The New Memo: Power Dressing Is Now Soft, Sculptural & Subversive

Fashion Featured
Anushka Manik
November 10, 2025
6 minutes read

Power dressing in 2025 is no longer shoulder pads, blow-dries, and a stiff blazer that smells like glass boardrooms and male gaze-era capitalism. For women, it is no longer the ‘dress like a man to earn a seat at the table’ playbook we inherited. That era is dead and buried.

Research across global runways, from Matthieu Blazy’s Bottega to Phoebe Philo’s return collection to Balenciaga’s corporate couture, shows that power dressing has evolved into something more intimate. Net-a-Porter’s 2025 trend report even identifies ‘The Soft Suit’ as the fastest growing workwear category. The relaxed tailoring in elevated materials like double-faced wool, brushed cashmere, and crisp compact cotton, worn in neutral palettes that read expensive from 30 feet away. Meanwhile, luxury resale platform Vestiaire Collective’s Q3 2025 data shows a spike in archival Mugler and Tom Ford Gucci, signalling that the new power dresser also collects, edits, and curates rather than chases.

The Fall/Winter 2025 collection by Miu Miu, unveiled during Paris Fashion Week had some stunning pieces reflecting on femininity, but beneath the silks and bullet-bras lay a quietly potent power-dressing statement. Guided by Miuccia Prada, the collection invented a shape independent from the figure of the wearer, a shape that sits around and beside the body. For professionals seeking wardrobe armour in 2025, the collection has some sculptural knits that curve rather than compress, and tailored jackets that hover, not hug.

Chek it out here.

At the heart of Chanel’s Fall 2025 Ready-to-Wear collection lies a refined reinvention of authority dressing. You’ll see tweed suits, structured jackets and crisp white-ruff blouses, all layered with modern ease and refined detail. The collection took cues from the House’s enduring classics, but translated them into looks that speak boardroom confidence rather than costume drama. But they’re equally versatile, making an apt pick for a Christmas soiree. The focus on ribbon-like bows, oversize pearls and sharp tailoring formed the backbone of the lineup.

Check it out here.

Pastels have officially entered the ‘cool colours’ club this fall, and Sydney Sweeney recently made a strong case for it as she stepped in a pastel pink dress, showcasing her new bob. At Milan Fashion Week, Giorgio Armani’s Fall/Winter 2025 Ready-to-Wear collection titled Radici, returned to the house’s enduring codes of refined tailoring, soft structure and quiet luxury, making it an ideal toolkit for modern power-dressing. We saw sandy beiges, chocolate browns, and rich pastels grounding the collection in authority rather than noise. In a nutshell, there were feminine silhouettes borrowed from menswear tailoring; wrap-front jackets over jacquard skirts, Mandarin collars nodding to global craft.

Check it out here.

These collections make a convincing case that power dressing is no longer a Monday-to-Friday corporate uniform, it’s a mood that easily transitions into nocturnal glamour. Designers are pushing beyond structured tailoring and shoulder-sharp jackets to introduce sensuality, craft, textures, metallics and movement into the power look. Which is why, below, we’ve curated a few homegrown picks that nail contemporary power dressing, and how!