Sarah LaFleur and Miyako Nakamura

Who is the Power Casual look for?
Sarah: It’s for women who want or need flexibility. The reason why power casual is resonating with our customers is because the whole idea is that once you put on that outfit, you don’t have to change during the day. You can take care of your kids and family; you can go to work; you can spend time with your friends; you can do the things you want to do, and it only takes one outfit. This flexibility we desire is deeply connected to the way we’re proposing women should dress going forward. It’s certainly something we’re trying to champion in ourselves and with our employees.

Now that people are going from WFH to RTO, what’s considered appropriate attire?
Sarah: What we always ask our customers is, “How do you want to come across?” This new age of dressing is about you getting to take control over the image you want to create. It’s less about being dressed appropriately for the occasion. An exercise from our book is to write a list of adjectives that you want people to take away when they see you. Whatever those words are, create a physical or digital mood board with them to see which outfits really speak to you. From there, interpret what it is that works best for your body, comfort level, and style. At the end of the day, fashion should be fun. It should be a tool that allows you to express who it is that you want to be seen as.

Miyako: Another trick is breaking down your suits. So let’s say your old work attire was very strict with trousers, jackets, and shirts. You might switch out the shirts with a t-shirt or wear trousers with very clean sweatshirts, and instead, break the formality into more of a combination. You can also wear a poplin shirt as a jacket or throw on a jardigan. Instead of wearing a tailored shirt, you also have a shacket, which is in between shirts and jackets. These ambiguous pieces and the way you play around with clothes make you more at ease, while these traditional pieces give you a sense of formality.

What’s a closet staple we should have?
Sarah: Don’t underestimate the power of a good blazer. I was not a blazer person until I had to work in private equity and I was the only woman. But as soon as I put my blazer on, I felt like I could command the respect and attention of these older white guys in the room. A blazer is a grown woman’s wardrobe trick.

Miyako: People used to think of blazers as very tight, very tailored fits. But now, there are so many different options. If you want to come across as “less businessy,” there are types of blazers that can be thrown onto casual outfits and it just works.

What do you predict will be the next big trend in workplace fashion for women?
Miyako: Strangely, people like the idea of formal wear. They have this desire to feel well- dressed and put together. So what we are concentrating on now is to provide the idea of suiting. Of course, the shapes are more updated and it’s a fresher take, but we are doing a lot of tailoring with knits. I think a bigger trend will be suits made out of knits or pants that are cut in stretchier fabric—half leggings, half trousers.

That sounds like a comfy dream. Speaking of comfort, do you have any advice on how to wear heels without crying?
Sarah: Nope [laughing]. The power casual go-to footwear for me is the white sneaker. Or sometimes I swap it out with our Rowan ballet flats. But I haven’t worn a pair of heels in a really long time, special occasions excluded.

Miyako: It’s interesting because sometimes you want the height, but you can’t bear the pain that comes with it. So when I feel like I need another inch and a half, I wear our knitted boots. But outside of that, I style a lot of things with sneakers. And dressy flats, which I still don’t wear as much because I like the number of activities I can do with sneakers. Especially in New York where walking is such a big part of our lives, why put yourself in pain?