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WOMEN IN SUITS: HISTORY OF POWERDRESSING

Nicole Oraha
May 1, 2017
2 min read

Nowadays, women are wearing suits everywhere, from celebrities on the red carpet to working women in

corporate businesses. Aside from suits being fashionable, for women back in the early days, wearing a suit would come with power, freedom and equality - which without a doubt caused a lot of controversy.

A few years ago I came across a documentary called “In Vogue: The Editor's Eye”, which explored Parisian fashion culture. The film included how women shaped fashion trends, especially in 1920s, when the first pant suit was introduced - allowing women to adapt a masculine style. This really inspired me to do research on this subject, finding it really interesting how dispute erupted due to concerns on women wearing suits.

The main focus was on women dressing like men, wearing trousers and sneakers, when they first joined the workforce in Paris. Designers noticed this intriguing trend and decided to create suits suitable for women to wear to work - in a workforce often dominated by males.

Yves Saint Laurent is known for creating and introducing the first tuxedo suit for women in 1966. This enduring garment allows one to feel in control and successful - I mean if you saw someone wearing a suit in the streets, you’ll probably think they're really smart with a great profession. A man wears his tux when he wants to look and feel his personal best, so why not allow women to have the same privileges?

Due to high demand from designers wanting to create suits for women, it was later seen as appropriate for women to wear suits in the workforce - of course, being worn with pearls rather than ties, giving them the same power as men, changing the fashion industry forever.

The introduction of power suits for the ladies has defined the values of fashion. This trend has dramatically evolved throughout the years, being perceived as more than just uniform.

For women today, this fashion movement has opened many doors to feeling powerful, influential and worthy – after all, who could resist against power dressing.