It’s International Women’s Day! Today, we celebrate how far women have gone since the gender inequality of the early 20th Century. Since then, women have been taking over the world–which used to be known as “a man’s world.” In the face of this new found power, one has to dress the part. This begs the question “can suits really give women power?” I mean, realistically speaking, it’s just clothing but it’s so much more than that. There is a big difference walking into a room with an air of confidence that only power dressing can bring about.
In the 1920s, Coco Chanel created the first iconic suit for women. The fashion icon was the first designer to borrow from menswear for women’s attire. Chanel’s iconic suit features a collarless boxy wool jacket with braid trim paired with a slimline skirt. Celebrities like Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, and Jackie Kennedy wore the Chanel suit proudly. Today, the woman’s power suit has evolved from classic to cutting edge but still exudes the powerful confidence of the original women’s suit.
FOREVER 21 earrings | ALDO necklaces | Vintage blazer | UNIQLO top | MISSY K clutch | ZARA heels
Taking my cue from the iconic Coco Chanel, I came up with my own take on power dressing. The outfit that I wore to the Cream Silk Transformations event is my modern-day version of a women’s suit. Suits no longer have to be boxy or frumpy. The fit, cut, and style of women’s suits have significantly transformed to compliment a woman’s form. Today, suits can even be mixed and matched with other prints or colors and can even be styled with casual outfits.
The focal point of this whole outfit is the stunning vintage blazer I found at a thrift store. Can you believe it only cost me Php 100.00 ($2.12)? What a bargain! I also found this pair of nude Zara branded heels in the same thrift store for only Php 180.00 ($3.83). To complete the outfit, I added gold accessories, sleeked back my hair, and a bold red lip color. This goes to show that you don’t have to spend a fortune to try out power dressing. Remember, suits can give you power but that doesn’t mean you need a suit to become powerful.
Photography by Matthew Azada & RJ Dancel