V&A
Black White Wool Crepe Power Suit Dress
1980s · 1980s · American
Designer
Oleg Cassini
Production
ready-to-wear
Material
wool crepe
Culture
American
Movement
Power Dressing
Influences
1940s structured shoulders · menswear tailoring
A fashion sketch depicting a structured dress suit with pronounced shoulder pads creating a strong geometric silhouette characteristic of 1980s power dressing. The garment features a fitted bodice with what appears to be a textured or patterned fabric treatment across the chest and sleeves. The skirt is pencil-slim and knee-length, emphasizing a streamlined professional aesthetic. The sleeves are fitted with dramatic shoulder emphasis, and the overall construction suggests tailored precision with clean lines. The sketch shows a belted waist that accentuates the hourglass silhouette while maintaining the authoritative presence typical of executive women's wear during this era.
dressstraightround neckknee length
Connected To
Influences·menswear tailoringMovement·Power Dressing
SHAREDsame era · cross-culture · cross-category
These two pieces capture the essential paradox of 1980s power dressing: borrowing masculine authority while asserting feminine presence. The plaid blazer takes the more literal route, lifting an entire silhouette from the men's wardrobe—that oversized shoulder, the generous lapels, even the way it wraps and ties like a bathrobe suggests comfort with commandeering space.
Pull the Thread→
Follow this garment wherever the graph leads
