V&A

Coral Pink Wool Double-Breasted Power Suit

1980s · 1980s · British

Production

ready-to-wear

Material

wool

Culture

British

Movement

Power Dressing

Influences

menswear suiting · military uniform tailoring

This fashion illustration depicts a structured power suit featuring a double-breasted jacket with wide peaked lapels and a coordinating midi-length pleated skirt. The jacket displays strong shoulder construction with pronounced padding, creating the characteristic broad-shouldered silhouette of 1980s power dressing. The coral pink wool fabric contrasts with a cream or white blouse underneath. The skirt falls to mid-calf with knife pleats providing movement while maintaining a professional appearance. The figure wears a wide-brimmed hat, completing the authoritative business look. The sketch demonstrates the era's emphasis on geometric tailoring and masculine-inspired suiting adapted for professional women entering corporate environments.

coatstraightcollarlessknee length

Connected To

Coral Pink Wool Double-Breasted Power Suit

66%

Navy Blue Hessian Military Jacket Ensemble

Influences·military uniform tailoring

SHARED30 years · cross-culture

The pink wool suit's razor-sharp lapels and regimental double-breasted closure echo the same military DNA that surfaces three decades later in the navy hessian jacket, where brass buttons march down the front like a hussar's uniform.

Echoes Across Time

Teal Gold Black Cotton Flare Dirndl Skirt

2010s → 1980s · 40yr52%

SHARED

Worn with·blouseWorn with·undergarments

White Cotton Detachable Pleated Ruff Collar

Fin de Siecle / Gibson Girl → 1980s · 80yr51%

SHARED

Pull the Thread→

Follow this garment wherever the graph leads

Navy Blue Wool Blend Power Blazer

58%

Coral Pink Wool Double-Breasted Power Suit

Movement·Power DressingWorn with·blouse

SHARED30 years · cross-culture

That navy blazer carries the genetic code of 1980s power dressing, but stripped of its original aggression—where the coral sketch shows the full armor of double-breasted authority with peaked lapels and military precision, the contemporary version has been domesticated into something you'd wear to a parent-teacher conference.

Text80%

Image59%

Entity27%

Coral Pink Wool Double-Breasted Power Suit

58%

Teal Blue Wool Trouser Suit with Matching Top

Movement·Power DressingWorn with·blouse

SHAREDsame era · cross-culture · cross-category

That coral sketch captures the exact moment when British power dressing crystallized into its most theatrical form—the double-breasted jacket's aggressive shoulder line and nipped waist turning the female silhouette into corporate armor.

Text82%

Image64%

Entity27%

Coral Pink Wool Double-Breasted Power Suit

58%

Charcoal Gray Wool Crepe Wide-Leg Culottes

Movement·Power DressingWorn with·blouse

SHAREDsame era · cross-culture · cross-category

These two pieces capture the split personality of 1980s power dressing—the coral suit channels the decade's theatrical maximalism with its exaggerated lapels and military-inspired double-breasted closure, while the charcoal culottes take a quieter but equally radical approach to female authority through their androgynous wide-leg silhouette.

Text55%

Image67%

Entity27%