The TCU Neeley School of Business partnered with the Department of Fashion Merchandising in the TCU College of Fine Arts to showcase the role of fashion in women’s professional dress and growth throughout history.
March 18, 2025
By Kelly Kjetsaa
From power suits to classy casual looks, women’s business style has long been a reflection of a journey for professional recognition. At Texas Christian University’s “Fashioning Leadership: The Evolution of Women’s Business Style,” hosted by the Management and Leadership Department in the Neeley School of Business, students, faculty and industry professionals gathered to celebrate the past and present of women’s business fashion.
The inaugural event blended fashion, history and leadership insights. Through a runway-style showcase, personal storytelling and a modern vintage pop-up shop, attendees explored how women’s professional attire has evolved alongside their growing roles in leadership. The evening’s centerpiece was a living timeline of fashion, with student models walking the runway in outfits representing different decades.
A Collaboration of Business and Fashion
The event’s fashion curation was a collaborative effort between local businesses, students and faculty, including a partnership with the Department of Fashion Merchandising in TCU’s College of Fine Arts.
Courtney Lazar, a senior studying fashion merchandising, helped bring the runway to life by selecting decade-inspired outfits in partnership with Iota Modern Vintage, a local clothing store, while J. McLaughlin provided modern professional looks.
Maddie Bower, a senior marketing and management major, handled event logistics, co-presenting with faculty event organizer Meghan Wright, a Neeley assistant professor of management practice. The collective work of Wright, Bower and Lazar produced an engaging experience, reinforcing the connection between fashion and leadership.
For Stephanie Bailey, senior instructor in fashion merchandising, the event also highlighted the university’s fashion archive, which showcases Fort Worth’s fashion history and its connection to professional identity, confidence and self-expression.
Bringing Fashion to Life
For the student models, the runway experience was about confidence, camaraderie and seeing history come to life.
Amelia Willey, a junior finance and accounting major, and Briana Schulte, a junior marketing and management major, initially felt nervous but found reassurance in the event’s supportive atmosphere.
“It’s fun seeing how we cheer each other on while appreciating styles and watching them come full circle,” Schulte shared.
Empowering Change Through Leadership
Beyond the runway, the Fashioning Leadership event created a space for personal storytelling, as audience members shared their challenges, triumphs and pivotal career moments.
For Annette Fogg, the director of a consulting firm and a doctoral student at the University of North Texas, balancing career and motherhood meant reimagining her path. Expecting twins while working a demanding consulting job, she proposed a new leadership role that would allow her to thrive in both professional and personal life.
“Sometimes you just have to step outside, think creatively, know where your boundaries are, and ask yourself, ‘where else can I add value?’,” Fogg shared. Her plan worked, and the role became her career for the next decade.
Megan Korns Russell, executive director of Neeley’s External Relations team, also emphasized the importance of authenticity in professional attire, advising attendees to “always choose something that makes you comfortable, not what you think you’re supposed to wear.”
A Celebration of Women
As the event wrapped up, Wright emphasized the night’s deeper purpose.
“We are doing amazing work here at TCU to celebrate and develop leaders of tomorrow,” she said, adding that their engaged audience highlights the lasting impact of style, leadership and female empowerment.
“This is our first year doing this,” Wright said. “We’re just getting started and excited to keep telling the story of women.”
