Fashion, Power, and the Cost of Being Seen

Dressed for Power, Watched for Failure

There was an experiment conducted years ago: a man and a woman wore the exact same outfit every day for a week. At the end of that week, people overwhelmingly noticed, and commented on how often the woman repeated her outfit. Very few noticed the man at all.

That alone explains a great deal about power, perception, and gender.

Clothing has always functioned as a language of connection, joy, and authority. Nowhere is this clearer than Washington, D.C., where there is an unspoken but rigid corporate dress code. You can call it politics, professionalism, or polish,… but what it really is, is surveillance. Who gets noticed. Who gets scrutinized. Who gets grace.

This is where the idea of micro-failures matters. A micro-failure is a small, survivable misstep, a missed cue, a wardrobe miscalculation, a learning curve moment. In healthy systems, micro-failures are how growth happens. In unhealthy ones, they become permanent marks.

Which brings us to the glass cliff.

The glass cliff describes what happens when women, particularly women of color, are elevated into leadership roles during moments of crisis, instability, or decline. When failure becomes likely, representation becomes convenient. And when that failure happens, it’s often used as justification not to try again. Not to hire another woman. Not to take another “risk.”

The cost of visibility is higher when you are already being watched.

There’s also a quieter question worth asking: can being dressed too well work against you?

Sometimes, yes.

The relationship between you and your wardrobe should be intimate; a collaboration built on experimentation, partnership, and freedom. But in certain environments, polish can read as threat. Intention can read as ambition. Excellence can read as defiance.

And still,… we dress.

Because clothing isn’t just about approval. It’s about agency.

Meanwhile, the industry keeps shifting.

The rise of AI modeling agencies and the quiet death of the social media influencer as we knew it. AI influencers are cheaper, more controllable, and increasingly indistinguishable from humans. Events may become virtual. Campaigns may arrive by mail. Human connection will not disappear, but it will require intention.

If the last decade taught us anything, it’s that trends repeat, but context changes. The question isn’t what’s coming back. The question is: what are we building next, and who gets to survive it?

-Tempestt

Concepts referenced include the “glass cliff” (Haslam et al.), fashion labor and AI marketing research (Influencer Marketing Hub; Forbes), and contemporary sneaker market analysis (Business of Fashion; Bank of America Global Research).