The irony of my power suit
I almost didn't buy the suit. It was a splurge at a popular boutique and looked nothing like the sea of navy, gray, and black skirt suits in my closet. It was a sleeveless dress paired with an unstructured lady jacket. The dress and jacket were a black and cream patterned knit. I loved it from the moment I put it on: it fit like a glove; it was comfortable; and it was timeless. So, with a deep breath, I went for it.
That was fall 2014. Shortly thereafter, I found out I was nominated for partnership at the law firm where I used to practice. I wanted to wear the suit on the day of the partnership vote in December, but then realized I had a court appearance that afternoon. I always dressed conservatively for court (read: pantyhose in the summer), so I was hesitant to stray from the norm. In the end, I wore the new suit, hoping that because it was a conference with the judge instead of an oral argument, I'd get some leeway. I'd never appeared before this judge before, but I knew it was going to be a good day after she complimented the suit. Later that day, I was wearing the suit when I found out I made partner.
I left the firm in 2017 and the suit's dust cover has, well, collected dust since then. Up until last week, I can't recall a single time I've worn it since changing careers. But on November 30, I was getting dressed to speak on a panel for DRI, an organization of lawyers representing businesses. I pulled out a "go-to" dress and favorite blazer, but then my eye rested on the suit. Something clicked and I said to myself: "Perfect!" Wearing it felt like reuniting with an old friend.
But it wasn't until I was driving into NYC for the program that the irony hit me: the panel was about advancing and retaining women in the legal profession; I was speaking about the statistics of women joining law firms as associates and leaving by the time partnership rolls around... and sharing my own story in that regard. Talk about a full circle moment.
I had lunch with friends after the panel. When they complimented the suit, I shared with them the unintentional irony of wearing it to speak about leaving my law firm, nearly nine years after the partnership vote. We joked about me sharing this story this week, which I agreed to do, but here's a special bonus about what this suit has come to mean to me.
This suit represents daring to be different. It was an "out of the box" selection when I purchased it; I strayed from the norm (aka the safe choice) when I wore it to court that fateful day; and I unknowingly wore it on a day I spoke to other lawyers about my bold choice to walk away from law firm partnership.
So yeah, it's now officially my power suit.
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