Dandyism vs Power Dressing
ダンディズム / パワー・ドレッシング
Both sit in Fashion History, so the question is not what they belong to but how they behave. They are reached for with some of the same intent, which is where they get confused.
Dandyism
A menswear aesthetic that makes a work of the self through tailoring, cleanliness and restraint rather than ornament. From it come the plain suit and a long line of self-assertion through dress.
Power Dressing
Dress that makes workplace authority visible. In the 1980s the sharply tailored, big-shouldered suit became a sign of upward mobility for women and men, enlarging and hardening the silhouette while also carrying the pressure to conform.
| Dandyism | Power Dressing | |
|---|---|---|
| Era | 1790s– | 1970s–1980s |
| Family | Fashion History | Fashion History |
| Kind | Style | Style |
| Cues | Perfect tailoring / Restrained color / The cleanliness of white linen / Obsession with detail | Padded jackets widening the shoulders / A fitted waist and inverted-triangle silhouette / Dark worsted cloth and pinstripes / Coordinated suit, shirt, tie or pumps |
| Best used for | Reaching status through cut and cleanliness instead of color or pattern · Fitting one garment to a body that will wear it for years | Giving a character professional authority and decisiveness at a glance · Showing the 1980s through the shoulder line and silhouette |
| Type | Keep any mark inside the lining and let nothing show outside | Use a strong condensed face and align it with the horizontal of the shoulders. |
| Composition | Follow shoulder and waist to the body, set length and lapel from build | Keep both shoulders in frame and stress the inverted triangle from a frontal or low view. |
| Material | Fine worsted, white linen, polished leather, all kept by hand | Dark worsted cloth, pinstripes and firm interfacing, with small controlled jewelry. |
| Caution | Assuming that costlier cloth is always better leaves the fit unresolved and the look showy, and restraint, the whole point, disappears. | Exaggerated shoulders alone become costume. Address both the authority the suit grants and the conformity it demands. |