping, pick a classic cut, a lightweight fabric that's not seasonal (no crumply linen, no chunky tweed), and a neutral color that suits you well. I favor darker colors for suits and minimal patterns. Trousers or skirts, mox nix. 2.

Tinker Tailor: Go to a tailor in your chosen suit. Nothing looks worse than an ill-fitting suit, so make sure it fits perfectly. Especially have any hems adjusted to work with the shoes you're most likely to wear with it. If in doubt, keep the skirt length just above the knee and the pant length below the ankle. 3. Slinky Shirt: You want a great shirt that fits snuggly under the suit, but not so snug that buttons pop. Don't go too low cut, though a little plunge is chic, especially under a jacket with lapels. Get an ivory or white shirt -- most skin tones work better with one or the other. No black bras! I'm partial to Anne Fontaine shirts, my splurge. A creamy silk is also a winner. The other Anne (Taylor) always has solid silk top selections. 4. Neat Feet: Shoes must be comfortable yet have a bit of height. Toes are a no-no. If you can pull off red-soled Christian Louboutin pumps with a pantsuit, I'd be in awe. 5. Read my Lips: Now I LOVE color, so you're thinking why such a stick in the mud with all the neutrals.

Sorry, it's power dressing: fuchsia, orange and turquoise are luscious but they just don't say take me seriously. BUT I will do red. Red is a power color to me. A red bag, if feeling sassy. Red lips, if nothing else... and only with minimal makeup. 6. Strategic Jewels: A pearl necklace, a brooch (think Madeline Albright kicked down a notch or two) or a simple sculptural gold cuff work. Do not wear too much bling. 7. Time Keeper: A fine watch says something about your orderliness, not to mention style. Wear one. If you don't have a Cartier, no worries, a vintage watch will be less expensive and just as striking, pun intended. 8. Legwear: In the winter, I would do opaque tights or trouser socks. In the summer, I would do bare legs. Pasty white legs, no, but a little self-tanner and you're good to go. Peds with pumps are a given. 9. Bag Lady: A good-looking bag that goes with your suit is a plus. I'd stay away from too bold a color.

Aim more for a graphic logo style, like Fendi or Louis Vuitton, if you can afford it. Bag shouldn't be so big that it looks like a weekend tote and not so small that it won't hold your iphone (I currently covet a Gucci iphone case), wallet and a compact. 10. Be Groomed: I can't stress how important this tip is with respect to power dressing. Cut and blow-dry the locks into a clean shape. Wear minimal makeup. Have a manicure, no 'flamingo pink' or 'salsa red' please, just the palest pink or better yet French. Wax your upper lip and pluck your eyebrows. Above all, remember power dressing is all about the right attitude, as well as the right clothes. Be confident, stand tall and smile. Good luck. Follow Charlotte Safavi on Twitter: More: Would you wear this to work? Power dressing beyond shoulder pads - CNN.com Would you wear this to work? Power dressing beyond shoulder pads By Sheena McKenzie, for CNN updated 10:25 AM EST, Tue February 25, 2014 These American models from 1940 know how to dress to impress.

But how has women's work wear evolved over the last century? And who were some of the pioneering power dressers who helped shape it? Casual, chic, Coco. The French designer's stylish suits -- pictured here in 1929 -- were part of a new era of comfortable fashion for women. One of the world's first supermodels, American Dorian Leigh, wears a cinched-waist jacket from designer Vera Maxwell. In the 1930s Maxwell created the "weekend wardrobe" -- "It was for women who had busy lives, who might travel for their work, and needed ready-to-wear things," said fashion history professor, Rebecca Arnold. Coco Chanel once dismissed her rival, Elsa Schiaparelli, as: "That Italian artist who makes clothes." Indeed, the designer (pictured right, wearing the "trousered skirt") was known for her whimsical, surrealist-inspired pieces, even collaborating with Salvador Dali. The Second World War was an interesting time for women's work wear, with many taking on the jobs of men away in battle -- such as the London Underground cleaner pictured on the left, and the bus conductor on the right.

Rations also meant luxuries like stockings were in short supply. The center image shows a make-up artist drawing lines on the backs of bare legs, to give the illusion of stocking seams. The 1950s saw a return to a more feminine style, with designer Anne Fogarty (pictured) leading the way. "Fogarty had the tiniest, tiniest waist, and made all these corseted dresses -- but also was a successful career woman herself," said Arnold. "It was a combination of being very 'housewifey' but also very powerful and dramatic." It's hard not to think of 1960s office attire without conjuring images of the flawlessly tailored cast of "Mad Men." Here, actress Christina Hendricks' hourglass figure is emphasized with a streamlined dress fitted to perfection. "In the 1960s you have a continuation of the 1950s tailored look -- but breaking it up with more color," said Arnold. British Airways staff show off their new uniforms in 1977.

Over the years, many airlines have commissioned outfits from top designers, such as Yves Saint Laurent for Qantas in the 1980s, Giorgio Armani for Alitalia in the 1990s, and Christian Lacroix for Air France in the 2000s. Big collars and bigger hair didn't get in the way of Charlie's Angels (Farrah Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith, and Kate Jackson) doing their job in the the 1970s TV series. Investigative journalist Murphy Brown wore the pants (and the blazer) in 1980s TV series of the same name. This was the decade of the power suit, with everyone from Princess Diana to Margaret Thatcher donning the ubiquitous shoulder pads. The 1980s also saw a return of fussy ruffles and bows, as seen in this Christian Dior taffeta dress. In the 1990s, the suit jacket took on a softer look. "It was very understated," said Arnold. "Phenomenally expensive and luxurious, but not really embellished. " HIDE CAPTION How do women dress to impress in the workplace?

Look back at a century of (sometimes outrageous) office fashion From WW2 uniforms, to 1950s princess dresses, and modern day suits Female fashion designers created signature pieces -- but still have a way to go Editor's note: Leading Women connects you to extraordinary women of our time -- remarkable professionals who have made it to the top in all areas of business, the arts, sport, culture, science and more. (CNN) -- Cast your eye across a line-up of world leaders and it might look a little something like this: Man in dark suit, man in dark suit, man in dark suit, Angela Merkel in fire engine red two-piece. Or it could be mint green. Maybe electric blue. It doesn't really matter which part of the rainbow the German Chancellor chooses to swathe herself in, her multi-colored power suits have become as much a part of political fashion mythology as Margaret Thatcher's shoulder pads or Jacqueline Onassis' pearls. Ok, so while Merkel isn't going to be invited to the front row of the world's biggest fashion weeks -- kicking off in New York, Paris, and London this month -- anytime soon, there's no denying the powerful politician's equally imposing wardrobe.

But then, how do women dress to impress in the workplace? And how has it changed over time? Spot the Merkel. Hint: She's not wearing a navy suit. Getty Images From the severe khaki uniforms of World War Two, to romantic princess frocks of the 1950s, and fierce power suits of the 1980s, CNN takes a look at women's work wear in the 20th century -- and the pioneering female designers behind them. Function vs fashion "Women have worn tight pencil skirts and high heels at various times, which isn't necessarily functional, but they might feel they have to wear them in their workplaces to be taken seriously, " said Rebecca Arnold , professor of fashion history at London's Courtauld Institute of Art. "I think women's work wear is more to do with being mentally comfortable, fitting in, and being seen as respectable." Of course each workplace is different. As Arnold says: "Someone who's a lawyer is going to dress in a very different way from someone working in a shop." Was Ally McBeal the most fashionable lawyer on TV? Judge for yourself.

20th Century Fox Working it Gaze across some of the most popular workplace fashions of the last 100 years, and they often act as a mirror to much bigger social trends. Women's work wear is more to do with being mentally comfortable, fitting in, and being seen as respectable Rebecca Arnold "What you see from the 1920s onwards, is this negotiating of public space -- using dress to visualize the way women are seen at work, and how they want to be seen," said Arnold. "In the 1970s you had lots of debates around what women should wear to be feminist and still be taken seriously. Some really felt you should wear trousers and others thought that was wrong because it was being seen as a man." And just because it's workplace fashion, doesn't mean it has to be fashionable. "We've still got shirts that look like men's shirts, we've still got suits based on men's fitting," said Arnold. "Workplace fashion doesn't move quite as fast as fashion itself." Fashion forward: British United Airways shows off its 1967 uniform. Getty Images By women, for women Then there's the female designers who helped redefine women's wear in the modern age.

From Coco Chanel's suit dress in the 1920s, to Diane von Furstenberg's casual wrap dress in the 1970s, some of the most pioneering pieces were created by women. Still, many of the top fashion houses are still dominated by male names -- think Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent and Gianni Versace. "Perhaps in the wider culture, men have traditionally been more successful at marketing themselves and having authority over their customers," said Arnold. "I think that's gradually changing -- but I don't think you're going to see more women in fashion until you see more women in all kinds of roles across the board." 1980s Fashion History. Power Dressing C20Th Fashion Influences of the 1980s Power Dressing 1980s fashion history is memorable and quite distinctive. A variety of fashion looks ran parallel to each other in the 1980s. Women of this era began to feel they that really could at last choose from one of the many contrasting looks available. The fashion look that was the most powerful over the decade was the wide shoulder. Fashion history reveals that the 80s fashion look was a tailored look.

It was hard to go anywhere without at least a jacket, but preferably a complete suit. This was influenced by several movements including media influence on 1980s fashion through the popularity of TV dramas like 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas'. Costume dramas brought fashion into real everyday eighties life. Corporate business suit dressing, Margaret Thatcher in tailored evening suits, Yuppies and the copying of styles worn by Diana Princess of Wales , all contributed to stamping the era with a style that now seems to shriek vulgarity quite simply because Laver's Law is operating. Power dressing, New Romantics , stretch dressing and sportswear all lent a significant feeling that a woman could be anybody she chose to be. These four looks are predominant in the fashion and costume history of the 1980s. Influence of Television Soap Series 'Dynasty' and 'Dallas' 'Dynasty' the 1980s television fantasy soap series promoted fashions which enlarged the shoulder. One of the main characters was played by the naturally broad shouldered film star Linda Evans. Nolan Miller, the Dynasty film set costume designer decided to go with her big shoulders and give slight emphasis to them.

Every other actor had to be shoulder padded, but with more depth to match her shoulders. In the 1980s 'Dynasty' was watched by a global audience of over 250 million viewers. Many who watched did so for a look at the 80's fashions which were always over the top and frankly camp. Throughout the 80s styles did filter to the mass market in watered down versions. 1980s fashion favoured applied decoration on suits and T-shirts and beadwork on clothing which all pandered to the ideals of a time of conspicuous consumption. The 1980s was a time of greed and individuals living a lie that they had everything whether it be fashion, champagne or property. Many fell into debt as the only way to acquire an 80's lifestyle for many was via the credit card. ï¿½ï¿½ Lavish use of both fine and costume jewellery was worn day and night on the show and it drifted into mainstream fashion. Big, almost huge gilt fashion earrings several centimetres across drew attention to faces drowning in shoulder pads. Stones could be fake or real.

Diamante, pearls and gold chains were intended to tell the rest of the world you had arrived. The women in Dynasty wore all the trimmings of jewellery along with a wide range of lavish covetable underwear and lingerie. In the 80s the all in one body the teddy, known in some countries as a bodysuit was a favourite outfit for bedroom scenes. Another 1980s fashion to find favour was the comeback of French knickers and camisoles lavishly embellished with crusty corded lace. Big was best and fashion hair styles of the 1980s grew bigger to match the look. Mousse and gel was essential to create the style. The effects of excess mousse were so horrifying on waking up that it became normal to wash hair daily. As the eighties progressed the TV series 'Dallas' created hairstyles that blossomed ever bigger like opening flowers. ...(v4r) Both Dallas and Dynasty heralded the return of the shift dress in strong colours. Fuchsia pinks, sea greens, purples, royal blue and red shimmered in silk and polyester foulard copies. Lavish use of fabric in batwing sleeves was in keeping with the excessive largesse of the era.

The 1980s saw the revival of an old fashion, the batwing sleeve. The batwing style was translated into two tone sweater knits with cowl collars. Sometimes they were covered in satin appliquï¿½ free forms often worked over a mohair or angora knit. Shoulder pads were essential in knits. 1980s blouses were based on romantic looks of earlier eras in fashion history. The blouses had intricate stock or cravat effect neck wrappings, deep pleated shoulder tucks or swathed crossover fabrics. All were made up in silk or polyester satin foulard or crepe de chine substitutes which softened the harshness of severe man tailored jackets. Snug fitting jersey knit bodies that buttoned under the crotch and gave a smooth silhouette also became popular especially after the mid eighties. Get Big Shoulders and Get Noticed 1980s Fashion history shows that as the fashion for female identity in the workplace took hold, so shoulder width grew. Increasingly large shoulder pads were used to support the wider cut of sleeves.

Right - Big Shoulders of the 1980s - Quite mannish suits and appliquï¿½ shoulder padded knitwear for women were both softened with ties, bow ties and floppy scarves tied in artist bows all often worn with long boots. Women's shoulders had started to actually look like designers had once drawn them at the start of the 80s decade. Designers had tried to promote wide shoulders of American footballer dimensions in the early 1980s and although women initially laughed, eventually shoulder width had a rounded coat hanger effect just like those early designs and reached dimensions not seen before in the 20th century. Left - The big jacket look was also transferred to evening wear. Wide shouldered, rich jewel shaded brocades or gold lame or lace jackets were made up following day styles. To soften the masculine effect the sleeves of jackets and blouses were worn pushed up or rolled up to reveal attractive satinised contrast jacket linings which in itself was a way of accessorizing it. ï¿½ Designers Have Trouble Dropping Shoulder Pads The shoulder pad began to act as an accessory for women to stylize a garment.

Garments, particularly knitwear, sweatshirts, oversized big shirts and T-shirts started to appear with detachable Velcro fixing shoulder pads. Women made their own decisions about whether an item looked the way they wanted it to look. Designers tried to drop the shoulder pad in the same way they tried to drop the mini for the maxi in the sixties, but as in the case of the mini the public stuck to what they wanted and they wanted shoulder pads. By its nature a shoulder pad creates a smooth line over the natural hollows of the collar bone area. Women suddenly noticed that shoulder pads smoothed out body postural imperfections and they liked the effect. Eventually designers began to get their way. The sleeve inset to shoulder line began to drop further and further down the arm which meant that the quite rounded shoulder pads rather than the initial sharply squared off versions began to hang somewhere between elbow and shoulder point. Visible support of shoulder padding was seen in garments for over ten years because women liked the way clothes hung on them. The concept of executive dressing for women at work was firmly established by 1987 and remained in a much subtler minimalist form in the 1990s.

By 1991-3 shoulder pads although still around began to decrease in size and over the next few years shoulder width gradually became smaller and narrower and pads slowly began to be left out of knitwear and even lingerie. Women also started to cut them out of garments as they moved on to newer looks. Despite everything you may read today about power dressing being dead, it is still alive and well in the corporate office such as a legal office where a simple well cut black, taupe or navy trouser suit or pencil skirt and jacket remain the staple business attire for women who want to be taken seriously. Shawls Accessorizing the suit was important through the 1980s and one item that appeared in the mid eighties was the large square scarf in fine varuna wool or acrylic imitation with exotic patterns and rich paisley designs. The richly patterned or dog's tooth check or solid coloured fringed shawl was draped around just about every woman's shoulders to give a finished look to an outfit. Leaflets abounded on how to wear the scarves in a dozen ways. By the 90s the square shawl worn as a triangle was ousted by the Pashmina stole.

Earrings, Gold, Gilt and Glitz Costume jewellery saw a great revival and huge gold earrings, or pearl and gilt earrings that got bigger as the 80s decade progressed were the final finishing touch. Diamante jewellery and pearls were worn day and evening without embarrassment. Gilt buttons the size of earrings were also used on suits and charm bracelets with chunky gold charms were revived from the sixties. Bags There were many sought after accessories in the 1980s. The early 80s saw a vogue for clutch handbags in many colours with matching shoes. But the bags with style were the quilted Chanel bags or Louis Vuitton luggage. Millions bought copies of the quilted Chanel shoulder bag with its golden chain. Alternative street wear day bags were the bum bag and the Prada nylon bag. None would have been complete though without a Filofax filling it. Hats Hats of all styles made a comeback in the 1980s. This was due initially to their popularization by the Princess Of Wales who used them to achieve a colour coordinated look when she was first finding her fashion style. Colour coordinated fashion was big throughout the 1980s. Social events demanded a hat.

The veiled pillbox hat was imitated in the cheapest of fabric making it crude and soon undesirable. Other 1980s hats included the large picture style Edwardian hat and feather versions. Tights and Pantyhose ...(v4r) By the 1980s, patterned tights returned, but now they were spotted or delicately textured lace, striped or enhanced with embellishment such as a flock flower, embroidery or diamante at the ankle. In the mid to late 80s, coloured tights sheer, opaque or solid that toned and matched coordinated shoes could be seen everywhere. Vaguely Black sheer tights were worn with power suits through the eighties. Footwear Shoes were both low and high. The Princess Of Wales set a trend for lower footwear and it became ok to wear whatever height you liked. In summer wedge shoes and gold or metallic shoes that blended with every outfit made an appearance about 1987. Doc Martens were still of course popular with urban trendsetters. Coloured shoes of every hue were available through to the early 90s.

Doc Marten's Lace Up Shoes In the late 70s young people suddenly adopted Doc Martens sensible laced up shoes as a fashion accessory to the delight of podiatrists everywhere. Young girls suddenly took on a different look in their solid Doc Martens footwear and dainty Laura Ashley fine cotton lawn feminine floral dresses. Right - Doc Marten shoes a fashion worn by men and women in the 1980s. The Trainer Versus Low Pumps ï¿½ la Diana in the 1980s By the 1980s, low pumps were made popular by Diana Princess Of Wales. The high heel did not totally disappear, but was kept for evening as more casual footwear such as trainers became important fashion statements for those who liked them. Their popularity was sealed when New York power dressed women walked to work in them during a transport strike. There was even a phrase for the latest most fashionable trainer described as a '3 window trainer' which meant the shop front window had been smashed three times for a thief to steal a particular high fashion covetable training shoe.

Colour Coordinated Footwear and Bags One thing that was interesting about footwear particularly from the about 1982 to 1992 was the wide availability of coloured shoes and toning clutch bags in every hue imaginable. From the early to mid nineties there was a fashion for gold, mixed metallic or pewter footwear with small or wedge heels and an Italian look of appliquï¿½ or plaiting or braiding. The usefulness of the metallic neutral was that it mixed in with all colour schemes. This fashion for coloured and metallic footwear and bags was revived in 2003/4 and was a huge fashion colour trend by 2007. If you like 1980s music this may be the music site for you at all80sradio.com ï¿½ If you like this page then please share it with your friends For related 1980 fashion and also 1990s fashion go to:- --Link-- Powerful Women and Their ‘Uniforms’: What I’ve Learned January 7, 2015 01/07/2015 8:07 a.m.

Powerful Women and Their ‘Uniforms’: What I’ve Learned Print This week on the Cut we’re exploring how to get your act together when it comes to personal style — from organizing your closet, to finding your signature scent, to figuring out your work uniform. Sometimes I count the ways in which I am blessed, and one of them is that I get to wear jeans and a T-shirt to the office. I’m a writer, not a member of Congress, so the bar is low — anything better than fleece and I’m dressing for success. Still, I settled on my work uniform for the same reasons that other professional women settle on theirs: It’s reliably flattering; it’s comfortable; it meshes with my work environment; and the various components can be endlessly mixed and matched, which means I don’t have to expend a single extra brain cell figuring out what to wear during that heinous morning hour when I’m also walking the dog, packing lunch, making breakfast, hustling a child out the door, consuming my morning news, and returning all the email that came in overnight.

As a friend of mine, another writer, wrote on my Facebook page, “I’d like to devote as little mind share as possible to the question of WTW.” But a successful work uniform does much more than save time and brain space. It tells the world what kind of work you do, how seriously you take it, and — here’s the complicated part — what kind of woman you are. It’s the costume in which you perform that most central role in your life; it defines your public-facing self. Do you signal your willingness to play with the boys with suits, leaving any sexual display to the strappy heels on your feet? Or do you prefer to be more feminine, hiding your steel behind cashmere and silk? Are you a woman who values comfort above all — flat shoes, breathable fabrics, nothing too tailored — or one who prefers, as I do, the macho versatility of dark-washed denim? Can you define your professional image by one palette (black, navy, khaki) or a single designer ( Theory , J.Crew , Eileen Fisher , Diane von Furstenberg ) — or are you more of a vintage/thrift/your-closet-through-the-ages type? These distinctions matter.

Their consequences are practical, of course, but they’re also existential. Your work uniform signals your ambition, authority, experience, age. It conveys if not actual competence, then your feelings about your competence as well as your desire (or not) to blend in. Its elements can be hard to define, but as with art and porn, you know a good work uniform when you see it. Margaret Thatcher is possibly the first, and last, example anyone needs of a woman who embodied a uniform completely (or, better put, whose uniform embodied her priorities). She wasn’t called the Iron Lady for nothing; her Aquascutum suits and helmet hair and boxlike purses functioned quite literally as armor, shielding her from political foes as well as from any sexist implication that she was insufficiently formidable for her job. Sheryl Sandberg, who writes about the importance of female self-confidence at work, favors form-fitting knits and exposed collarbones. A tech executive at Facebook, she intuits that the founder’s hoodie is not an option for her. I read somewhere that Anna Wintour’s haircut serves as her work uniform: As she is professionally obliged to wear a wide range of designers and styles, her hair provides her with consistency and authority.

But the prize for the most virtuosic deployment of the work uniform today goes to Christine Lagarde, the French lawyer who runs the International Monetary Fund. Her tailored dark (black or charcoal) suits are accessorized with a great haircut, dangling pearl earrings, and an Hermès scarf. That’s it. She’s nearly 60 and succeeds in looking both female and powerful without seeming to overthink either. Never has so little looked like so much. The most successful work uniforms resolve, at least on the surface, a woman’s own inner conflicts about sex and power. Because that’s really the question, isn’t it? Dressing for the office is harder for women than it is for men — it is harder — because workplaces are still overwhelmingly run by men, and women, who compete for recognition under that male gaze, must decide how willing they are to be sexy at work.

(For better or worse, the idea of a workforce uniformed in neutralizing “power suits,” armies of men and women decked out in shoulder pads and button-downs, never took off.) How much do you acknowledge to your subordinates and bosses that you have boobs; how much do you remind them with your wardrobe choices that the clothes you’ve put on in the morning sometimes come off? When faced with decisions about what to wear, women have to navigate these issues constantly and explicitly. Inside every woman’s mind runs an endless ticker: How much leg, how much waist, how much skin, how much ass, etc. Are you a Peggy , all self-serious, hiding your sexuality beneath a tweedy habit? Or are you a Joan, flaunting it, understanding that with sex comes power? Hillary Clinton has visibly struggled with what to wear. For so much of her career, her femininity and attractiveness were, unfairly, under attack; she tried — and failed — to find a uniform that might quell her critics. She tried headbands and frills and high-necked blouses. She tried nubby suits and attention-grabbing hues. During her Senate run, she opted for mannish pantsuits in Easter egg colors.

But now that she’s a grandma, with questions of sexual attractiveness largely behind her, Hillary seems to be embracing her clothes — remember the muumuu? — more than worrying about what people might say about them. There is something to be said for women, like Hillary, who wear their life experience on their faces. Who cares what Madeleine Albright or Ruth Bader Ginsburg is wearing (although, to be sure, Ginsburg wears a most elite uniform)? Their expressions carry so much more than sartorial weight. Even once you’ve settled on a uniform that works, it inevitably changes with new jobs, babies, age, or different responsibilities. I’ve been a journalist my whole life, but when I was a young reporter at The Wall Street Journal, I wore suits and heels to my cubicle in lower Manhattan. Part of it was the environment: a more corporate place in a more media-affluent time. And part was the job: We felt that we should dress as much as possible like the people we were writing about. But part was also me: Young and ambitious, I wanted work clothes that signaled my seriousness and protected me if I happened to find myself in a roomful of men in suits.

Just so, my new work uniform — jeans and a T-shirt, dressed up or down as the occasion requires — reflects the casualness of our age, an elitist dismissal of materialistic display and corporate informality purveyed by the dreamers in Silicon Valley and artisans of Williamsburg. (These days my bosses wear jeans, and the people I’m writing about are likely to show up for our interview in jeans as well.) But for some women, all this liberty provokes another kind of crisis: At start-ups, you see every outfit under the sun. Women wear Anthropologie and Lululemon and Patagonia hiking shorts and sundresses and thrift stuff. When photographed together, employees look like refugees from competing summer camps. A young woman I know, who works in marketing at start-ups, describes her approach to her closet like this: “Yes. This. Today.” But another friend who just changed jobs, moving from a corporate office culture to a high-tech one, says she is “having to learn to dress all over again.” Pencil skirts and J.Crew don’t cut it anymore. She is experimenting with the cashmere hoodie, she says.

That the current normcore moment allows me to dress like a more upscale version of my college self is a happy thing. But it also reflects my current professional status: In middle age, my striving is less defensive than it used to be; I am more content to let my bosses and colleagues take me as I am, less worried about falling off or down a ladder established by someone else. As I write this piece, I find myself compelled by photos of Samantha Power, the Obama friend and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, for she raises the art of the work uniform to a meta level. Her wardrobe looks, at first, like a mishmash — wrinkled, hastily put together, and with no organizing principle. There’s tomato-soup orange, there’s black, there’s emerald green. There’s a striped shift, there’s a plunging neckline, there’s the teal chiffon prom dress she wore to the White House when dining with the president of France.

Each item of her wardrobe seems to have an entirely different provenance: This sweater she seems to have bought in Nepal; that dress, at an import-export store in Harvard Square; this black sheath possibly purchased at the urging of an adviser with an awareness of her increasing visibility (“there will be television, you have to have something to wear”). It’s not a uniform at all, until you step back. Power’s work uniform is not a thing she hangs in her closet but an impression she gives as she moves through the world. Oh, this old thing? I just threw it on because I’m too brainy, too important, and way too busy to give a crap. Sure, with her unruly mane of red hair, Power is beautiful enough to pull this off, but she is also a reminder that confidence is the best style of all. Tags: What’s The New Definition of Power Dressing For Women? | TheGrindstone What’s The New Definition Of Power Dressing For Women? Share a Tip In a recent interview, fashion legend Giorgio Armani made a very bold statement . He said women no longer need to wear powerful-looking clothes in order to earn respect from their peers in the workplace.

“[Women] have edged out their standing in the world. Today, they don’t have to wear a suit jacket to prove their authority.” This is pretty extraordinary considering this is a man who made the power suit for women a fashion staple. But is he right? Have women come so far that they don’t need to wear clothes to show they are powerful? Is the era of power dressing for women over? Or maybe women used to have wear certain clothes to show they were powerful and now they just wear clothing that gives them a little extra confidence. According to The Wall Street Journal , the old-fashioned power suit look for professional women is actually dead (think Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith in Working Girl with the giant shoulder pads.) Women can now wear soft colors (even pink!), beading, prints, patterns and have feminine tailoring (peplum is all the rage right now)—all of which were once considered taboo in the workplace for women. There has been a shift in what is considered appropriate for women in the workplace. It has moved away from women trying to fit into the stiff, male-influenced power suit.

Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The matched crimson suit—once deemed essential for a female executive—reflected an era when women tried, often clumsily, to fit into male molds. There was also a militant element to that office apparel .” She wrote of her days at Procter & Gamble in the 1980s when she was informed by a boss that only the “secretaries” wore dresses. We are seeing this fashion shift being sported by women at the executive level who have the confidence to embrace a more integrated and diverse look. It is happening because there are just more women in these top positions and they are determining what is an appropriate look for the office. In a recent issue of The Hollywood Reporter , female executives in the Hollywood talked about the evolution of power dressing. It used to be all about the power suit but now more fashionable and feminine items are considered just as powerful. “When I got to town in 1989,” says Blair Kohan, now a fashionably dressed partner at UTA, “everybody was wearing these suits. I had one from Ann Taylor. You didn’t get Armani until you got to the top. I see more expressiveness.

Women no longer have to look tough because we are tough.” To finish reading this post, head on over to The Levo League. What’s The New Definition Of Power Dressing For Women? - Levo What’s The New Definition of Power Dressing for Women? Viewing on Levo: Only you can see this list In a recent interview, fashion legend Giorgio Armani made a very bold statement . He said women no longer need to wear powerful-looking clothes in order to earn respect from their peers in the workplace. “[Women] have edged out their standing in the world. Today, they don’t have to wear a suit jacket to prove their authority.” This is pretty extraordinary considering this is a man who made the power suit for women a fashion staple. But is he right? Have women come so far that they don’t need to wear clothes to show they are powerful? Is the era of power dressing over? Or maybe women used to have wear certain clothes to show they were powerful and now they just wear clothing that gives them a little extra confidence.

According to The Wall Street Journal , the old-fashioned power suit look for professional women is actually dead (think Sigourney Weaver and Melanie Griffith in Working Girl with the giant shoulder pads.) Women can now wear soft colors (even pink!), beading, prints, patterns and have feminine tailoring (peplum is all the rage right now)—all of which were once considered taboo in the workplace for women. There has been a shift in what is considered appropriate for women in the workplace. It has moved away from women trying to fit into the stiff, male-influenced power suit. Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal wrote, “The matched crimson suit—once deemed essential for a female executive—reflected an era when women tried, often clumsily, to fit into male molds. There was also a militant element to that office apparel .” She wrote of her days at Procter & Gamble in the 1980s when she was informed by a boss that only the “secretaries” wore dresses. We are seeing this fashion shift being sported by women at the executive level who have the confidence to embrace a more integrated and diverse look.

It is happening because there are just more women in these top positions and they are determining what is an appropriate look for the office. In a recent issue of The Hollywood Reporter , female executives in the Hollywood talked about the evolution of power dressing. It used to be all about the power suit but now more fashionable and feminine items are considered just as powerful. “When I got to town in 1989,” says Blair Kohan, now a fashionably dressed partner at UTA, “everybody was wearing these suits. I had one from Ann Taylor. You didn’t get Armani until you got to the top. I see more expressiveness. Women no longer have to look tough because we are tough.” Armani did add that fashion can still be used to boost confidence and what woman doesn’t agree that having a great top or a great pair of heels can give you a little more oomph in your step (if you are good at walking in heels that is)? Studies have even shown that wearing high heels and (the right amount of makeup ) can help women come off as more competent. A recent survey from The Daily Telegraph found that two out of five women surveyed believed wearing something red increased professional confidence.

“The clothes and colors we wear have a real impact on the way we feel. The colour red is associated with confidence and power,” Dr. Gayle Brewer, who conducted the study, told the British newspaper. One in 10 women polled said they would wear red to impress in the office, while 26 percent said even a touch of red lipstick boosted their confidence. There are definitely still power items that every woman should have in her work wardrobe but we don’t need to count on giant shoulder pads and binding pencil skirts to show the boss that we can keep up with the boys. Women can now wear flowers at work and still project power and that is a great thing. What do you think power dressing means today? Tweet us pics @levoleague of your best power outfits! The History Of The Power Suit - Levo The History of the Power Suit Viewing on Levo: Only you can see this list The power suit. Can it really give a woman power? I mean, at the end of the day, it’s just clothing. But in the workplace, a sharp matching suit and jacket with a pristine blouse underneath conveys an air of confidence. A power suit can be a suit of armor. But will it stay that way forever?

Do women even need the power suit anymore? Let’s see how the power suit has evolved since its origin and where it’s heading. For Women’s History Month we thought we would take a look at this very important fashion movement. 1920s Chanel liberates women So, how did it all start? We owe a lot of it to that classy French lady Coco Chanel. She was the one who freed women from those horribly restrictive corsets and gave us some room to actually move and breathe! According to the Emerald Street , the original power suit did not involve polyester and shoulder pads, but rather a knitted wool cardigan paired with a matching skirt. This came to be known as the Chanel suit. The suit was usually accessorized with a long string of pearls and was called the “woman’s new uniform.” Hollywood icon Marlene Dietrich helped popularize the look with her slouchy stylish way of wearing the suit. 1931 The first wide-shouldered suits According to Vogue, the house of Rochas introduced the 20th century’s first wide-shouldered suits for women. Marcel Rochas says that his new silhouette is based on the costumes worn by Balinese dancers.

1942 Kate the Great shows us that suits are for girls too Katherine Hepburn showed us that a man’s suit could actually be quite feminine. The slouchier the better for this gorgeous tomboy. Her film Woman of the Year made the suit iconic and a wardrobe staple for working women. 1966 The suit gets sexy It was this year that Yves Saint Laurent introduces le smoking, the “first male-inspired couture evening suit with pants for women.” Here is a picture of Bianca Jagger wearing the jacket. Of course, this sexy look wasn’t really appropriate for the office. 1977 Shoulder pads enter the picture Suits with extreme shoulders became the new fashion rage. The bigger the better. It was all about power. 1980s Power dressing We came into the decade of power clothes in the 80s. Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, and Anne Klein all embraced the powersuit in their designs. The film Working Girl (1988) also capitalized on the fashion of the decade. Melanie Griffith stars as a smart but undereducated secretary who can’t get ahead, partly because of her looks (big hair, big makeup, big fail).

But when she realizes her classy but terrible boss is stealing her ideas, she gets back at her by stealing her wardrobe which includes those classic power suits and a haircut. It’s a Cinderella story, except the fairy godmother is a power wardrobe and the happy ending is a great job (and Harrison Ford). Donna Karan and other designs started producing “softer suits” which often paired the power blazer with a skirt instead of pants. 1990s The softer side Madonna’s “Blond Ambition” tour in 1990 featured her wearing a pinstripe suit designed by Jean Paul Gaultier. Pairing the suit with lacy camisoles and that famous cone-shaped bra she injected pieces of femininity into this masculine ensemble ushering a new, softer era of fashion. Working women started pairing lacy camisoles and floral silk shells with their pant and skirt suits. With Casual Fridays introduced into offices, Vogue declares it the end of the power dressing era as long flowy dressings and leggings become fashionable.

Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld says, “There is not only a change in fashion going on, but a change of mind.” 2000s The skirt of the issue In the second half of the 1990s we were introduced to the television character Ally McBeal (played by Calista Flockhart). A neurotic but successful lawyer wore the power suit blazer, but with a tiny skirt on the bottom. The length of her skirt drew so much attention that Time magazine famously ran a cover featuring Flockhart’s face and asking “Is Feminism Dead?” Power dressing may have been declared over, but clearly people are still paying attention to what women’s clothing says. And some women still look at a pants suit as a source of power. Think of Hillary Clinton—the poster child for the power suit. In 2007 she told David Letterman, “In my White House, we all know who wears the pantsuits.” 2012 The death of the power suit According to The Wall Street Journal , the old-fashioned power suit look for professional women is over.

The new power look for women includes a soft color (like pink), beading, prints, patterns, and very feminine tailoring—all of which were once considered fashion sins in the workplace. This fashion movement is being sported by women at the executive level who have the confidence to embrace a more integrated and diverse look. We are seeing this trend because there are just more women in these top positions who determine what is an appropriate look for the office. There has been a shift in what is considered appropriate for women in the workplace. It has moved away from women trying to fit into the stiff, male-influenced power suit. Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal writes, “The matched crimson suit—once deemed essential for a female executive—reflected an era when women tried, often clumsily, to fit into male molds. There was also a militant element to that office apparel.” She wrote of her days at Procter & Gamble in the 1980s when she was informed by a boss that only the “secretaries” wore dresses. The power suit “has had a total demise,” says Bridget Brennan, chief executive of Female Factor, a Chicago-based consulting firm that advises clients on marketing to women.

Brennan thinks this is happening because women are more comfortable in their own skins and are owning how they dress.. 2013 The future of power dressing Women can wear pink, not just powerful red, in the office. They can wear florals and lace. They can wear leopard print shoes and flats. That’s right, flats can now be considered just as fierce as heels. Brinkley writes , “Long stuck in the purgatory of casual wear, flats are suddenly being promoted for polished occasions. Flats sleek enough to be dress shoes were paired with tailored suits and even with eveningwear on the spring runways from Marc Jacobs to Giorgio Armani.” In a recent issue of The Hollywood Reporter , female executives in the Hollywood talked about the evolution of power dressing. It used to be all about the power suit but now more fashionable and feminine items are considered just as powerful. “When I got to town in 1989,” says Blair Kohan, now a fashionably dressed partner at UTA, “everybody was wearing these suits. I had one from Ann Taylor. You didn’t get Armani until you got to the top. I see more expressiveness.

Women no longer have to look tough because we are tough.” Giorgio Armani , who made the powersuit famous, recently said that women no longer need to wear powerful-looking clothes in order to earn respect from their peers in the workplace. “[Women] have edged out their standing in the world. Today, they don’t have to wear a suit jacket to prove their authority.” What’s your power look? Tell us in the comments!

Question: What did power-dressing women wear to get broader-looking shoulders?
Answer: Shoulder Pads