Early morning and you’re at your desk leisurely looking through e-mails while sipping a cup of piping hot coffee. It’s quiet save for the odd phone ring and the soothing hum of the photocopier. And then suddenly she comes in, your boss and she means business. She strides confidently through the room, dressed in an exquisitely tailored suit, killer Christian Laboutin heels and brandishing the latest Hermes handbag. You and the rest of the workforce line her path to her office all ready and waiting to assist. She hasn’t said a word yet; the sight of her is enough to stir the whole floor into action.

It’s astounding what fashion does in the workplace, especially when you’re a powerful career woman. It reiterates your place in the pecking order, which, if it happens to be way at the top, ensures you stay there. And most importantly what man can resist the charms of a smart and sophisticated lady who knows what she wants?       

Power dressing, as this phenomenon is called, came into its own in the Eighties with the appearance of shoulder pads, boxy cuts, straight lines, in short all things that looked manly, so that women could join and outdo the ranks of their male colleagues.

Thankfully that trend moved on, but the idea remained. Today women in finance, media and the legal profession use their wardrobe to excel in their career. A survey in March discovered that almost 60 per cent of women felt more in control if they power-dressed at work, with more than a third competing with their female colleagues in what they wear.

Eighteen year old Simrat Aydee knows all too well about the importance of dress. As a London stockbroker and one of three women in her company, she confides: ‘there’s certainly a lad culture in stock broking, and to make it in the industry you need to gain respect. I keep it formal, teeming a pinstriped shirt with a skirt suit. Yes it’s a big effort but it gives a good impression all round. Besides when I dress smart, I think smart!’

Any veteran power dresser knows that the trick to power dressing is keeping it smart but simple. Professional stylist Dilly Mudalige has helped women revamp their work wardrobes. She explains: ‘Women at director level often appear to have a better sense of style as they earn more money to buy a better wardrobe. But nowadays more is available to us at all levels so there’s no excuse not to have one decent suit in your wardrobe that you can mix and match with ordinary pieces.’

It’s important to get power dressing right; too little and there’s no point, too much and you come across threatening. Remember unless you’re in that kind of environment, power dressing might earn you a legion of enemies. But with more and more women taking up high-powered positions, dress is a potent tool that commands respect, and gets all those men falling in line!