The new powerpuff girls

I met her once She was more horrible than I could have possibly imaginedrdquo designer Vivienne Westwood once said offering her views on Britainrsquos Iron Lady In fact at the peak of her regime British fashion designers and eminent women were no fans of Margaret Thatcher Yet before the release of Phyllida Lloydrsquos biopic the Fall 2012 collections of most top designers mdash Oscar de la Renta Carolina Herrera Marc Jacobs to name a few mdash were overflowing with their interpretations of the iron lady look Kareena Kapoor walked the ramp for designer Kallol Datta during the Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2012 earlier this month in a spike necklace a sophisticated coiffure and a u00a0black and white jacket draped over a black bustier PICSatyajit Desai Earlier this month actor Kareena Kapoor wowed crowds at the Lakme Fashion Week in her tough iron ladylike ensemble The look understandably took everyone by surprise She walked the ramp dressed in a long black and white jacket draped over a black bustier from avantgarde designer Kallol Dattarsquos collection With a spike necklace her hair worn up in a sophisticated coiffure Kareena looked mature and confident Not quite a Margaret Thatcher but undeniably a far cry from the peppermintpink bubbly bimbo she has had to play in so many movies Later Pankaj and Nidhirsquos tasseled ensemble again lent the usually girly actor a powerful persona And Kareenarsquos not the only one whorsquos shifting gears gt Go for round necklines and cleaner shoulders gt Try cropped jacketsu00a0 gt Calflength dresses add sophistication to your look mdash Nimish Shah designer whose collection mdash Shift mdash is all about retro vintage style Model Lisa Haydon shows off a Chanel jacket with a chic short hairdo on the cover of a womenrsquos magazine this month while Hollywood sex symbol Mila Kunis is a picture of conservative careerwoman refinement in the Miss Dior handbag autumnwinter 201213 campaign Is the trend the consequence of an attitude shift Itrsquos possible that women and consequently designers have once again come to appreciate the wisdom of French designer Coco Chanel to who is often attributed the quote ldquoDress sharply and they notice the dress Dress impeccably and they notice the womanrdquo Power pret Here no one pulls off power dressing as well as Shabana Azmi which may have something to do with the fact that actorrsquos attitude off screen complements her wardrobe Recently seen sporting a grey jacket over a soft pink blouse her elegant high bun accented by dangling earrings Shabana oozes power just as successfully in a formal churidar kurta at a film award ceremony as she does in an elegant cotton sari while handing slum dwellers the keys to their new homes through the work of her NGO Nivara Hakk the actor who organises fashion shows to raise funds to empower women in rural Uttar Pradesh through her Mijwan Welfare Society clearly understands the power of fashion like few others do Film stylist Shalini Mehtarsquos favourite examples of powerdressed women though are Sonia and Priyanka Gandhi The stylist who has assisted designer and fashion director for a fashion magazine Anahita Shroff Adajania on some projects and has also contributed her skill to films such as Billu Barber and Love Aaj Kal explains ldquoTheir crisp cotton saris and neat classy hairstyles scream powerrdquo Mature fashion When the powerdressing trend last surfaced in 2009 English actor Joan Collins whose character Alexis Colby from the rsquo80s TV show Dynasty had given the term new meaning with her ultra hautecouture wardrobe said she was thrilled ldquoWhy donrsquot designers today make dresses with sleevesrdquo she asked a reporter ldquoThe empowerment of women in the past 30 years which was reflected in the strong lsquostatementrsquo clothes we wore has been greatly eroded by this recent desire to look superskinny Itrsquos a Barbie doll look that can be achieved only with severe dieting and implantsrdquo Is the resurgence of the elegant wemeanbusiness look then a 21st century version of the braburning movement Designer Nimish Shah whose LFW WinterFestive Collection 2012 was inspired by retro rsquo70s and rsquo80s fashion and who describes his label as ldquoa retro vintageinspired brandrdquo explains ldquoItrsquos essentially a look for someone who spends wisely itrsquos the 30plus woman who is most likely to power dressrdquo He believes economics and oldfashioned practicality may have a part to play here ldquoPower dressing was about the womenrsquos revolution in the workplacerdquo Shah explains telling us about the birth of the trend ldquoWomen had started occupying higher positions then so it was about moving from the secretaryrsquos desk to executive chairs Men were in suits and women required something that offered a comparable tailored look which at the same time would retain femininity in their wardrobes That sort of fashion is coming back to a great extent as women are looking at investing in apparel that will last longer rather than garments that just fit a temporary craze or lookrdquoquot It was her quest to deliver exactly such longlasting fashion that led American designer Donna Karan to invent her simple dressing system for busy working women and mothers back in 1985 Karan who had then come out with a list of ldquoseven easy piecesrdquo fashion essentials that could be mixed and matched to conjure fussfree sophistication has now once again reinvented the working womanrsquos style with her AW12 collection Reported to have once said ldquoPowerdressing is designed to let the woman inside us come throughrdquo Karan now seems determined to drive the point home with her new collection which includes smart tailored suit coats interestingly draped pinstripes and pleated chiffons in bold shades of ochre blue and scarlet not just mannish grays and blacks Strong and feminine Jacqueline Kapur MD and cofounder Ayesha Accessories a fashion accessories brand defines modern powerdressing as a complete look ldquoItrsquos about making the right statement with your clothes and getting a sartorial edge in the boardroomrdquo she says To Shah powerdressing means a return to ldquoround necklines cleaner shoulders cropped jackets and calf length dressesrdquo To this list Deepika Mehra proprietor Vanilla Moon emphasises the addition of the right shoes ldquoCan you imagine Hillary Clinton addressing an international summit in rubber chappals or Pratibha Patil handing out awards in knee high bootsrdquo To add power to your look Mehra advises ldquoWith a skirt suit wear a pair of court shoes ballerinas or boots depending on the weather High heels are a must with a blouse and trousers You could power up a salwar kameez with highheels wedges flatbutdressy sandals or even some closed shoes With a sari open sandals mdash flat or with high heels mdash work bestrdquo Mehta says the hairstyle is as much a part of the look as the apparel and points out ldquoPeople generally think power dressing requires charcoal suits but the modern interpretation is more relaxed and feminine The style is about sporting confidence and competence on your sleeve and these can be projected just as easily in stylish feminine clothes and colours stitched along clean lines as with tailored suits You can use a blazer to achieve the effect or even accessorise your outfits with a suitable scarf or brooch to create the lookrdquo Offering examples of how to accessorise Kapur says ldquoYou can spell authority with a black turtleneck sweater by teaming it with a blue or red necklace and a pencil skirt and white silk blouse could be elegantly accessorised with a single solitaire necklacerdquo Sandy Dumont founder and president of the World Association of Image Consultants believes powerdressing for men and women isnrsquot just about style She offers advice on the use of colours and styles to power up your look on her website Dumont postulates that fashion may well be the difference between corporate leaders and followers If shersquos right then with Indian companies going all out to recruit female employees the Iron Ladyrsquos clearly going to be around for a long timeu00a0