Soft power ft. studio bros

Netflix’s acquisition of Warner Bros and its battle against Paramount for the same has been nothing short of a drama. In a move that seemed straight out of a HBO script, Warner Bros Discovery and Netflix leaders put on a show of force Wednesday afternoon – quite literally – when Netflix brass paid a visit to the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, where WBD chief executive David Zaslav gave them a guided tour. From their jeans and sneakers to the CEO-coded look, the visit screamed Hollywood production.

Decoding the power squad’s fit
For internal meetings or informal conferences, Ted Sarandos from Netflix is usually seen wearing smart casual (blazer, shirt, jeans, sneakers), while David Zaslav from Warner Bros is often seen in casual executive attire (jacket, shirt, lighter pants). This has become an unspoken rule among many top executives.

Celebrity stylist Namita Alexander breaks down the look. Commenting on the colour choices seen in boardrooms, Namita says, “Blue represents soft power in professional spaces. That’s why you’ll often see it woven into everyday workwear – jeans or trousers paired with a sports jacket, depending on the nature of the meeting. Black can feel severe. Blue, on the other hand, conveys authority without aggression. That’s why politicians frequently wear blue – it signals trust, something people can believe in. The prevalence of navy suits comes from the same idea. While black denotes hard power, blue communicates credibility and dependability.”

Commenting on the default white sneakers, Namita explains that, “From Silicon Valley to tech founders and bankers, you’ll see many of them wearing smart casuals with white sneakers. It represents the idea that power today can be soft and comfortable.”