Successful Women Wear This to Feel Most Powerful

Here at Who What Wear, we believe in the power of clothing. There's a reason we always put on our favorite shirt for an important meeting or reserve that one cocktail dress for special occasions. It's because when we wear these pieces, we feel most comfortable in our own skin and most equipped to take on whatever life throws us that day. Whether you're giving a big presentation or interviewing for your dream job, what you wear can transform the way you feel and, ultimately, carry yourself.

To find out what other women wear to feel most confident, we chatted with five professionals who have achieved remarkable success in their respective fields. Whether it be a blouse in a bold color like red or a certain accessory that holds meaning, these successful women swear by the following pieces to makes them feel at their best. Ready for some empowering outfit inspiration?

Describe your job and what your day-to-day looks like.

I’ve been a lifelong activist for women’s rights and social justice and have been president of Planned Parenthood for 12 years. No two days are the same, and I’m on the road a lot—meeting with women, patients, and activists around the country who are fighting to expand reproductive healthcare.

Which article of clothing makes you feel at your most powerful, and why?

Whenever I’m headed into a challenge—which is more often than not—I wear something of my mom’s, former Texas Governor Ann Richards. For the especially big days, I wear a gold pin of hers that happens to look a whole lot like a sheriff’s badge. It’s a beautiful piece designed by her favorite jeweler, Brian Mikeska, in Austin. Whenever I’ve got it on, it’s clear we mean business. And if I’m looking to double down, I throw on her brilliant blue Hermès scarf. Those two on any blue suit (like the one I wore to testify before Congress), and I feel unstoppable.

Shop our gold pin pick:

Describe your job and what your day-to-day looks like.

As the founder of a brand marketing agency, my days are packed with meetings, either internal team meetings with clients or external with potential business partners. I’m always on the go, running from one thing to the next, dialing into conference calls from the backseat of an Uber and fitting in workouts in the early morning. While the agency is still in its early days, less than a year old, we’re a small team of seven people who wear many hats. One day we can be doing a marketing strategy for a client, and the next day we’re expecting an influencer event. No day is the one other, and I love the fast pace and constant change.

Which article of clothing makes you feel at your most powerful, and why?

The power suit. I’m a big advocate for the suit, but not your traditional lawyer suit. I love to mix a traditional suit with more fashion-forward design and really enjoy wearing suits that are colorful or have interesting cuts. I pair them with sneakers or heels and don’t shy away from adding a colorful sock into the mix. Suits make me feel powerful yet fashionable and cool.

Shop our suiting pick:

Describe your job and what your day-to-day looks like.

In my role at PayPal, I work to enable the human resources function of the business. As an advocate for expanding the capabilities of employees, my team and I implement initiatives so our community can thrive, improve execution, develop strong leaders, and manage complexities of the business. My passion for cultivating inclusive workplaces continues to be the driving force in my commitment to bringing diversity of thought and people to PayPal.

Which article of clothing makes you feel at your most powerful, and why?

I believe color—in a bold or expressive hue, in particular—is just as important as the clothes I wear. Colors are impactful; colors can transform the mood, tone, and energy around us. Therefore, if I’m attending a professional event or participating in a speaking engagement, I’d opt for incorporating bright, bold colors or floral patterns into my wardrobe, which would typically consist of a high-waist pencil skirt, bow-tie blouse, and a fabulous pair of heels.

Shop our colorful pick:

Describe your job and what your day-to-day looks like.

Running a modern financial firm means no two days are alike. I manage Stash’s in-house content as well as partner with lifestyle brands like Refinery29, Bustle, PureWow, and SiriusXM, to name a few, to create smart money content for their audiences. I also oversee Stash’s financial planning process and the building of our client-facing technology. Most days I do a little bit of everything including meeting with founders or key executives of other companies to see what they can offer our HENRYs [high earning, not rich yet].

Which article of clothing makes you feel at your most powerful, and why?

I think the article of clothing that makes me feel at my most powerful is my shoes. While I’m not always wearing a pair of heels, I realize that when I am, it’s an instant boost to my confidence and energy. At 5’3”, I prefer tall heels, but I’ll take them in any form—stilettos, boots, booties, you name it. For winter, my go-to shoes are a pair of over-the-knee boots from Stuart Weitzman.

Describe your job and what your day-to-day looks like.

I spend my days helping companies fight cybercrime—it’s just as exciting as it sounds. In the world of cybersecurity, things are always changing as the “bad guys” get more and more innovative at ways to hack into systems and steal important data.

I lead our Southeast region at EY, and as a leader, I spend a lot of time working to get more women into the cyber field, as right now only 11% of the cybersecurity workforce is female. It’s important to me that we get more women interested in this field because we need people of all backgrounds to contribute to a diversity of thought so we can stay a step ahead of the “bad guys.”

Which article of clothing makes you feel at your most powerful, and why?

For me, it’s not as much an article of clothing as it is a color. Red makes me feel powerful because it’s a color that demands to be noticed. Recently, I was with a group of peers (80+ people), and we took a picture. I noticed everyone had on black and gray. I had on a red blouse and that made me feel powerful because I wasn’t trying to blend in with anyone, but instead stand out from the crowd.

Shop our red blouse pick:

Describe your job and what your day-to-day looks like.

As a co-founder of a rapidly growing fashion tech startup, no two days are ever the same for me, and that’s why I love what I do. On a typical day, I’m collaborating with the marketing, community, product, operations, and data teams; have meetings with the board and investors; and usually a few industry events in the evenings after work.

At the core of what I do is empower Poshmark’s community of sellers to become the next generation of retailers by giving them the tools to make selling on the app simple and fun so they can focus on what matters most—connecting with their shoppers over fashion.

Which article of clothing makes you feel at your most powerful, and why?

After spending years in fashion, I learned that your style is often the first impression you make with people, so I’m always wearing pieces that reflect and combine my New York sensibilities with my relaxed Northern California style. I like to call my go-to outfit the modern-day power suit—it consists of a blazer, pants, sneakers, and a great bag. As an entrepreneur, I’m constantly running around to meetings, so comfort is key, but looking both effortless and chic is what makes me feel most powerful.

Shop our effortlessly chic pick:

Shop more pieces to make you feel powerful at work:

Whether it be a power color or a small but meaningful accessory, this is what successful professionals put on to feel at their most confident. We don’t know about you, but we’re looking forward to strengthening our work closets with these recs.