The tailor in the 70's: a tool for emancipation
What is the power of fashion?
Power dressing is a style of dress that inspires us. It's designed to convey authority, competence, power, boldness and confidence, particularly in professional business environments. The concept first appeared in the 1970s, when John T. Molloy published a series of books entitled Dress for Success.
In the 70's, men and women were advised to wear a smart uniform, a kind of strategic tool to help them achieve excellence in their professional careers. The dress code for gentlemen was conservative: perfectly tailored, high-quality suits, fine woolen sheets and sober accessories. For women, it's time to wear a skirt suit and flowing blouses with less rigid collars than those made for men.
The emblematic figure of power dressing at the time was none other than Margaret Thatcher. The Iron Lady's innate authority was, according to the author Molloy, within the reach of all women respecting two rules of dress that today would be considered (and rightly so) misogynistic: don't look like a secretary and don't be too sexy.
We understand that power dressing for women in the 1970s was above all a tool for emancipation. Adopting the masculine codes of tailoring became necessary to cope with the objectification and sexualization of their bodies. Subjected to "male gaze", the pressure of the male gaze, women had to dress in strict tailoring to be considered credible and competent in the professional sphere, a space where they had very little place.
Women's power dressing has become a shield against the image of the trophy wife. More than a tool for representing social status and reflecting confidence and leadership, power dressing became a tool for women's emancipation in male-dominated sectors.
Far from being a superficial choice, wearing a suit has a history that particularly touches the 17H10 teams. As a brand created by women for women, we carry a strong message of sisterhood and the valorization of women's achievements in the professional sphere.
