Do you remember the 2012 Academy Awards when Angelina Jolie wore that black dress with the unbelievably high slit and then spent the whole night with her right leg on prominent display?  If not, I’ve included a picture below to jog your memory.  Her desire to get the most out of that slit inspired countless memes (my favorite being her right leg photoshopped onto the Statute of Liberty), but our desire to poke a little fun at one of the most beautiful women in the world shouldn’t obscure a very simple fact — it can be empowering to show a little leg in an outfit that may otherwise be fairly conservative.

If there’s anything in my closet that’s conservative, it’s my business attire.  Just like Hillary Clinton, I’ve got the pantsuits — they DEFINITELY have their place.  But sometimes I want to send a message that even though I may be tough as nails, I’m totally confident with being a woman.  I think the slit sends that message, like here, in this light grey Donna Karan skirt suit, which I paired with slightly darker grey Gucci heels.  I wore this outfit to a meeting in New York earlier this week  where I knew I was going to be one of the only women in a room of 20 or so men, and I wanted to own that, not hide from it.

I love fashion because it allows us to express who we are notwithstanding what we do.  Sometimes at work I argue, I curse, I pound on tables, but I am still feminine.  And if I need to show a little leg to make that clear, well then, give me the skirt with the thigh-high slit.