Anna Akbari – Vestoj

What Does Power Look Like to You? Part One

Anna Akbari — Tue, 20 May 2014 06:49:40 +0000

WHAT DOES POWER LOOK like? Who embodies it and how? These are a few of the questions posed in a series of interviews with individuals who each hold positions of relative power within their particular industry. What follows is neither an exhaustive look at powerful aesthetics, or an industry point of view, but rather a reflection on the breadth and colourful diversity with which power, authority and competence are visually communicated and embodied. As individuals we formulate an internal algorithm that takes into account context, body type, professional position, audience, and both written and unwritten rules. This formula is nuanced and elusive, demanding perpetual editing and real-time improvisation to successfully navigate the semiotics of self-presentation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, many people are uncomfortable talking about power, particularly in relation to their own personal appearance. Dealing with these matters is not a simple feat – but if it were easy, it wouldn’t be so powerful.

We presented the first instalment of this series in Vestoj‘s issue ‘On Fashion and Power’, published in October 2013. This, the second of six similar Q&As which will be published here throughout the following weeks, is a discussion about sartorial power with Michael Cruz, former student body president of Stanford University (2011–2012), California.

***

Anna: What does power look like to you?

Michael: When I think of power, I think in two directions: One is the idea of having confidence. The other is more political or subtle, where they might not be exuding confidence, but it sits beneath the surface. There are a lot of ways to be a leader that can be reflected in people’s personalities. Body language and confidence can signify authority. This includes how their physicality is contextualised by the space – for instance, situating their body in the space they choose for a meeting, whether in a conference room, classroom, my office, etc. And the objects they choose to display in their office are also signals of power to me.

Anna: Is there anything in particular that signifies power when you see it?

Michael: Being a student body president is a very traditional position (though Stanford often feels like a very innovative and non-traditional environment). The way I see power is in terms of people owning their style, or having a consistent style. Like Steve Jobs, for instance – not necessarily an icon of mine, but a person who owns his own style. Mark Zuckerberg is another example. They are both people who use their clothing or image for the disruption of the traditional suit and tie.

Anna: What is your personal power uniform?

Michael: It’s what on the East Coast would be called ‘business-casual’, and on the West Coast would be called ‘business’ or ‘semi-professional’: dark dress shoes, tailored pants, and a coloured button-up with rolled-up sleeves and a starched collar. I’d usually wear this with a blazer in a corresponding colour.

Anna: What would be a disempowering look for you?

Michael: Something like sweat pants and a T-shirt. That’s what I wear to disengage. I think that’s generally true for my compatriots in that environment. There’s a difference between owning a style and looking stylish. People who are fashionable might look good in sweatpants, but regardless of that, it doesn’t look good in this setting.

Anna: Were there any visual indicators of a power hierarchy that would tip you off to authority figures, the administration, other students, etc?

Michael: Yes. The visual indicator I saw was not just a suit or tie, but their ability to appear at ease in whatever they were wearing. There was a mid-level manager who always wore business suits – a skirt suit. I outranked her, and most people I worked with outranked her, but she always wore it. I felt she was using her dress to give herself more power than she actually had.

Anna: Do you think it worked in her favour?

Michael: Certainly in some settings, but not with me and the people I was working with.

Anna: Was that because she didn’t appear comfortable in it, or because her actions/capabilities didn’t align with the visual?

Michael: I think there was a cognitive dissonance, where what she reported to give was not what she could actually give. The reverse is also true: There was another person who dressed nicely, and wasn’t in a skirt suit or anything, but in nice clothing – like what Oprah might wear when she’s on her couch doing an interview. Her position was lower than the mid-level managers, but because of her confidence, she conveyed much more actual authority.

Anna Akbari is a writer and sociologist. She teaches at the department of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University.

What Does Power Look Like to You? Part Two

Anna Akbari — Mon, 12 May 2014 23:22:25 +0000

CONTINUING ANNA AKBARI’S SERIES of conversations with individuals who each hold positions of relative power within their particular industry, the first instalment of which was published in Vestoj’s issue On Fashion and Power in October 2013, reveals the way we wear power within a workplace and position. What makes us look and feel powerful is an experience that is entirely specific and personal to an individual and their vocation, constructed in the subtle details and signifiers of dress – such as a retro iPhone, or vintage-style Warby Parker frames – that help to maintain propriety and confidence within the relevant industry. What follows in these Q&As, with Jason Evans, CEO of the IT company Stackpop, and the New York hotel and restaurant proprietor Jeff Pan, reveals the nuanced signifiers of power that are intrinsic to an individual’s work.

***

Jason Evans, Co-Founder and CEO of the New York-based IT company, Stackpop

Anna: What does power look like to you?

Jason: Power is the display of confidence when giving a pitch or talking about your company. It’s also about who wants to talk to you and who’s interested in what you’re saying. For instance, if the top Venture Capitalist at the party is waiting around to talk to you or spending more than five minutes with you, that’s a sign you’re doing something right. Engaging with and being seen with influential investors, customers and founders is powerful.

Anna: What’s your power uniform?

Jason: My good luck power uniform includes my Hugo Boss suede shoes, John Varvatos jeans (or black Paul Smith cords), a blazer, a retro iPhone (I never have the latest one). Shirt can vary – in the winter, usually a zip sweater. Mostly dark colours – blues and greens – and I like to mix in pink (it’s a little bit disarming). If it’s a business meeting, I opt to wear my glasses: thick, vintage-inspired tortoise Warby Parker frames.

Anna: In your industry/position, what is the most disempowering look or visual?

Jason: A Dell laptop. A Metro-PCS phone. A traditional Wall Street suit with a tie – it typically can make entrepreneurs and tech folk feel like they’re not in touch with them. Our generation of buyers and product makers doesn’t like to feel sold to like it’s the early 2000’s. A suit with no tie is fine – but save the ties for jeans. It’s about mixing casual with polish. Too casual isn’t necessarily disempowering, but you have to be really smart to pull it off (and it helps if you can code).

Anna: Describe the power hierarchy in your industry, using only visual indicators.

Jason: Venture Capitalists are generally business casual (except for Dave McClure who always wears T-shirts). It’s still a sign of respect to not be too casual if you’re going into a meeting with an investor or customer. I don’t mandate any certain look amongst my team – I hold myself to a different, higher standard. (If the younger developer guys are not dressed up, it can actually give them a little street cred.)

***

Jeff Pan, proprietor of Skytown restaurant/bar, Loftstel hostel and Matalino Labs, New York

Anna: What does power look like to you?

Jeff: Swagger and confidence equals power. You can always immediately spot the owner of a restaurant or bar – always busy, but never hurried; always overwhelmed, but never flustered.

Anna: What’s your power uniform?

Jeff: Unfortunately, you’ll be disappointed that I don’t fit a stereotype of a stylish entrepreneur packing a skinny tie. Instead, think of the male version of Liz Lemon from 30 Rock. I’m usually in flip-flops and a T-shirt since I’m in the office by myself 90% of the time.

Anna: In your industry/position, what is the most disempowering look or visual?

Jeff: A flip phone, paper notebook, or anything else that screams ‘disorganised’. We’re in an industry that requires you to stay on top of a thousand moving parts, and there’s a distinct line between the new-school restaurateurs (who are constantly innovating and experimenting) and the old-school restaurateurs (who are still doing things like blocking Amex). It’s hard to take the old-school guys seriously.

Anna: Describe the power hierarchy in your industry, using only visual indicators.

Jeff: One of the unique ways we run Skytown is by disrupting the typical service industry hierarchy. Most places have a very distinct class system: the entitled bartender at the top, the front-of-house staff in the middle, the invisible kitchen staff, and then the lowly busser/barbacks. It creates some uncomfortable dynamics, so we did away with it by rotating our staff. Our bartenders and barbacks will rotate throughout the week, so we never get some people feeling like they’re ‘better’ than another staffer. It creates a healthy relationship and gets everybody feeling like they’re part of a winning team. The beauty of the flat hierarchy is that it essentially removes all the visual indicators – you’ll never know if the person clearing your table is the bartender, a busser or the owner of a restaurant.

Anna Akbari is a writer and sociologist. She teaches at the department of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University.

What Does Power Look Like To You? Part Three

Anna Akbari — Mon, 28 Apr 2014 14:28:55 +0000

THE THIRD AND FINAL instalment of Dr Anna Akbari’s series of conversations continuing from Vestoj‘s fourth issue, ‘On Fashion and Power’. Speaking with individuals who each hold positions of relative power within their particular industry, Akbari reveals how our choice of clothing reflects and shapes our vocation, speaking more broadly about how we wear power and the often under-recognised significance of this relationship. The following interviews with two individuals in very different lines of work; Gabriella Biro, Retail Manager at the American store Gypsy, and David Katz, Litigator and Managing Partner at David Katz and Associates LLP, New York, show the subtle, but nevertheless remarkable, tensions and visual cues used in dressing help to form our sense of self and professionalism. It might be the groomed appearance of luxury designer clothes, or a ‘three-season wool, four-button Pal Zileri suit in dark charcoal grey with thin chalk stripes, white shirt with a narrow collar and narrow black tie, single-buckle black shoes – and red underwear,’ – the way we dress to appear powerful unequivocally involves attention to detail and care in appearance, and is by no means accidental.

***

Gabriella Biro, retail store manager at Gypsy, Palm Beach, Florida and Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Anna: What does power look like to you?

Gabriella: It is very empowering to be knowledgeable enough to help high profile customers. I have a whole team working for me and I have the power to teach these girls to be the best in the field and to be more advanced in their positions. I have a lot of influence over how the store looks and how I handle the merchandise that comes in. I have to be in control of everything that is related to the business.

Anna: What’s your power uniform?

Gabriella: Bright, fun, trendy and stylish clothes that fit me perfectly.

Anna: In your industry/position, what is the most disempowering look or visual?

Gabriella: An unkempt look with a bad attitude.

Anna: Describe the power hierarchy in your industry/field, using only visual indicators.

Gabriella: The leader/owner of the company has the luxury to wear high-end brand names and very expensive merchandise that is always in season or just came off the runway. These are special items and only people in this field and or who are very interested in fashion will recognise it. The rest of the company wears similar, less expensive versions of these items.

***

David Katz, Litigator and Managing Partner at David Katz and Associates LLP, New York.

Anna: What does power look like to you?

David: Demeanour – the way you present yourself to whomever your audience is, whether a judge, a jury, clients, prospective clients, colleagues or staff. Each audience requires some sort of quiet confidence that manifests itself visually, whether it’s an appropriate suit, a tie and a jacket. You have to show appropriate seriousness given the situation. If I’m at a conference with a judge, it can be a more relaxed look. If I’m at trial with a jury, it’s going to be a dark Italian navy suit or a dark charcoal grey suit and a white shirt. Shoes should be well-polished.

Anna: What’s your power uniform?

David: A three-season wool, four-button Pal Zileri suit in dark charcoal grey with thin chalk stripes, white shirt with a narrow collar and narrow black tie, single-buckle black shoes – and red underwear, of course. I don’t wear cufflinks or a watch. As I got older and more confident, I did away with the watch, it was really more of a costume than function. I don’t wear something unless it serves some utility in my professional dress (which isn’t the case in my personal dress). I wear glasses, and might do a hip frame, depending on the audience, but a more conservative frame for a trial.

Anna: In your industry/position, what is the most disempowering look or visual?

David: To be dishevelled, for instance to have an ill-fitting shirt or suit or an undone top button and loose tie, or a shirt collar sticking up above the jacket collar, or else if the back of the collar is up too high. These details send a message of carelessness – not paying attention to detail. If you look in the mirror and you miss that, what else are you not paying attention to?

Anna: Describe the power hierarchy in your industry, using only visual indicators.

David: There’s a difference between an authority figure and competence. It may be wrong to assume that if someone is disheveled they’re incompetent, but at the outset, I’ll give someone a greater degree of respect if they’re put together properly. There’ve been plenty of times when I’ve been the best dressed guy in the room, but that doesn’t mean that I’ve had the best case. But it has generally worked in my favour. However, when I’m not in professional mode, I change my look completely.

Anna Akbari is a writer and sociologist. She teaches at the department of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University.