Today’s woman wants to create a mark and knows how to achieve that. And fashion adds a finishing touch to her achievements. Certain styles are associated with strong and successful women. Harshita Gupta, Founder, Hail Women, a portal for women’s fashion wear, recognises a strong woman just by looking at her confidence in carrying herself.
“She will always be dressed wearing subtle styles and formal wear. It can be business suits to proper formal dress or in Asian counties, they wear traditional. Formal doesn’t mean boring; with the coming trend, you can see major changes and experiments in formal wear.”
For Rashi Menda, CEO & Founder of Zapyle.com, another portal for women’s fashion with a twist, style, unlike fashion, is quite personal. “Fashion trends keep evolving but it’s your style that makes you stand out from the crowd.
And I believe, the stronger the woman the more she is aware of her style. Hence anything a woman feels comfortable in and which reflects her persona can be defined as a strong woman’s fashion statement.”
Arushi Kalsi, Founder, OverDrive, and Marketing Manager, Metro & Metro, defines fashionable strong women and their styles well. “They make statements with their personal fashion choices while staying true to themselves and aren’t afraid to be different. They are more stylish than anybody else.
Of course, we also love their modest appearance. Their fashion sense has timeless appeal and they are consistent in the way they dress while remaining relevant and fresh. They are only concerned with living their most authentic truth.”
Iconic style-setters
Regarding fashion statements by famous strong women that made history, Rashi remembers the classic LBD worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffanys. “There is also Diana Ross and her maximalist style. It’s embellished gowns and elaborate wigs while fading the lines between costume and everyday wear.
One remembers Grace Kelly and her sophistication. She was known for her classic and sophisticated style with feminine and clean tailored ensembles.
Jacqueline Kennedy was chic and simple. Boxy Chanel suits reshaped fashion’s view of conservative clothes. Katherine Hepburn was the lady of menswear. She was known to have embodied the American androgynous look.”
Arushi admires Princess Diana and Oprah Winfrey. “Princess Diana will always be our top favourite of all time for her unconventional style and her ability to exude femininity while making bold moves in her life. Her short ‘Purdey’, medium cut hair was one of the most copied hairstyles in the 1980s. Somehow her hairstyle just enhanced her softness and vulnerability further.
Oprah made bold-hued fashion decisions throughout the years. Most of all we love her for being so comfortable in her own skin and still looking happy and stylish even while wearing those animated green slippers! Her style doesn’t feel intimidating, over the top or unachievable yet she looks great in it and most of all, her beauty shines through with her intelligence, substance and kind words.
Jordan Strauss
Oprah’s styles include crisp button-downs paired with voluminous skirts, vibrant reds and shades of blush and beige. We feel she looks her best when she is in vibrant colours. One of our favourite looks is the red Michael Kors suits for the Celine collection. It truly is a power suit that exudes full blast feminine power.”
Trends today
“There is the classic slip dress layered with a boxy blazer. Others include a clean tailored double-breasted pantsuit and oversized crisp poplin shirt with high waist wide leg tailored pants,” shares Rashi.
Arushi mentions the term ‘enclothed cognition’. “It’s the idea that what you wear can alter your mood or self-perception. Denim lovers pairing it with a vintage tee and sharp blazer pay homage to the original power dressing staple.
Because we are going toward the heritage trend these days, layer it with an ’80s-inspired herringbone blazer with a modern twist. Or suckers for classics doing an all-white suit with a crop top— professional, with some personality!”
Harshita thinks the best or trending attires are formals even today. “No matter what the occasion or event, formals are the only fashion style they choose to wear when it come to strong women. And why not? That’s sophisticated yet classy.”
Accessorise right
Accessorising is equally essential. Arushi wants earrings to at least not swish. “Wear a watch— watches signify reliability to the interviewer. I’m always a fan of a simple, high-quality pearl necklace. Avoid multiple noisy loose bracelets.
Pointed-toe pump heels work the best, whether it’s wide-leg palazzo style trousers or cropped cigarette pants. If heels aren’t your thing, a great way to put a professional spin on a funky suit for work is to pair with trendy brogues. These lace-up classics add some bulk to your feet which can balance out a blazer and keep you comfortable all day long.”
Harshita suggests keeping the accessories minimalistic. “But nowadays, women are trying fusion – ethnic jewellery mixed with formal dressing and it’s trending a lot.” Rashi too agrees. “Some trends are square toe strappy sandals, statement large chain necklace, soft clutches, padded headbands and hoop earrings.”
She also wants every woman to understand her body type. “Choose your comfort level. Don’t follow others; they may not be suitable to your styling sense. Create your own style statement. Be sensible and confidence with your formals.”
Rashi wants every woman of today to go for her first choice. “Remember what grabbed your undivided attention. Never convince yourself over a garment on the second thought.”
You agree with Arushi about confident women dressing for themselves. “They aren’t afraid of taking risks. They figure out the silver lining, take note of what they learned, and get back up.”
Nothing less will do!
