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A lot has changed since the first wave of women managers felt compelled to hide their femininity in boxy jackets, shoulder pads and buttoned-up-to-there blouses. The uniform, as outlined by what-to-wear guides such as 1977's The Woman's Dress for Success Book, imitated men's attire in an attempt to give women the same power and authority.
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Today, that notion seems outdated, as a new generation of businesswomen feel freer to dress as they please. "Women now get to decide what they stand for and can show their uniqueness," says Gail Blanke, founder and chief executive of Lifedesigns, an executive-coaching firm. A woman's choice of work attire helps her "develop her personal brand," Blanke says. "Dressing now is all about freedom and confidence."
Certainly dress codes vary from industry to industry. In creative fields such as advertising, retail and publishing, women are freer to experiment, while in more conservative fields such as finance, accounting and law, the old pinstripe or dark-solid suit rule often still applies. But even there, women have more choices. They might opt for a shapely, nipped-in jacket, a ruffled blouse or a stylish platform heel. Nowadays, conservative dress has more to do with maintaining a professional image than forcing women to look like their male colleagues.
Susan Shin, a former intellectual-property lawyer and now owner of the New York public relations firm, Shin Advisors, remembers how strict it was for women as recently as the mid-1990s. "I was a second-year associate at a law firm, and I went before an 85-year-old judge. He kept looking at me strangely, and finally he said, 'I can't hear your argument. I need you to go home and change. When you are appropriately dressed you can come back.' I was wearing a pantsuit."
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Image: Dresses Aren't Just for After Work
