The new workwear tribes
From start-up entrepreneurs to the new corporate bosses, Caroline Leaper finds out what women are really wearing in the modern workplace
Once, when you took a scan of the scene on your commuter train, you could tell very little about who your fellow passengers were or what they did for a living. The banker, the doctor, the small business owner and the corporation executive were all dressed the same, more or less. The look, generically, was just plain and simple; “corporate”.
But now, showing some personality has become just as important as looking appropriate in the workplace. Up to 98 per cent of businesswomen believe that their personal style has helped them to achieve certain objectives at work, according to a recent Workwear Matters report produced by tailoring label The Fold. Individuality is the new priority when shopping, even for suiting.
“Power dressing for women was well understood in the Eighties thanks to films like Working Girl,” considers Catherine Duggan, chief executive officer of the International Pharmaceutical Federation. “Dressing in masculine suits offered a huge opportunity to present ourselves as equal in the corporate setting. But some 30 years later, I believe it’s moved from power dressing to em-powered dressing. Your ‘power suit’ is anything you feel comfortable in, and that will help you to deliver.”
Depending on your field, there will be different things that you might want to say about yourself via the medium of workwear and that qualify as a “power look”. Creatives may wish to pledge allegiance to a cult designer that their peers would appreciate, or an entrepreneur might covet a piece of jewellery that will act as a conversation starter at networking events. In certain circles, it’s a case of the sharper the better, but being too polished could be considered old hat. There are new nuances as to how to get it right (and wrong) and they really do matter.
The old workwear tribes have also evolved to account for a whole spectrum of new career types. For some, the very structure of the working day has changed, and agile, flexible working arrangements might mean that you spend as much time at home as you do in the office. A calendar of different events – from breakfast briefings to partner drinks – can require a wardrobe of occasionfluid things. Many are pursuing passion projects, side hustles and secondary careers that start after their 9-5 day is done. Often the sartorial lines are blurred completely. As Denise Higgins, a public relations manager and yoga teacher, explains: “There is no split between a work and personal wardrobe for me anymore. My weekday wardrobe is also my weekend wardrobe.”
Confused? So is the workwear landscape, but in a good way. Let’s unpick the subtleties to determine who’s really wearing what...