NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Our favourite local power dressers

By Zoe Walker
Associate editor, Viva·NZ Herald·
21 Oct, 2014 03:00 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Lorde often wears pants and jackets when performing, her own modern take on power dressing. Picture / AP Images

Lorde often wears pants and jackets when performing, her own modern take on power dressing. Picture / AP Images

1. LORDE

The burgeoning music mogul - whose curated

Hunger Games

soundtrack listing was released today - extends her thoughtfulness to her clothing choices. "The kind of clothes that I've found I like to wear over the past year and six months have all been things that make me feel powerful and strong," she explained to Vogue earlier this year. "My go-to empowering thing is definitely a strong pair of pants."

Labour's Jacinda Ardern, wearing a Juliette Hogan jacket, with Grant Robertson for the launch of their Labour leadership campaign. Picture / Brett Phibbs
Labour's Jacinda Ardern, wearing a Juliette Hogan jacket, with Grant Robertson for the launch of their Labour leadership campaign. Picture / Brett Phibbs
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

2. JACINDA ARDERN

While many of her female political contemporaries turn to Trelise Cooper or Adrienne Winkelmann for their working wardrobes, Ardern tends towards a more contemporary version of power dressing. She chose a softly tailored Juliette Hogan jacket from a few seasons ago for her announcement as Grant Robertson's running mate on Sunday - a sartorial mark of the duo's 'new generation' tagline, a politician unafraid of wearing and supporting local creative talent.

"You don't think it's too loud do you?" tweeted Hilary Barry about this striped jacket. Picture / twitter.com/Hilary_Barry
"You don't think it's too loud do you?" tweeted Hilary Barry about this striped jacket. Picture / twitter.com/Hilary_Barry

3. HILARY BARRY

"You don't think it's too loud do you?" asked the sassy 3 News presenter on Twitter of a blue and white striped jacket she wore in the office last week. Teamed with silver fox Mike McRoberts, Barry cuts a striking figure in a parade of tailored jackets that touch on the delicate balance required of news presenters: professional, smart, never too distracting.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Fellow TV3 journalists Paula Penfold and Tova O'Brien also rate a mention here for their strong and stylish take on on-screen power dressing.

The always elegant Joan Withers, MBA, deputy chair on the board of TVNZ and Chairwoman of Mighty River Power. Picture / Greg Bowker
The always elegant Joan Withers, MBA, deputy chair on the board of TVNZ and Chairwoman of Mighty River Power. Picture / Greg Bowker

4. JOAN WITHERS

The busy chair of the Mighty River Power board and deputy chair of the TVNZ board matches her exceptional CV with her choice of jackets and jewellery that assert authority. She always looks elegant, from head to toe - including that elegant blonde bob.


5. KATE SYLVESTER
The designer knows that modern power dressing means more than big shouldered jackets. Her contemporary suiting and sheath dresses have made her a favourite of a special type of intelligent woman, who wants to look smart and powerful without letting her clothes overpower what she has to say. She also cuts a brilliant blazer.
Juliette Hogan and Ingrid Starnes are other local designers doing a great trade in workwear, with a minimal aesthetic tempered by feminine touches.

Discover more

New Zealand

Noelle McCarthy: It's not about size, it's about power

20 Oct 10:00 PM
New Zealand

Power dressing: How do women dress to get ahead?

21 Oct 07:30 PM
New Zealand

Oscar de la Renta: Polite with a touch of pizzazz

21 Oct 09:00 PM
Entertainment

My first Gig: Brooke Singer

24 Oct 03:00 AM


* Writer's Note: Local male power dressers deserve a list of their own. This list relates to a new exhibition at the Design Museum in London, examining how influential women use fashion to "define and enhance their position in the world". Read more about it here.

+ GET THE LOOK

Do some power dressing of your own with these office-appropriate pieces:

L to R: Ingrid Starnes jacket, $476, and pants $297. World jacket $599. Trelise Cooper Boardroom dress $429.
L to R: Ingrid Starnes jacket, $476, and pants $297. World jacket $599. Trelise Cooper Boardroom dress $429.
L to R: Liam wool blazer, $299, & pants $249. TKStore viscose top, $165,  & cashmere wool blend skirt $289. Helen Cherry silk tweed jacket, $698, & skirt $429. Buy at www.shopviva.co.nz.
L to R: Liam wool blazer, $299, & pants $249. TKStore viscose top, $165, & cashmere wool blend skirt $289. Helen Cherry silk tweed jacket, $698, & skirt $429. Buy at www.shopviva.co.nz.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New ZealandUpdated

Auckland school church ‘severely damaged' by fire

13 Jul 06:17 PM
New Zealand

'Mountain of work': Schools closed in Tasman but calmer weather ahead for country

13 Jul 06:10 PM
New Zealand

Getting young crims back to class: 'We need a holiday, they keep turning up'

13 Jul 06:00 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

Auckland school church ‘severely damaged' by fire

Auckland school church ‘severely damaged' by fire

13 Jul 06:17 PM

Eight fire trucks were on the scene at the peak of the blaze at St Mary's Catholic Church.

'Mountain of work': Schools closed in Tasman but calmer weather ahead for country

'Mountain of work': Schools closed in Tasman but calmer weather ahead for country

13 Jul 06:10 PM
Getting young crims back to class: 'We need a holiday, they keep turning up'

Getting young crims back to class: 'We need a holiday, they keep turning up'

13 Jul 06:00 PM
The Conversation: Defence spending is like insurance – how will NZ pay the higher premiums?

The Conversation: Defence spending is like insurance – how will NZ pay the higher premiums?

13 Jul 06:00 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP