Clothing holds onto emotion, memory, and movement for us, and beautiful clothing can reveal truths about inner beliefs. Corporate officewear is a material authority to see how women have evolved to operate in a man’s world, just in the shape of a woman. Supported by fashion psychology and proven on the runway, modern office dressing acts as a physical representation of acceptance for women in the workplace.
Power Dressing
So, what is power dressing? Commonly associated with corporate office workwear: harsh angles, neutral colors, sharp tailored lines. A style that has evolved with time to personify all the traits that align with the male-centric attitude of the workplace: aggressive, cut-throat, and intense. As women have been a recent integration into office leadership, a work #ootd tends to reflect the male attitude that is praised and promoted. The only difference between male and female work look is that one shows off a broad chest, and the other emulates a broad chest with shoulder pads and has tailoring to showcase a smaller waist. Modern offices have adopted a relaxed dress code that allows women to take on silhouettes that might feel more authentic to them. But by doing so women forgo that opportunity to, “increase perceptions of traditional male competencies by wearing suit pants, a shirt, and a blazer”,. The encouraged idea is that a, “woman may be able to increase perceptions of assertiveness, leadership and achievement orientation”. There is a heavy, silent implication in the workplace that women aren’t capable of performing higher level job responsibilities and must use fashion psychology power dressing tricks to prove legitimacy.
Working Women
In every leadership system, behaviors and patterns deemed appropriate for the group start at the top. For most of corporate history, men sat in that seat dressed in their tailored best. It is only natural to see all who wanted to emulate, mimic, and build their way up to sitting in that seat dressed the same with the hope to prove that they could also sit in that seat one day. In 1973, only 53 years ago, Katharine Graham became CEO at The Washington Post Company, making history as the first female CEO of a Fortune 500 company. At the time, the workforce was over 40% women. The shortened gap between the quantity of men and women working, compared to the early 1900s, provided the strength in numbers at the bottom, with the beginning of the female influence from the top to bring silhouettes that afforded more freedom such as trousers and the wrap dress. The wrap dress, created and popularized by Diane Von Frustenburg, specifically highlights the natural waist, functionality of day-to-night, and presentable comfort. Feminine traits had their representation in the clothing in a way that competed with the traditional suiting for legitimacy and cemented women-centric silhouettes as credible power dressing options. Shapes like these showing up in clothing mirrored the workplace culture that was starting to take shape around the normalization and societal acceptance in women fulfilling what were previously male-dominated roles.
Power Dressing like Working Women
In our modern world, women are still jumping over hurdles to get to the positions that men have a clear path towards *sigh*. But, we can look to our runways to see how women have taken their seat in the workplace and made it pretty.
Schiaparelli SS26 RTW Runway featured a white linen, wool, and mohair single breasted jacket layered over a matching pencil skirt. The structured shoulders and appropriate knee-length spoke to the traditional elements of respectable dress in authoritative environments. The round details found on the hips, longer sleeves, a waistline made softer with relaxed tailoring and an exaggerated drop front pocket details invite a softer, more whimsical feeling to the look. The ensemble maintains a respectable feel despite the relaxed nature in comparison to a traditional suit. Women normalizing softer silhouettes and authentic movement in clothing for the past 50 years contributes to the matching authoritative impression.
The Alexander McQueen AW25 show celebrated dandyism through the modern lens. Dandyism style is defined by solid tailoring and proud silhouettes, similar to office power dressing. The show did not lack in mirroring the traditional qualities of male-centric office wear but women-coded details found their way to soften an otherwise aggressive shape. Rounded, victorian inspired shoulders replaced broad shoulder pads, peek-a-boo lace detailing on the cuff, a tight waistline similar to that of a wrap dress, and a cropped hem provide elements that resonate with feminine qualities while maintaining a vibe that competes with that of the men with outdated ideals in the office.
Acne Studios AW26 collection celebrated the brand’s 30th anniversary by challenging the dressings of the average person against the higher class. Featuring pops of color, mismatched plaid patterns, and mis-styled outerwear offers a playful interpretation of traditionally accepted female office silhouettes. The show really leans into the deconstruction of socially accepted outfits, matching the newfound norms of a modern office hierarchy.
Clothing can be such a fabulous mirror into the thought patterns and inner beliefs of our world. I think that Katherine Howard would be excited to see how her efforts have created space for our runways to be sharp and our office wear to be authentic.
