Power Dressing in the modern woman’s own terms

The 70s and 80s when the expression power dressing came to be, women saw the need and in fact were expected to establish their authority, power and professionalism through their dressing. To be taken seriously in the professional and political environment traditionally dominated by men, a woman needed to dress like a man. Professional women not only dressed to look like men but also had to act masculine too to fit in.

However in this era, a generation of women are redefining the concept of power dressing from the usual conservative masculine outlook which were hugely a way of hiding the woman’s components to make men feel comfortable. This generation of women are more than ever beginning to embrace their body and as such know that it is not their responsibility to dress to make a man feel comfortable rather, women now know that for them to compete effectively and to be more productive, they have to be comfortable within themselves first.

Today’s woman wants to be seen as smart, professional, confident, savvy and in control. They are embracing vibrant colours, soft as well as hard cut tailoring, they are comfortable to flaunt what they’ve got as long as it makes them feel more comfortable and sensual too. They are more than ever more adventurous with their style sense. Choosing when or if they want to be conservative or more liberal with what they wear and how they wear it. Women are more aware of functionality, attractiveness, comfort, purpose and individual style identity as part of power dressing. Women are creating their own brand identity through their dress sense and they’re happy to stick to just that.

Michelle Obama epitomises the modern woman owning her own dress sense. Despite the criticisms, she is not afraid to show her underarm, show her arm, her legs, wear dresses and suits alike, come out in variations of colours and combining different colours, materials and tailoring. Women like Theresa May, Nicola Sturgeon, Angela Merkel and Hillary Clinton all have one thing in common. They have their style identity and are happy to stick to that. In her own words, Theresa May, these are women who “get on with the job”.

Women such as Beyonce, Alicia Keys, Kim Kardashian, Cara, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and many more are powerfully dominating the entire entertainment and fashion industry by identifying their own personal style identity regardless of what anyone thinks about them. These are women leading in establishing that a woman’s worth cannot be measure in a piece of clothing.

Traditional power dressing concept is no longer a big deal and has nothing to do with defining a woman as power or authority. Women these days know how to make their power known, they choose and decide how to establish their authority, be it on the Tennis court, Football field, in the supermarkets, nursing their babies, or even in the park running around. Women are stepping up their game and are taking control of how they are perceived in any environment knowing that their power can no longer be contained in a box of dressing statement. They now know that they can establish their power by their comportment, what they do, how they do it and their confidence in who they are. Women’s power can no longer be summed up in a tailored suit.