Power Dressing: The TV Shows With Boardroom Influence
[Image: Alicia Florrick, played by Julianna Margulies in The Good Wife, CBS]
The ‘80s taught us a lot of things about women getting ahead in business and the art of power-dressing.
(Don’t worry, we’re not about to discuss Margaret Thatcher).
The era that brought us neon, spandex and scrunchies also brought us shoulder pads, box-cut jackets and peg-legged trousers.
Luckily for us and everyone around us, we’ve moved on quite a lot since then.
In a post-shoulder-pad working world, the notion of power-dressing has prevailed, but has been largely inseparable from suiting and masculine tailoring.
[Image: Diane Lockhart, played by Christine Baranski, The Good Wife, CBS]
The idea that women have to wear trousers, in both a literal and figurative sense, in order to get ahead in predominantly male business environments is a truth still relatively universally acknowledged.
Well, that’s all changing.
[Image: Madam Secretary, CBS]
Thanks in no small part to popular television shows like The Good Wife and Madam Secretary, which showcase strong females in leadership positions, the women of the boardroom have never looked better.
But importantly, they’ve never looked more like women.
The Alicia Florricks, Diane Lockharts, Kalinda Sharmas and Elizabeth McCords of our television sets have taught us lessons in humility, strength, confidence, and attitude, but they’ve also helped emphasise the idea that there’s room for unique femininity to filter into our image of high-powered women.
So, with these shows as inspiration, let’s see what shape boardroom dressing is taking in 2015.
The Structured Dress
Put down the straight-cut shift dress and step away from anything ‘50s and A-Line.
The modern silhouette is fabulously embracing the female figure, without over-emphasising it. Body-con, form fitting, shapely cuts are all in, embellished only with structure in the bodice, origami folds and some great stitching detail.
[Image: The Good Wife, CBS]
SHOP L-R: Geo Jacquard | Textured Stripe | Fold Bodycon - all Therapy.
SHOP L-R: Tuck Detail shift dress | Ponte Brigadire dress | Diamond Detail dress
Accessorise, Accessorise, Accessorise
A statement necklace can make a much bigger statement than just about which stores you shop in and whether or not you’re up to date with the latest trends.
The right kind of accessories can really have some major impact on the outlook you project. Sharp lines and big, geometric shapes can toughen you up, where pearls and curves might soften a harder character.
[Image: Diane Lockhart, The Good Wife, CBS]
Diane Lockhart on The Good Wife sports some MAJOR accessories game. Watch and learn ladies, watch and learn.
SHOP L-R: Gold plated knot | Enamel pendant | Turquoise link | Gold crystal - all Kenneth Jay Lane.
SHOP CUFFS: Multiple chains | Silver chunky chain | Coloured bow tie cuff | Burnished chunky chain | Stone bar cuff | Spike cuff - all & Other Stories.
Dare To Bare
Women’s bodies are no longer required to be closeted behind thick folds of fabric in order for them to be taken seriously.
Sometimes a little bit of flesh wields a great deal of power, if it’s shown in the right way. That might be daring to bare your shoulders, a cut out section on your back, or even a flash of thigh or knee, so long as you’re careful and stylish about how you do it.
SHOP L-R: Halter pencil dress | Asymmetric hem | Kimono sleeved cut-out - all ASOS.
What do you think of the changing image of women in the boardroom? Let us know on Twitter @YLifestyleUK!
