Tamara Belinfanti was a Harvard law student when she bought her first “real” suit.
As she describes it in her Vogue article, it was well-made, and it fit perfectly. For her, this suit screamed “I belong here.” It made her believe she was a law student who would achieve the dream: the high-paying job at the big firm, and all the respect that comes along with it.
The suit was a key part of this calculus—it was a shorthand way to signal professionalism and belonging as a lawyer.
Being a woman of color, she felt particularly obligated to present herself as professional and polished, and the suit did wonders for Ms. Belinfanti’s confidence. And it also ensured that others saw her for what she was, rather than a secretary or IT person.
With that suit in her closet, she had cracked the code, until the code changed. Ms. Belinfanti describes the shift in dress code just before her first job. “Business casual” was the new uniform at her firm.
It took me a while to realize that my feelings were not just based on the frivolous whims of fashion but on a deep-seated sense that wearing a suit was armor that provided some kind of protection against potential incidents of implicit bias, as a woman of color entering a traditionally white space.
The change in code was drastic and emphatic. She was chided for wearing a maxi-skirt.
Ms. Belinfanti eventually found her way back to powerful style. She never gave in to the “slacks and a button-up” uniform that was aggressively pushed on both female and male attorneys, but she also got past her need to wear the full suit. She found other powerful pieces to serve as her armor.
For Ms. Belinfanti, the suit was not the magical ingredient in finding her power. The key was finding her own style that confirmed for herself and for others that she was a lawyer who had earned her spot.
As you develop your personal style, keep track of the clothes that make you feel powerful, and be mindful of how others perceive you. Your most powerful style will remind you and others that you are where you belong.