Banking on the Dress

A good planner anticipates every aspect of the presentation. The encounter. The negotiation. The closing.

It is a plan.
Not a chance.

Sets the scene, creates the environment, prepares the room… and enters.

Every man at the top of his game has a power suit. Yes, there are some "power ties," but when the big outcome is on the line — out comes THE power suit.

Accomplished women should never mimic men in their "suit" choices. It diminishes them. Unless she intentionally wants to veil her power, to appear equal, to take them by surprise, like some kind of camouflage, she should never blend with the crowd.

For a woman is never equal to a man. She has feminine superpowers mere men can only guess at. They can never plummet them. The mystique is real.

And never more so than when she comes prepared for battle — in a dress.

Nothing says "office girl" like a shirt or blouse and slacks or skirt without a well-tailored blazer or jacket — or, sadly, exquisite shoes. Such a fine line.

Certainly, there are times that a well-tailored suit is very fitting, but today we are talking about the woman who owns the room.

Managing the room

So that brings us back to the woman in charge — managing the room. You may have noticed, she doesn't need to be the man or the woman at the head of the table to calmly, quietly, confidently hold center stage.

Something to consider —

Maybe a little softness combined with a mesmerizing silhouette. If you find you do want something less intimidating, more accessible, perhaps a nod to this year's hit — the shirtdress. One from Dolce & Gabbana oozes gentleness, while still saying: keep your focus.

When the line changed

I'm not sure exactly when we decided that powerful women needed to skip the suit line. I'm thinking it was the influence of costume designer Jolie Andreatta on the long-running TV series Suits. And while men's suits have made a refreshing turn to more color, style and individuality — the real change is in the line of women's dresses.

We now have options. We can go with the newscaster look of the long-line solid color (safe) silhouette — excellent lines and exquisite tailoring that exudes quiet strength, like a pleated A-line from Badgley Mischka at Neiman Marcus.

Or a dramatic color choice by Michael Kors at Bergdorf Goodman — which is a statement in and of itself.

Arriving with verve

But if you want to say — today I have consequential information for you to attend to — you might try coming in with more verve. More panache. A dress that loudly proclaims the arrival of life and light into the room, with a loud splash of, yes…

Power.

From color — and dramatic lines. Or art-like graphic intensity. From an ethnic standpoint, or international relationships. Or go with a neutral, quiet, sophisticated statement piece. Or the epitome of un-proclaimed achievement.

Be it fashion in the office, boardroom, or the city — we are all now banking on THE DRESS.