From Sharp To Comfy: How Power Dressing Evolved. And 5 Tips On Evolving Your Work Wardrobe

By Maria Shaheen, Digital Marketing Manager & Chief GIF Researcher

The way you dress and style yourself every morning sets the tone for your entire day. When they say that your clothes affect your mood, it’s true! If you’re wearing something that looks fierce, it’ll affect the way you feel about yourself. You’ll believe that you can take on the world.

Because clothes are a way to express yourself, your personality and who you truly are. They help you feel your strongest, best, most confident self. Your clothes are like a shelter, something that makes you feel secure. Almost as if they’re your best friends.

It’s always been difficult for women to make space for themselves in the business world. It’s all men… in their suits. To make their own space, women showed their authority and power through dressing. In the 1970s everyone dressed sharp. Tailored jackets, shoulder pads, dresses tightly cinched in at the waist and skirts that stopped at the knee. Imagine Coco Chanel. Feminine yet authoritative. That was the origin of Power Dressing. Power dressing is about investing in pieces that are like a magnet to the life you want to live.

The definition of power dressing has changed over time. Of course, it still portrays authority and competency. But the way we dress has changed. Now, it’s all about comfort.

The pandemic contributed towards this change. Everyone’s gotten comfortable with working from home in sweatpants and a pullover. To dress up in tight clothes and high heels feels like a huge task now! The entire fashion industry including high end brands saw this shift, and incorporated comfort in workwear.

Clothes that you feel comfortable make you feel more confident. Power dressing doesn’t always have to be big shoulder pads and suits. There are obvious office staples like a button-down shirt and wide-legged pants. But sometimes a beautiful maxi skirt or comfortable culottes help you through a busy office day.

And I believe that is real power dressing.

When you’re a girl boss and have to get things done, you can’t wear something that’s uncomfortable and takes your attention off of work. Wearing clothes that make you feel good rather than wearing them for how they look.

For instance, the blazer and jeans combination is a popular choice that you can never go wrong with. The mix is polished and chic without being uncomfortable or extremely formal.

A few tips to look fierce yet feel cozy at work:

• Wear comfortable shoes. If you can’t walk around in 6 inch heels the entire day, ditch them. Wear sneakers.

• Makeup is also a part of dressing. You don’t need to wear a full face of makeup every day. Let your skin breathe.
• Let your hair down. Literally. You don’t always have to wear your hair in a tight bun or ponytail that gives you a headache by the end of the day.

• Wide-leg pants are the craze now, so embrace the trend and wear relaxed pants to work.
• Offices tend to be chilled to the point it could start snowing inside (: Beat the cold with a pullover sweater that looks formal and put-together.

• Hitting the gym right after work? Make athleisure work for you by making it look classy.

In conclusion

Power dressing has shifted and I’m loving it. Now it’s all about experimenting, breaking boundaries and being fierce in your own personal style.