4 Office outfits that will make you feel powerful

4 Office outfits that will make you feel powerful

The impressions around the workplace are the most lasting ones. While this may not be true for most of the real-life relationships you create, it is absolutely true in the corporate world. They assess you based on your appearance and this is the basis of their judgment of you and how much power you hold. They will scrutinize not only your professionalism but also how seriously you are taking a particular conversation based on your attire.

Workplace politics is a very real phenomenon that does not exist in just office-based movies. It is the structure and dynamics of you as an employee with your colleagues. The hierarchy in any office is a thing that is unavoidable and everyone in that particular office has to abide by this distribution of power.

 

This power might depend on your position at the office and you might enjoy your position if it is high up on the corporate ladder, but there's a chance that your subordinates and people you do business with do not take you or your position seriously because of how you are dressing. If you think that you are being undermined because of how you dress and act, you need to change these things.

The way you dress will serve as the foundation for the business relationships you wish to establish within the company and with any future business partners. If this foundation is not firm and assertive, your future at the office will be reflective of that. If there isn't a future already and you are still climbing the corporate ladder, there might not be one at all.

If you dress inappropriately for your workplace environment, it will translate into work-related difficulties. Occasions such as a wedding or a birthday celebration might not be places that will give you the same result if you dress incorrectly, maybe there will be something along the lines of a sarcastic remark or a jest here and there. In a professional context though, the penalties could include not being taken seriously or even losing your job. When you have dressed adequately, you will not have to deal with any of these things. If you already have gone through these things, that's when you know that you have to start looking for corporate clothing inspiration that leans towards power-dressing

However, what exactly constitutes corporate power-dressing? The art of corporate dressing is to dress officially and appropriately while asserting your power and the fact that you are the one in control. It's not when you're dressed to kill and appear like you just stepped off the catwalk. It is when your outfit says that you respect yourself and your job and will accept nothing less than absolute respect from everyone else.

 

Wearing things that cover you up adequately, wearing colors that assert power, wearing clothing that is powerful and concise, and paying attention to how you dress every day are all requirements for power-dressing.  Because the apparel that qualifies for all of this is often hard to find, and there are too many restrictions to make it work in a wok set, this could be tricky. When it comes to the business attire you must wear for asserting dominance, there is a number of choices you can consider.

White as your holy grail

White is a clean color that is associated with truth, purity, justice, and piety. It is something associated with deities and people in power. It radiates the presence of moral high ground.  So for your work clothing, you should choose crisp, white attire.

Button-down shirts are one of the articles of clothing which will give you the style you desire. They appear to be effortless, neat, and disciplined. They have been worn by the top-tier corporate employees and those who are a part of the legal system. Invest in a white button-down shirt and make it a point to include it in your outfits.

Slim-Fit Trousers

If you're heading to a business meeting for any reason, you'll want to wear bottoms that make you appear on the mature side. You may pick up a pair of trousers for work that you can combine with any kind of top wear. Especially the slim-fit ones, that give you clean and collected. Trousers are the kind of attire that makes you seem like a reliable person.

The fit is a strong indicator of your overall attitude toward the circumstance. Trousers make you seem like a well-functioning adult who also pays ample attention to their wardrobe. Bottoms are an indicator of how much you think of paying attention to detail. Go for a pair of blue slim-fit trousers.

Add a Vest and a blazer

A vest is a garment that resembles a waistcoat, except it is much thinner and worn underneath a suit jacket. It is typically a component of the ever-classy three-piece suit, something all of ys should own irrespective of gender. A vest will thus be an ideal outfit addition for you if the goal is to exude power and class. You can go straight for a three-piece suit for the bigger events but for your everyday office attire, you should emulate that look with a vest and a blazer.  You're not there to seem like an overdressed idiot. Wearing the correct office wear is the key to establishing power. A vest adds an edge of precision to your plain old trouser and shirt combo, and to top it off, a blazer will give you the structure.  

Layering a vest over a shirt and beneath a blazer, and then adding a pair of pants that match the whole color palette is a great way to create an outfit worthy of attention.  The best part is that you can take off the blazer and you're wearing a whole new outfit. It is always good to invest in little pieces instead of huge ensembles. You can invest in a vest like navy one or a blazer.

Formal shoes are the way to go

The saying about fashion that states shoes can make or break an outfit is true. So is the saying that you can tell the status of a person by looking at their shoes. Both of these rules apply heavily to power-dressing. They show not only how serious you are about the entire outfit but also just how extensive your sense of fashion is. If you're wearing the wrong shoes, you will look like a fool, not like a force to be reckoned with.

Formal shoes have the quality of getting noticed even when they are the subtlest of colors and have the most understated of designs. Here, the less is more principle comes into play and the power that formal shoes hold is not a loud yell, but instead a whisper that will let people know of your authority without being too on the nose. Formal shoes go with not only formal but semi-formal clothing as well. The design is clean and simple goes with everything and if you invest in a black or brown pair, the color will be universally flattering on all sorts of outfits too.

The best type of material to pick while buying formal shoes is leather. It could be any kind of leather, from faux to bonded to suede to cognac. Leather is the material of the rich and has represented wealth and power through eras. So buying leather boots for work attire is an excellent move. You can pick the shoe based on the color palette of your usual office wear and then be on the safer side, pick up another pair that has a slightly different tone or design.

Cognac boots have been famous for being the rich man's casual shoe and you can pick up a pair for your casual work-related duties too so that you never look like you're out of control, even off-duty. Going for laced or unlaced is again, a matter of personal preference. You can go for a laced pair like black formal shoes or go for unlaced ones like cognac boots.

Conclusion

Power-dressing, much like any other technique, is best practiced when you believe that you can already do it, then you will be able to actually do it in no time. Fake it till you make it. You have to embody that energy and have faith that you do exude power because office wear alone cannot save you. But it certainly helps in taking you places.

Combine these outfits with your belief in your own abilities and you'll get where you want to go in no time. Shopping for these items from luxury brands on Iconic is the first step in the right direction. Trust the attire, trust the process, and trust yourself and you will be the most powerful dresser in a jiffy.