How Gen Z is rewriting the rules of power dressing in 2025

Sprawled across a construction site, with peeling paint and rubble as the background, Mishall Bhathena commands attention in a collared black blazer, matching trousers, and a white shirt starched to glisten under the sun. But before your mind races to Mad Men (2007–15) gone wrong, the 24-year-old content creator’s bright pink, patterned tie catches your eye, as do delicate bow-shaped metal pins that adorn the lapel. The visual is softened with a throw of confetti and a baby pink cake with Lambeth frosting, ideal for a saccharine sweet 16. “The theme of this (self-styled) shoot was juxtaposition. I love the power suit against the construction site, and the mass of the clothing against the femininity of the Red Jewelry bows (Mumbai-based accessories label),” shares Bhathena.

Siddartha Tytler’s tailored renditions of the suit

This intentional contrast of hardcore power versus dainty, girl-like aesthetics also inspires Delhi-based designer Siddhartha Tytler. “This season and the last, our power suits have featured structured jackets with exaggerated shoulders, paired with sheer, tulle skirts and gentle embroidery. We’re experimenting by mixing my signature fierceness with the softer side of fashion,” he says. Global luxury houses, too, are challenging the definition of a power suit—long seen as offering a “masculine” edge to female clothing—freeing it from its conservative connotations to make space for Gen Z-friendly, gender-fluid expression.

French luxury house Saint Laurent’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection blends sharp shoulder pads with gentle shades of pool blue, pale ochre, and moss. Creative director Anthony Vaccarello paid homage to queer artists like Larry Stanton and Patrick Angus by tempering the brand’s legacy of tailoring with sensual boxer shorts, slouchy waists, and sheer layers. Similarly, Spanish luxury brand Loewe offered a romantic spin to actor Julia Roberts’ 1990 Giorgio Armani men’s suit, for actor Ayo Edebiri’s 2025 Golden Globes appearance. A tailored grey blazer was paired with elegant, draped trousers, while a gold pheasant feather necklace replaced the tie. Edebiri added edge with silver grills for the teeth, a far cry from the social-style norms that were considered “formal” in the aughts

Julia Roberts in a tailored Versace jacket at the Venice Film Festival


In fact, this evolution of power dressing is so monumental that the trajectory demands reflection. Think back to the 1920s, when Coco Chanel revolutionised women’s tailoring by introducing a tweed skirt-suit in the post-World War I era. In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent pushed the envelope with his ‘Le Smoking’ tuxedo, the first three-piece suit specifically designed for women at a time when girls in trousers wreaked scandal. Then came the rebellious ’80s, the absolute pinnacle of power suits, where designers like Donna Karan, Ralph Lauren, and Giorgio Armani dressed women in oversized blazers, while films like Working Girl (1988) normalised male-dom attire in the mainstream.

Archival photos of Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in skirt-suit set (1931), and a look from the Yves Saint Laurent Haute Couture Spring/Summer 2002 retrospective show

Dressing for the future 

Now, a few decades on, fashion is finally ready to stop borrowing its comprehension of “power” from the restrictive codes of masculinity. “With blurred gender roles, power suits have evolved into tools of self-expression over assimilation. It is less about conforming to a set idea of authority and more about reclaiming individuality,” shares designer Kanika Goyal. At her eponymous Delhi-based label, she elevates suiting with playful, irreverent details such as organza pockets and zippers that double as design elements and lapels, disappearing into the blazer. “We experiment with shapes, proportions, and detailing to blur traditional boundaries with a touch of humour and surrealism—allowing the wearer to craft their own power dynamic. By pairing masculine structures with soft textures and playful prints, we create pieces that invite everyone to inhabit them on their own terms,” she adds.

Fashion influencer Irina Kro Eicke in a double-breasted, belted Zimmermann blazer jack et at Paris Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2025-26

For years, women were made to believe that romanticising femme aesthetics and commanding authority was mutually exclusive. If a working woman wanted to be taken seriously, she was often urged to cloak her femininity behind monochromatic, dark-hued suits. At the time, the adage “dress for the job you want, not the one you have” funnelled young girls into rejecting fashion for ambition. But 25-year-old Anusha Hisaria is relieved that this period is behind her. “I don’t need to dress like a man; I can unapologetically embrace my feminine side and still command the room when I speak in a meeting. The feeling of being a powerful woman, over just chasing the generic image of power that was sold to us, gives me real confidence,” says the Bengaluru-based marketing strategist.

A Kanika Goyal Label suit

Today, Hissaria’s wardrobe is chock-full of oversized blazers and pencil skirts, but her favourite accessory is a bold, funky tie that makes an otherwise boring outfit feel authentically her. Recently for a work event, she threaded a striped tie through the belt loops of her low-rise denims and paired it with a cardigan worn over a collared shirt. To her, this style-driven interplay of formal and informal resonates with power more than a traditional suit.

Gen Z in the details 

There is a gender gap that informs positions of authority—a 2025 McKinsey report reveals that only 19 per cent of women occupy C-Suite roles in India, lower than the global average of 30 per cent—thus, questioning this archaic idea of power through everyday choices paramount. This is perhaps why power suits, once reserved for boardrooms, are now just as common on brunch dates. Young people are eager to assert themselves through fashion irrespective of the audience.

“Power dressing has become an extension of personal branding and storytelling. Gen Z wants to evoke confidence while going to the gallery and creating content, not just at work,” Goyal explains. High street and premium brands in India have been redefining the suit, sometimes only via colour and cut. However, Indian designers are challenging subtlety with more layered details.

Cynthia Erivo photographed in New York City

Think fashion brands Deme by Gabriella’s draped, butter yellow co-ord sets, Cord Studio’s relaxed fit velvet suits, and Suket Dhir’s OTT brocade blazers—all speak to power dressers seeking a fresh canvas. Meanwhile, Anuj Sharma, the fashion designer behind the clothing label Button Masala, seeks to subvert authoritative fashion by decolonising it. “These suits were created for colder countries, they were not made for a warm climate like ours,” the Ahmedabad-based designer says, adding that deconstructed silhouettes with soft, flowing fabrics can command as much attention.

Alongside challenging gender, class, and restrictive workplace norms, he believes authority comes from utility. Instead of traditional blazers and trousers, Sharma creates adaptable clothing that lets people change their look based on the need of the hour. “Imagine a draped dress that can be tightened and made longer if you have to cycle in it,” he says, adding: “Button Masala gives the wearer democratic hold over design. I don’t dictate how they wear the pieces, and that is where the power lies.”

All images: Getty Images 

This article first appeared in Cosmopolitan India's September-October 2025 print edition.

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