Business Pin Up: powerdressing without giving up your curves

No, you do not need to go full Angela Merkel and wear curve-hiding pant suits in order to dress professionally and powerful.

Because even though pin ups are depicted as playful and a bit silly, you can also use this style to bring out your ambitious career driven side.


In this post we'll look at why female professional fashion has been an assimilation of male silhouettes since the 16th century and how the pin up silhouet is slowly shifting female power fashion to a curve embracing statement.

Disclaimer: Don't take this as a lecture on how I think all women should dress. Wear whatever you think is beautiful, occasion-appropriate and makes you feel confident.
But since you're here, I have a feeling my views and tastes in fashion might resonate with you ;-)

Open your history books to 16th century England...Or the 2018 Fifa world cup...

Queen Elizabeth the 1st wore a masculine doublet to use fashion as a power statement, saying "I'm playing with the big boys" in 16th century England.

Angela Merkel, Margaret Thatcher and Hilary Clinton are modern examples of women in powerful positions who also dress in a masculine way. You'd see them in pant suits and never in a pencil dress or wearing something that would accentuate their waist.
And they will not be the last to assimilate the male silhouet so as to state their authority (hello 80ies shoulderpads).

Why did they do that? Surely this isn't relevant anymore with so much feminism and equal rights.

Sadly, women still get asked and judged about their appearance rather than their actual work and merits. Not just by old men, they get judged by men and women, old and young alike. Be it vocally or internally.

Of course you're gonna listen to the guy in the suit and not to the guy in sweat pants if you're at a bank. That's just knowing how to dress for a particular occasion or setting.

But we're talking about how, regardless of occasion-appropriate attire, women who wear more masculine silhouettes blur the target that's on their back for being both a woman and in a position of power/authority. 

In fact, this look has even been described as matronly, because of it's lack of female sexuality (curves). Famous stylist Michele Oppenheimer said "Clinton and Merkel look like grandmothers, which might help them to not appear threatening".

Can't you just accept a compliment?

Don't get me wrong, I'll happily accept a genuine compliment or talk about 50ies fashion when we're at the coffee machine. 
Just not when we're discussing other subject matter that relates to my job or skills. Digressing to how somehow looks is often an ad-hominem attempt to discredit the speaker, and not a compliment at all.

We still see a lot of this happen in 2018 in Western supposedly equal societies: female sport commentators being told to go back to the kitchen during the Fifa world cup. And not just by some lone sheep that's sexually frustrated and older than 50.

Women who dress more feminine will always be viewed by some (wo)men as "misplaced" in a position of authority. 

But frankly, that's the intimidation and bigoted view of the past. I think it's high time to explore the rise of a new form of office/power fashion for women:

The fabulous fifties pencil models.

Royal Blue (subtle) pencil dress by Juffrouw Jansen

Be it a pencil skirt, or a pencil dress. Both are elegant, accentuate curves and combine the hyper femininity of the pin up silhouet and the modern day I-kick-ass-at-my-job-woman.

You can still insert a lot of personality and occasion specific up- or downdressing options. Go for a classic black/white dress, or opt for the brightly colored version. Add or lose the pearl earrings and necklace to change the formality of your look. 

Brands and inspiration:

If you're looking for inspiration or style icons to emulate, you can turn any of the following people into pin ups by adding rep lip stick and a winged eye liner.

1. Michelle Obama doesn't shy away from color, prints or a waist belt. 

image by fashion style detroit

2. Claire Underwood, as portraid by Robin Wright in House of Cards, is on the other side of the spectrum with very neutral and muted down colors. Yet her outfits are highly tailored and feminine in a strong but conservative fashion (no cleavage or leg splits).

image by Cinemazzi

3. The legal leading ladies of the hit series Suits, also know how to powerdress in a feminine way: Donna Paulsen, Jessica Pearson and Rachel Zane are great inspirations to draw from.

image by Pinterest

Aren't those super expensive brands like Ralph Lauren and Armani?

Yes, but you don't need to wear designer labels to have a well designed powersuit.

My favorite brands for talking business are: 

Vintage Chic by Topvintage

- Vintage Chic by Topvintage with their accentuated waistlines and bright colors.

-Juffrouw Jansen with their classic silhouets (less explicitedly hourglass) but fun prints and colors

Both these brands are not too expensive (€50 during sales!), but look and feel expensive.

The way I see it, when I'm in the office I have two choices:

I can wear male-inspired silhouettes and say  "I'm playing with the big boys at their table".

Or I wear pencil dresses that say "i'm playing with the grown (wo)men at our table" and claim my seat.

Care to join me?

- Buttercup, the imperfect pin up