Power dressing
Power dressing refers to a style of clothing intended to convey authority, professionalism, and confidence in business settings. Originating in the late 20th century, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, this concept was popularized by John Molloy, who proposed a specific "uniform" for both men and women entering the workforce. For men, this typically involved conservative suits in subdued colors like navy, black, gray, or brown, complemented by a white shirt and tie. Women’s power dressing, however, evolved from traditional attire that often emphasized their social connections to a more independent expression. Women began wearing skirted suits with softer blouses and bow ties, but many felt restricted by these guidelines and sought alternatives that combined power and femininity.
The cultural landscape of the era influenced this fashion shift, as prominent figures like Princess Diana and characters from television shows such as "Dynasty" showcased a more dynamic and stylish approach to power dressing, featuring bold shoulder pads and vibrant colors. By the end of the 1980s, films like "Working Girl" highlighted how attire could serve as a strategic tool for career advancement. Overall, power dressing established a baseline of professional appearance, and while it was characterized by classic and well-made garments, it also responded to changing fashion trends, particularly for women.
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Power dressing
Wearing formal professional clothing in order both to feel and to appear competent and powerful
Power dressing became particularly important for women during the 1980s as they entered corporate America in ever-greater numbers and attempted to break the glass ceiling. However, business women were not content to follow limited formulas for power dressing, and they looked for ways to modify the business “uniform” while maintaining a professional appearance.
Recognizing the needs of a new generation aspiring to enter the business professions, John Molloy prescribed a “uniform” of appropriate dress for men (1975) and women (1978). His rules were widely adopted by men in the 1980s; women also followed his advice, though with significant modifications.
Appropriate business attire was established for men in the nineteenth century. Molloy in the 1970s adapted those fashions for new college graduates in the late twentieth century, prescribing conservative dress of good manufacture and fit. The business suit was the basic uniform, and it was to be worn in a limited range of colors (navy, black, gray, or brown) and modestly accessorized with white shirt and a tie. Business dressing for women was a newer and more problematic issue. Women re-entered higher education in the 1960s and 1970s and took their place beside men in business and the professions in the 1970s and 1980s. Earlier women’s fashion had been designed to display the social position of their husbands, not themselves. In the late 1970s, Molloy adapted his conservative male “uniform” for the female business aspirant: She was to wear a skirted suit, soft blouse, and a feminine version of the tie, floppy and bowed. This too became a standard that, with modifications, continued in effect for decades.
Women, however, were less content with the limitations of Molloy’s prescription than were men. Some felt masculinized in such business attire, and many resisted the sense of wearing a uniform. Accustomed to more pronounced and rapid changes in fashions, many women found the rules boring and their duration interminable. Women sought out other models of fashions that combined power and femininity. One such model was the United Kingdom’s Princess Diana. Throughout the decade, television series such as Dynasty, Designing Women, and Moonlighting also portrayed alternative modes of power dressing: The powerful women on these shows wore daywear that included skirted suits and jacketed dresses with slim, broad-shouldered silhouettes, a much wider range of textures and colors, and stronger accessories. They also wore opulent evening wear. Especially emblematic of power dressing for women were large shoulder pads and wide lapels. By the end of the decade, the movie Working Girl (1988) served as a fashion handbook for getting ahead.
Business dressing was at base antifashion. It was “investment dressing”: classic, well made, not responding to fads. However, fashion responded. For men, designers such as Armani made available both couture and ready-to-wear power suits, while the ready-to-wear lines of Jones of New York and Liz Claiborne dressed America’s businesswomen.
Impact
In the 1980s, appearance was an important part of performance. Iterated in the 1970s and reiterated in popular media throughout the 1980s and beyond, power dressing made up the rules helping both men and women dress with confidence in business environments.
Bibliography
Andò, Romana. “Fashion and Fandom on TV and Social Media: Claire Underwood’s Power Dressing.” Critical Studies in Fashion & Beauty, vol. 6, no. 2, 2015, pp. 207–31.
Davis, Fred. Fashion, Culture, and Identity. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992.
Johnson, Dorothea. Modern Manners: Tools to Take You to the Top. Potter Style, 2013. eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=742943&site=ehost-live. Accessed 30 Nov. 2016.
Johnson, Kim K. P., and Sharron J. Lennon, eds. Appearance and Power. Oxford, England: Berg, 1999.
Welters, Linda, and Patricia A. Cunningham, eds. Twentieth-Century American Fashion. Oxford, England: Berg, 2005.