10 Working-Woman Wardrobes You’ll Want To Emulate
November 19, 2013
Grace Kelly and James Stewart in Hitchcock’s Rear Window
At MM.LaFleur, we’re always thinking about the sartorial needs of purposeful women. We tend to keep things sleek and chic, but the workplace wardrobes of these screen sirens have us reconsidering. Talk about power dressing—these women rock everything from YSL to mammoth ‘80s-era shoulder pads (when are those coming back, by the way?). Below, we dive into the nuances of each.
1. Rosalind Russell as Hildy Johnson – His Girl Friday (1940)
In this classic comedy, Rosalind Russell plays a quick-witted investigative reporter on the verge of leaving the field to pursue a quieter, more domestic life. Not so fast, Hildy! Her ex-husband and editor (played by Cary Grant) lures her back to cover one final story, and the rest is history. From Hildy’s striped skirt suit to her jauntily positioned hats, journalism has never looked so glamorous.
2. Melanie Griffith as Tess McGill – Working Girl (1988)
Oh Melanie, we’re routing for you every step of the way. The hair, the attitude, the shoulder pads—what’s not to love about this quintessential ‘80s film? While rising from the bottom to the top in a cutthroat corporate environment, Griffith maintains sense of self-worth and determination, despite a seemingly endless series of setbacks. In the end, she wins the job, the respect, and of course, Harrison Ford.
3. Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher – The Iron Lady (2011)
“If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.” So said Margaret Thatcher, deftly played by Meryl Streep (who went on to win an Oscar for the role). As one of the preeminent political figures of the 20th century, Thatcher came up against a glass ceiling and then proceeded to smash it. Along the way, she developed a signature style—crisp suits, proper-looking pearls, and of course, her voluminously coiffed ‘do.
4. Grace Kelly as Lisa Fremont – Rear Window (1954)
Fashion editor by day and detective by night? Sounds good to us. We love Grace Kelly in this role almost as much as we love her iconic wardrobe. She’s a classic example of how one can power-dress without losing that feminine flair. Case in point: her impossibly elegant celadon green suit. Our only remaining question: Where can we buy that Paris dress?
5. Kerry Washington as Olivia Pope – Scandal (2012-2013)
Entire odes have been written to Kerry Washington’s gorgeous array of coats on the hit series Scandal. As a crisis manager, Pope hops from one political fiasco to the next—all while pulling off a spectacular affair with POTUS. All in a day’s work.
6. Katharine Hepburn as Amanda Bonner – Adam’s Rib (1949)
Over 15 years before Yves St. Laurent introduced the women’s smoking jacket (a.k.a. Le Smoking), Katharine Hepburn was already rocking a menswear-inspired pantsuit. In Adam’s Rib, Ms. Hepburn and Spencer Tracy played married lawyers who have to oppose each other in court. Hepburn challenges gender roles both in the workplace and the wardrobe—and looks amazing to boot.
7. Robyn Wright as Claire Underwood – House of Cards (2012)
Each episode of House of Cards, we hold our breath—not for the next political scandal to unfold, but for Claire Underwood to appear onscreen. The consummate professional and political wife, she is polished to the nth degree. Her husband and her political dealings might be downright Machiavellian, but that’s all part of the fun.
8. Catherine Deneuve as Séverine Serizy – Belle de Jour (1967)
We’ve been known to wax poetic about this French classic, in which Catherine Deneuve plays a bourgeois housewife who sheds her mundane routine and finds fulfillment as an upscale call girl. While she’s at it, she sports a wardrobe made up entirely of YSL’s elegant shifts and tailored coats. No wonder she was one of the designer’s greatest muses.
9. Michelle Pfeiffer as Melanie Parker – One Fine Day (1996)
As an architect and single mother, Michelle Pfeiffer’s Melanie Parker has plenty on her plate. This film follows her as she hustles around New York, trying to make it all work. In a trench coat like that, how can we doubt her?
10. Julia Roberts as Katherine Ann Watson – Mona Lisa Smile (2003)
Set in the 1950s, this movie exemplifies what Betty Friedan describes in The Feminine Mystique. At a time when women were discouraged from pursuing anything other than an “MRS degree,” an art history professor (played by Julia Roberts) pushes her students to want more. There’s nothing we love more than a purposeful woman encouraging and inspiring other women. And considering the world of academia is still largely male-dominated, it’s clear we could still use more women like this. And, hello… that beret!
Feeling inspired? Upgrade your work wardrobe here.
