The Politics of Power Dressing

No matter what walk of life you're in, no matter your political beliefs, moral standings or even your niche interests in cult horror films, first and foremost, whether you like it or not, you will be judged by your appearance. You know we all grew up listening to our senior family members telling us "Don't you forget, first impressions are everything" and we all roll our eyes and shake our heads, but sadly that doesn't make what they're saying any less true.

As a society we are completely obsessed with looks, 89% of the UK say appearance matters and with that we let ourselves become consumed by it (yougov.co.uk, n.d.). This is no different in the world of politics. Fashion isn't just about clothes, it's become a language, a tool, power dressing now reflects shifting gender norms, class dynamics, and even cultural identity. This piece explores how style choices shape public perception, who gets to define ‘appropriate’ political attire, and what power dressing reveals about the systems of power themselves."

Power dressing as defined by the oxford dictionary is “a style of dressing in which people in business wear formal and expensive clothes to emphasize how important they and their jobs are”. The term was Coined in the late 1970s generally used to describe women using clothing to assert authority in their male dominated workplaces. Traditional power dressing (picture structured 80s suits, shoulder pads, pencil skirts and big hair) was really brought to light in John T. Molloy's manuals “Dress for success” written to help women acquire respect at work. However, using clothing to convey influence and command has been around long before the power suits of the 70s and 80s (Sterlacci, 2024).

Hilary Clinton's 1993 'Cold Shoulder dress' by Donna Karan is one of the more notable moments of power dressing in politics. It made the statement that one can still be feminine and sexy while still upholding massive amounts of power and authority. Though this outfit caused many misogynists to take Clinton less seriously and people commented she was parading herself, The Irish Times, Conor O'Cleary even deemed her a ‘Sex goddess' thanks to her unique fashion choices. Despite this the ‘Cold Shoulder dress’ still remains Clinton's favourite to this day. She stated in a 2015 interview with Lena Duham "You know, like everything I do, it turned out to be controversial."

Pic Cred: Maia Olusanya, Shuffles

Pic Cred: Maia Olusanya, Shuffles

Under the reign of Adolf Hitler, Germany became a nation obsessed with uniform, the Nazi party used it to instil fear in the German citizens and in the Third Reich era they had upwards of 200 different uniforms (Brian. L. Davis). They used uniforms not only to convey that they were unified in appearance but also unified in thought. With Hitler believing himself to be an artist at heart we can only assume he saw these uniforms to some degree as his artwork described as “well-designed, well-ornamented and well-tailored, combining elegant design with a reaction of fear and respect to promote the ideals of the Reich without uttering a single word.” (Exploring the Power of Nazi Uniforms: Fear and Elegance, 2019) If I said to you now, “picture the Nazi uniform” the first thing you would think of is the brown shirt, right? It very quickly became integral to the image of power and success of the Nazi movement, they then built on that using braided shoulder boards and collar rank insignia to differentiate levels within the party hierarchy.

Women especially in the corporate and political world are still held to the standards of an unspoken dress code. Emily Parkhurst, CEO and Founder of Formidable Inc a media and membership company aimed at high level women stated “If I had a lot of meetings with men, I would wear more conservative clothing to ensure I wasn't perceived as unprofessional, and when I was meeting with a lot of women, I'd think more about the shoes and jewelry I was wearing. Men rarely notice your shoes, but women often do. Women must decide if they're making a "fashion statement" or trying not to be noticed, or something in between.... Men can wear the same dark blue suit every day of their lives and if they change their shirt and tie, no one will ever notice.”

On a similar note, former fashion editor of i-D Magazine and prime time BBC TV presenter of the 80s and 90s Caryn Franklin stated “"Men in the workspace are simply judged on their perceived skill set. And I say perceived skill set because men talk themselves up and recruiters mistake confidence for competence. Women don't talk themselves up, so they look for their clothes to deliver a reassuring authority." Women need to be wearier of their outfits to be taken seriously in their careers or else books like “Dress for Success” would have no need to be written in the first place.

“Dress with confidence. Clothing can be its own kind of armor.”

Emily Parkhurst

What many people don't realise is we don't just use silhouettes and the outfits themselves to convey messages about our status in the corporate or political world. We also use colour. Assistant professor in Fashion Communication at Northumbria and owner of Trendlistr Louisa Rogers stated: "Different colours evoke psychological and physiological (biological) reactions. For example, red is associated with urgency and strength. Emergency vehicles are often red to make them easier to spot in our peripheral vision. Green reminds us subconsciously of nature and is used by a lot of environmental movements to align themselves with a more basic, natural way of living. The use of 'brat green' over the summer was also very interesting; the acidic lime green tone was associated with Charli XCX's album and used to promote Kamala Harris' campaign as the party for young, progressive people with contemporary - not old fashioned - values. In this way a quite strange colour became tied to political optimism and a new era of American democratic rule which sadly did not come to pass.” During the aftermath of 9/11 American politicians would also frequently use red, white and blue to restore faith and patriotism towards the government at the time (Thakker, 2021).

Kamala Harris branding on X. Pic Cred: Kamala Harris HQ X

As much impact as colour has however, as stated regarding Hilary Clinton, the media holds all the power in how we feel about the outfits of powerful people, especially women. A notable instance of this was “Leg-sit”, Fashion Psychologist Jennifer Heinen said “Media coverage can distort or magnify meaning. The infamous "Legs-it" headline reduced a meeting between two powerful leaders—Theresa May and Nicola Sturgeon—to a commentary on legs, revealing how quickly substance is sidelined for spectacle when women are involved. Media not only reports on clothing but often attaches a narrative to it, shaping public interpretation. A woman’s wardrobe can become a stand-in for perceived character, intentions, or even electability.” Thankfully the backlash the Daily Mail faced for this cover was massive and it brought up an important conversation about scrutiny of women in the media.

Pic Cred: Maia Olusanya

Today, power dressing can be used as an incredibly powerful tool, Journalist for the Economic Times Kanika Gahlaut stated “Politicians from certain underprivileged sections in India have used fashion to turn deep rooted notions of privilege on their heads. Mayawati Dalit leader is known to have an impressive choice of handbags she uses to subvert generational stereotypes and social stigmas of status.”

This too has been seen recently on none other than Melania Trump whose outfit at her husband's recent inauguration with some going as far as to describe the hat she wore as a “visual guillotine, a definitive cut between her and any trace of humanity she might still carry” (Mildar, 2025).

Others felt she was making a statement about her husband's values by choosing an American designer over the European brands she ordinarily dons while the rest of the internet took this as an opportunity to mock her or make dark comparisons saying she looks straight out of the handmaids tale or that she is mourning America under the rule of President Trump.

Either way this shows that how you dress in the public eye, especially in the world of politics, will always be read into whether intended or not. Throughout history it has been used both for good, to spread a certain message or convey an image or to instill fear and tear people down because there really is no doubt about it, at the end of the day, appearance matters.