Power dressing: Fashion

          Power Dressing

 The way in which you dress, can influence your success in life.

Power dressing refers to the style of clothing, hair and overall image presented by an individual with objective to be perceived as authoritative, individualistic, a higher status and wealth. Both men’s and women’s clothing through out time have used features of clothing that have fallen into these categories.  

The Tudors are the most famous and widely recognised as being the first to 'power dress', especially Queen Elizabeth I. Instead of using influence from superstitions and religion like the Egyptians for example to hold power over others, the Tudors used exaggerated structure and crowded embellishment to give the appearance of wealth. Lace at this point in history was more expensive than pearls as it was not made in England therefore ha to be imported from Italy where it was first made. thus the exaggerated lace ruffs, appliqué onto garments and lace trimmings.

However a contrasting method of power dressing, is to dress purposely for an objective and practicality. I have two examples of this. 

First of all Joan of Arc, which some may or may not be familiar with. To give you an idea of who she was, she basically at the age of 18, led victory over the English army with the French during the Hundred Years of War. As her status was of a fearless leader, she adopted the dress of one and 'cast aside all womanly decency’.

My second example which is more relevant to today's society, were the suffragettes. They used their sex to their advantage as it was a component of power to their cause. The reason they did this was because they were branded with negative stereotypes as their cause was untraditional and scandalous. They dressed in a deliberate strategy in a restrained type of Edwardian dress to show they were rational ladies instead of the negative stereotypes they were given. 

 

But of course the most famous fashion item of the 1980s was the power suit. This was a women’s suit of an exaggerated males silhouette which was the look for the ambitious woman. The jacket had massively padded shoulders and a nipped in waist. Like the clothing of the Tudor period the stiff fabrics and padding were used to exaggerate the figure. 

Vienne Westwood, one of the most successful fashion designer, described her work at the design museum as ‘all my outfits are powerful even if they are pretty or silly or butch. They all give you power because you’re able to play with your identity’. 

So use fashion to your advantage. 'Play with your identity'. The power is all yours.