Fashion has been a tool of privilege, power and presence since it was discovered and evolved. Our dressing style decodes our personalities and makes for our first impressions. Our clothes also define our personas. Especially at the workplace, apparel styling holds the key to the position we enjoy, the authority we command and the respect we get.
This whole concept of fashion as a tool of the assertion of position has led to a highly commercial and in-demand category of formal wear, whereas concepts like ‘power dressing’, ‘friday dressing’, ‘fashion formals’, ‘uniform wear’ and others keep getting launched to keep the segment relevant.
Uniforms: a great Fashion and Power Leveller
This makes for an interesting study. Uniforms as a clothing category aim to create an identity and a sense of belongingness to an organisation and bring uniformity to the staff irrespective of where they come from. Hence, the uniform culture of an organisation serves as a great leveller and builds a work environment of bonhomie, equal say and equal opportunities among the colleagues. It adds to the horizontal work culture of a place and puts all the employees at equal footing. Many organisations use their uniforms to make their brand’s style statement too (as in aviation and hospitality sector). Some going on to patronising our handlooms and artisan sector by sourcing exclusive textiles while on the other hand, some may engage the services of reputed designers to design their uniforms. Sports’ team’s uniforms too are a great opportunity for making a style statement, be it the IPL teams or soccer clubs or brands like Nike and Adidas designing for sports stars like the William sisters. Certain organisations/ professions prefer to keep their uniforms gender-neutral to keep the bias from the office environment at bay.
In the education sector too, uniforms today are no more just the conventional navies and whites. The management has woken up to the fact that our clothes’ comforts and colours both impact the state of mind, not only of the wearer but also on the surroundings as well. The latest trend in uniforms in the education sector is also going the gender-neutral way. It is also getting a bit relaxed by doing away with neck accessories like ties and bows. The styling of the uniforms also contributes to the decision making factor of the student joining the school/ college and hence it has become increasingly important for an educational organisation to have a signature uniform. A monogrammed uniform is an ideal way to mark one’s signature.
Power Dressing and Fashion Formals (men):
On the other hand, Senior Employees at the higher rung of the ladder use their individualistic style of dressing to make a significant impression across the table, be it a regular workday, an all-important board meeting or an international conference, one is being noticed and judged for how one turns out. Even a politician or the head of a state too is being reviewed for what they wear on what occasion and meanings are drawn from the choice of the garment to the relevance of colour.
Power dressing brings to mind sharp, well fitted tailored suits, mostly bespoke in formal shades of navy, blue, charcoal, grey, steel, black and ash while fashion formals add a little bit of quirky fashion twist to the staid ensembles. This could be done with a hint of bright or neon lining or piping at the lapels, quirky designer neckties or even dropping the necktie for a bandhgala, a contrast or printed pocket square, use of handcrafted or precious/semiprecious/monogrammed buttons, cufflinks, brooch, pocket watch, formal metallic wristwatch, handcrafted or limited edition eyewear and belts, all these elements add class to formal dressing. Another noticeable element is to team the regular formal suit with a pastel/ contrast shirt instead of the regular whites or off whites. Sometimes one could ditch the blazer for a waistcoat with a necktie to get a refreshed look from everyday wear. Playing with choice of fabrics, checks and stripes makes for wider choices which can further be made impactful by choosing unconventional colours for suits like taupe, teal, olive, beige, crème, off white, powder blue, rust, terracotta or neons.
The Indian alternatives like bandhgala, formal kurta with sadri/jacket or stole/dushala bring a welcome change to one’s presentation.
Formal Shoes are a huge and compulsory segment of this category where bespoke shoes make a mark of the wearer coming in various styles, finishes, textures and colours, even going on to be handcrafted, hand-painted or inked shoes, done beautifully by ‘Toramally’, an emerging brand to look out for, besides the veterans in the market.
Friday Dressing is about going casually formal or semi-formal with some playful shirts, flat front trousers in colours which are not so coded. Prints or texture make for a great semi-formal look.
Power Dressing & Fashion Formals (women):
Though there are fewer women in the corridors of power and so they are under constant scrutiny for their sartorial choices. Be it the first wives representing their countries or head of organisations, making the right choice is imperative for these ladies in power.
Androgynous pantsuits, the classic YSL, is a go-to solution on one hand while on the other hand, formals like twin sets of sheath and jackets, shifts and shrugs, 3 piece skirt suits a la classic Chanel, tailored jumpsuits with blazers or trench coats, collared, jabot or bow tie neck formal blouses in silks, khadi, chambray, cotton, rayon pair well with formal skirts and trousers. In women formal wear, the colours enjoy a wider palette from neutrals like navy, grey, charcoal, black, off whites, whites to various shades of blue, green, mint, pink, fuchsia, lime, ivories, mauve, olive, sap, rust and many more tones. Even classic red makes for a powerful presence for women. Pumps or peep toes complement the look well.
One simply cannot go wrong with the choice of a Saree in the context of Indian formal wear. Classics like handlooms with traditional printed or embroidered blouses teamed with or without a sadri make for a very formal women’s look. Today this classic is also given interesting twists with formal shirts and blouses replacing the traditional saree blouses, belts thin as well as obi belts being worn on the saree, playing with saree drapes for a more chic and functional look. Salwar kameez is a staple formal wear across various offices, especially in the government sector. Some women even go on to mark a colour as their signature, which is a good fashion move, the latest in trend colour of the chosen colour family makes for the latest in the wardrobe besides making a significant presence. Choice of fabric and comfort are the decisive factors as discomfort in our clothing impacts our mood, concentration and productivity.
Fashion Formals are here to stay with more classics than trendy hence make for a good investment as we do spend most of our adult lives in our work wears!
-Shipra Anand
