What is Androgynous? As a ‘look’ of a female resembling a male? Popularized by actress Diane Keaton in the 1970's movie Annie Hall, and copied as fashion apparel. Kate Bosworth and Amanda Peet recently went androgynous at New York Fashion Week. Sex and the City most recent movie show again the fashion that elevates the power of women with a range of gorgeous styles to suit all tastes. Carrie played by Sarah Jessica Parker wears an androgynous style outfit that highlights the popularity of this style in fashion to hit the streets either at work or play. The androgynous look is a fun way to dress for work if your dress code forbids denim. You won’t need to go all out to pull the look off as single elements of the trend will be just as effective. Kate Bosworth and Amanda Peet embraced the menswear inspired fashion trend at the Rag & Bone Runway Show in Bryant Park.

Since 2007 a new kind of power dressing for women has emerged in recent times providing a stylish alternative to the classic work suit. The androgynous look has been keeping ultra-feminine fashion in check on the catwalk, seeing a trend towards nipped tailoring and bold, brash statement dressing – changing the way we dress for the office forever.

Whilst following all the current trends in the office is fun and fashionable, it also breaks the boundaries between work and play and like it or not, unless you work in the fashion industry, your boss will appreciate the smart and serious look rather than the ultra glam girl persona you may lead out of hours!

Power dressing may sound scary but it isn’t if you carefully balance your look. Sometimes you might want to look fierce in front of colleagues and at others you might want to appear part of the crowd, so why not match your look to your work mood and start making big impressions through your clothes…now that’s power dressing. Whether you’ve tried to win over a stubborn client or wanting to impress the rest of your colleagues with your ideas, the key is to choose clothes that ooze confidence. Feel confident as well as look it by choosing slimming styles that you feel comfortable wearing. Power dressing demands a fearless attitude which you’ll never convincingly achieve if you don’t like what you see in the mirror in the morning.

Choose trousers if you’re unsure of baring your legs and leave the killer stilettos at home if you fear toppling over in the boardroom. Combine subtle pinstripe, slim leg trousers with pointed heels for a feminine, slimming look. Always wear high heels but opt for a chunkier heel rather than a stiletto for stability and a perfect, confident walk. Pick jackets and blazers that are nipped in at the waist to create flattering curves and choose bold colours to wear underneath– weak pastel shades are the power dresser’s major fashion faux pas; beige is anything but brave – choose an ambitious red or empowering orange.

If you’re not sure about colour, embrace monochrome which is big business this season. Experiment with tailoring that features white lining and pinstripes, or simply add chic to a black suit with a thin white belt or bright crisp shirt. Never wear anything too detailed or patterned when power dressing (you want to be bold – don’t let your clothes steal the show). Choose straight, classic tailoring, smart, high-waist pencil skirts or trousers and find a style that you feel most confident and comfortable in. Always keep accessories to a minimum choosing silver jewellery for subtle sparkle and a subtle leather tote or handbag to finish your confident, empowering and fashionably fierce look.

Fashion Overview

We at SovaCollection have noticed this shift in a trend since the 80’s that enduring the period of time fashion and has been the fundamental time portal into the fashion culture and popular art with the feeling of that given age. Whether you liked what was popular in mainstream at that time, it still left its mark forever embedded in people's memories. Fashion as a whole is a "personal mode of expression", which was denoted by the hysteria of that time shown by the media, or by music that was popular at that time. We saw this as far back in the eighties, where the mode of feeling was innovative and experimental.