POWER dressing never looked this good. In the caring, sharing '90s, businesswomen are abandoning their shoulder pads in favour of a softer, less structured look.

The body is making a comeback. While knobbly knees are disappearing under long-line skirts and trousers, waists are reappearing in long, figure-hugging jackets and dresses. The look is lean and elegant.

Skirts are slit to reveal flashes of gym-toned legs, or flared from the knee. Trousers feature flattering high waists. Stiff fabrics in no-nonsense navy or practical black have given way to thin wool blends, jersey and crepe in more feminine shades. The suit has gone girlie.