The Woman I’m Watching: Anita Anand

What Authority Looks Like When It Doesn’t Need To Shout

There are women whose clothes make you notice the clothes. And then there are women whose clothes make you notice the woman. Anita Anand is one of the latter.

As Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anand is operating in rooms where presence matters. She is representing Canada on the international stage, meeting world leaders, travelling extensively and speaking on behalf of the nation. What I find interesting about her style isn’t whether what she’s wearing is fashionable. It’s what her overall presentation communicates.

There is a consistency to how she shows up: structure, polish, strong colour, clean silhouettes and relatively controlled styling. Her clothes have presence, but they don’t seem to be competing with her for attention. To me, the message is clear: I am here to do the job. I think there’s something worth paying attention to in that. Because when we talk about personal style, we often make it about what we like, the colours we love, the brands we wear, whether something looks good, whether it’s on trend. All of that has its place, but our clothes are communicating before we’ve said a word.

Structure can communicate authority. Colour can create visibility. Polish can suggest preparedness. Consistency can make us recognizable. Simplicity can signal confidence. These aren’t rules. They’re observations about the visual language we use, consciously or otherwise. For me, Anand is an interesting style profile because her style doesn’t ask that we look at her clothes. It helps us to see her, for the leader she is, in the role she commands.

There’s another part of her story that I find interesting. Anand spent much of her career as a law professor and academic before entering federal politics. She has spoken about not knowing what was possible when she first considered running for office and about having to push through other people's doubts. Her political career then moved very quickly into highly visible roles. Of course today, visibility is very much part of her job. Which leads me to the women I work with. Women who have spent years building their expertise and credibility. Who are stepping into more senior roles, leading teams, becoming more visible in their organizations or building something of their own. So many aspects of their professional identities has changed - responsibilities, confidence, ambition - yet oftentimes their visual identity still speaks for who they were five, ten or fifteen years ago. This is where style becomes so much more than getting dressed. It becomes a question of visual alignment.

Does the way you show up visually support the woman who is actually sitting in the room? I’m not saying you need to dress like Anita Anand. Remember her style is not about the actual clothes, it’s about the overall presence it communicates. So no, you don’t need her tailoring, her colour palette or her level of polish. But you do need to know what your visual language is saying. Maybe your version of authority is relaxed silhouettes with contrasting textures. Maybe it’s bright colours and feminine energy. Maybe it’s a bold print or noteworthy accessory. There is no single way to look like a woman in command of her role. But there’s something very powerful about knowing what you want your image to communicate, and dressing accordingly. That, to me, is style as strategy. Anita Anand knows it too.

Perhaps the best question you could ask yourself right now is this: What does the visual language of my everyday style actually say about me? And: Is it telling the story I want to tell?