Why We Created Suit Yourself (Our Fashion Show to Challenge and Deconstruct the Norms of "Professionalism")

Why We Created Suit Yourself

Growing up, I was always told I should be a lawyer.

Not because I said I wanted to be one, but because I was the kid who got dress coded so often that I started carrying the school handbook to argue my case. I learned early how rules worked, who they were enforced against, and how often “professional” really meant “be less of yourself.”

I also heard a phrase that stuck with me for years: “School is not a fashion show.”

Then I got to Howard University.

And suddenly, every day felt like one in the best way.

For the first time, I was surrounded by people who were brilliant, ambitious, and accomplished, and also stylish, expressive, and deeply themselves. I saw future doctors, lawyers, business leaders, and scholars who did not treat their identity, culture, or personal style as something separate from their intelligence. They did not shrink to be taken seriously. That environment changed how I saw what was possible.

At the same time, in career development spaces, mock trial prep, and professional seminars, there was still a very clear message. Conform. Blend in. Do not give anyone a reason to doubt your competence. For many of us, especially as Black students and women, this advice came from a place of protection. We grow up hearing that we have to work twice as hard to get half as much. The logic is that if we look the part perfectly, maybe we will face less bias.

For a long time, I believed that too.

But as I moved through Yale Law School, into courtrooms, and into this profession, I realized something important. No matter how much I conformed, I was never going to fully match a definition of “professional lawyer” that was shaped in spaces that historically excluded people like me.

And more importantly, shrinking myself did not make me a better advocate.

Feeling like myself did.

I do my best work when I feel confident. Clients connect with me when they see parts of themselves reflected in me. Sometimes that looks like a conversation starting over a pair of Jordans. Sometimes it is just the confidence that comes from walking into a room proud of how you show up. Authenticity is not a distraction from professionalism. For many of us, it strengthens how we lead, connect, and advocate.

That is the heart behind Suit Yourself.

Suit Yourself is more than a fashion show. It is a professional development event designed to help students see that there is not just one way to “look like” a future lawyer or professional.

At this event, students model what professionalism looks like to them across three categories: Business Professional, Business Casual, and Business Adjacent. The goal is not to dismiss standards, but to expand them. To make room for personality, culture, and individuality alongside ambition and excellence.

We want young women and students from all backgrounds to sit in that room and think, “I can be successful and still be me.”

Because for too long, many of us were taught that the two could not exist at the same time.

Suit Yourself is our way of saying they can. And they should

---

If you'd like to donate or register to attend the fashion show being held at American University Washington College of Law, you may do so here.

If you are interested in supporting the show from a far, we are soliciting volunteers to help us fundraise. Sign up here!