Women's Classic Professional Clothing

Women’s classic professional clothing is always going to be about the suit, first and foremost. Even before women were a part of the career force, they wore a variation on a suit during the day, especially if they were involved in some sort of function. As with their male counterparts, women have always known that to be taken seriously, you must dress the part – which isn’t to say that your personal style and flair can’t show through.

Ladies Suits: Still Classic

Women’s Classic Professional Clothing: the Suit

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, when educated women began seeking the right to vote and became more involved with social work and public policy, many women started to wear jackets and ties. These were still feminine, but projected a quality that demanded the wearer be taken seriously. By indicating through dress that she wasn’t frivolous, a woman put herself on a slightly more level balance with men. She wasn’t as easily dismissed.

The "standard" woman’s suit, featuring a tailored jacket over a simple skirt, really took off in the 1920s. It owed its style and popularity predominately to Coco Chanel, who saw that fashion could be functional and comfortable, as well as attractive. Very few women in the 1920s worked in offices, but the cardigan jacket over a skirt and sweater or blouse became the standard outfit for day wear for the rest of the decade.

Still the Standard

From the 1930s through the 1970s, suits remained the standard in women’s classic professional clothing. Obviously, they changed with the times, but starting in the 1940s, skirts were knee-length and, despite the advent of the miniskirt in the 1960s, a professional woman did not wear anything that showed more than her knees. Although it’s assumed that colors were mostly dark, this was not strictly true. A stroll through a good vintage store will show you that there was a range of colors, especially from the 1950s on. Most women accessorized their suits with blouses that tied in loose bows at the neck, broaches and a good watch or bracelet. If a sweater was worn under the jacket, a scarf or necklace might be added.

Trousers became a suit choice in the 1970s, allowing women to finally look professional without having to wear garters and stockings, or even hose. Most women still wore heels, but they had definitely attained a new level of comfort.

The 1980s and 1990s saw suits become skimpier and less practical, but this trend seems to have subsided. Except in the most corporate of atmospheres, women are not constrained to suits but can wear dresses or good separates. And even when wearing a suit, jewelry or a scarf can be added for some extra style.

Modern Classics

However much some fashionistas or the fashion industry may try and say otherwise, the suit is still the last word in women’s classic professional clothing, and styles are becoming more conservative, thanks in part to the popularity of shows like Mad Men, which remind women how good a tailored suit can look. In fact, some women choose to wear vintage suits to work as a way of capturing some old-style glamour and new funkiness.

What is important is the silhouette. You want a suit that shapes and flatters you, without being sexy. Witness Meryl Streep in the 2006 movie The Devil Wears Prada, wherein she was always impeccable, stylish and a consummate professional. You don’t want anything too loose or flirty. Well-structured jackets and perfectly fitted trousers or skirts will always indicate you are a professional.

The Importance of Accessories

Your shoes and handbag or case are crucial elements in looking classic and professional. Shoes should be simple, elegant and not too high, and the color and texture should match your bag. It’s worth it to invest in at least one really good pair of shoes with a matching bag. Jewelry is great, but keep it to a minimum. A broach and a good watch or bracelet and one ring is perfect. Coco Chanel believed in the stylishness of simplicity, and she’s still right.

• Holiday Cocktail Dresses
• Nicole Miller Cocktail Dresses
• How to Wear Short Tight Dresses
• Body Shape Fashion Quiz
• Bad Women's Fashion Quiz

• Eighties Fashion for Women
• Slideshow:80s Fashion Pictures
• Women's Fashion 1940's
• How to Tie Scarves
• Clothing for Different Body Shapes