A Lawyer First Lady Influences Women Executives to Lose the Power Suit
The new power wardrobe for women no longer consists of a boxy suit or a matched crimson outfit.
Power dressing today has become more frilly and colorful, the Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) reports. The author recalls days gone by when a supervisor told her that only secretaries wore dresses.
Now professional women may sport “soft colors, busy prints and details like embroidery and beading that were once deemed inappropriate for the office,” the article says. Women once added a pop of color to gray or black suits; now they wear pink and mix soft hues together. Suits are still worn, but they often have more of a feminine cut.
Experts interviewed for the article cite the influence of lawyer Michelle Obama, who wears “vivid prints, curvy shapes and fashion-forward designs,” the Wall Street Journal says. Other trailblazers are Argentina President Cristina Kirchner and European Commission Vice President Neelie Kroes who “wear a variety of astoundingly bright, frilly, fashionable clothes,” the story says.