The Hepburn name is synonymous with impeccable style.
And lucky for us attorneys, Katharine Hepburn once played an attorney and left us some clues for powerful attorney style.
In the 1949 film Adam’s Rib, Ms. Hepburn played a defense attorney who, comically, ends up going against her husband (played by Spencer Tracy), who is prosecuting Hepburn’s client for attempted murder. Ms. Hepburn’s client is charged for shooting her husband when she caught him in bed with his mistress. The storyline of the movie itself is dated, as the battle between husband and wife attorneys is rooted in a double-standard that existed at the time: a man could beat or kill an unfaithful wife, but a wife was not afforded the same leeway when the roles were reversed. Obviously, that falls flat today.
Unlike the movie itself, Ms. Hepburn’s style is timeless. Her clothes are feminine but not overly so.
Her jackets are formal but not stuffy.
Her collars are unique and flattering.
And her silhouette is powerful without effort.
One thing to note about Ms. Hepburn’s style: she didn’t have the option of wearing pants in a film like this at the time. She was later famously outspoken and bold about wearing pants (which were gorgeous and flattering). But even she had to conform to what society expected: a lady in a dress. We can praise her feminine style, but it was literally required at the time.
So while we can take notes on her elegance and powerful courtroom presence, we should not take lightly the fact that we can mostly wear whatever we want in court today, and there are far more of us there. That is a freedom hard-won by our predecessors.
Create your own powerful style, and don’t forget those who fought to give you that right.