These are the new rules for wearing suits
I've always adored the power and elegance of a trouser suit. It's not just an instant outfit; it's emotional scaffolding, inspiring my most confident, business-like, and sometimes sexiest self to emerge from a well-cut lapel.
But until recently, I thought I was in the minority. Most women prefer dresses to channel their fabulous selves, right? Suits are for the tomboys. Wrong! The trouser suit is now firmly in the everyday toolkit of stylish women. And not just those in corporate environments; it's more of a wardrobe multitasker than you may think – all you need is a little clever styling to take it out of the boardroom, but more on that later.
Bella Freud is a timely case in point. The designer's love of a three-piece suit is well documented. “I have always been fascinated by the possibilities of a suit,” she says. “Ever since I was a child, I have wanted to take that safe unit and tweak it.”
Indeed, when Freud launched her collection with Marks and Spencer this autumn, while the slogan jumpers were the initial draw, the range's pinstripe two-piece suit, with its longline jacket and ‘slim-flare’ trousers, was an instant sell-out. Why? Because Freud has major suit form. Her luxurious mainline collection is structured around a design with a double-breasted jacket and wide-leg trouser inspired by Bianca Jagger.
It's a style beloved by A-listers (and now the M&S-going general public) because it has that cool, rebellious edge – it can be dressed down with trainers and a T-shirt for daytime, or styled up with a silk blouse and heels to help you stand out on the red carpet among a sea of fussy dresses (take note for the office Christmas party).
Victoria Beckham and Stella McCartney are also Suit Women, offering them up to consumers as chic armour. Like Freud, they favour the wide-leg and longer-line silhouette —but they also know the secret is in how you style it and make it your own.
The best suits to shop now
You've probably worked out by now that the suit look of the season is a slightly oversized jacket, worn with a high-waisted wide-leg or kick flare trouser, and you can find these pieces at all the best brands for tailoring on the high street.
At COS, versions come in pinstripes, jewel-coloured velvets, and classic black, while M&S has its own-brand navy suit that's the next best thing to Bella Freud's. My favourite, from Albaray, comes in organic cotton burgundy cord.
Silk-blend Velvet Blazer
Silk-blend Velvet Trousers
Wool Blend Tailored Double Breasted Blazer
Wool Blend Tailored Wide Leg Trousers
Burgundy Cord Blazer
Burgundy Cord Wide Leg Trouser
Forever Shawl Collar Tux Blazer
Forever Relaxed Tux Man Pant
Gabi Tailored Single Breasted Suit Blazer
Flared Suit Trousers
Tailored Single Breasted Blazer with Wool
£119.00 at marksandspencer.com
Tailored Wide Leg Trouser with Wool
Vassili Jacket
Malone Trousers
Some, like the beautiful tuxedo suits at ME+EM, Reiss and Sézane, are also offered with the option of a matching waistcoat. You can either wear it as a three-piece for the ultimate in power dressing (see Sienna Miller wearing the three-piece white suit from her latest M&S collab), or pull it out and wear it with just the coordinating trousers and a shirt for a more relaxed take on tailoring (a sort of demi-suit, if you will).
The new style rules
Lifelong fan, Sarah Mower of American Vogue, loves how effortless a suit is to wear, creating an instant silhouette without any cinching or shapewear needed. "It allows me to forget about what I'm wearing and get on with life," she says. “But it's how you style that makes it feel current.” And this is where you need to pay attention. For day, Mower says the fail-safe solution is to wear white underneath—always.
“A white T-shirt, a white collarless shirt, or white or cream silk blouse does the job,” she expands, suggesting we take crib notes from the considered way perfectionist Victoria Beckham styles hers – with collarless white shirts and pale grey, roll-neck jumpers.
For evening, fashion-forward suit wearers are currently opting for a plunge-front camisole or bodysuit with a statement necklace, or a waistcoat sans shirt with kitten heels. Mower also notes the revival of the statement brooch and classic pearls to accessorise your tailoring. For a more playful twist on a tuxedo, take the Janelle Monáe or Diane Keaton route, and wear it with a shirt and tie (or bow-tie).
A suit, fittingly, is one of the hardest working pieces in the modern wardrobe, offering lots of outfit possibilities. Break it up and pair the trousers with a matching waistcoat or slouchy knit; wear the jacket as a blazer with jeans and white trainers, or with a midi pencil skirt and kitten heels.
Stylist Sophia Lorimer specialises in working with her clients' existing wardrobes, inspiring them to play with their style. She notes that many of the women she works with already have suits they've stopped wearing because of changing dress codes at work.
"I see it all the time,” she says. “If you have a suit you bought for work, that doesn't mean it can't be reimagined for social occasions. I invite my clients to play, experiment, and look at their clothes and how they put them together with fresh eyes.
“With one client, we removed the arms of her jacket and turned it into a waistcoat. With another who had lost weight, we used a waist-cinching belt, and it transformed the jacket, which she wore with maxi skirts and jeans.”
Yet another approach is to look in the second-hand market. Anna Kilpatrick of Not Needing New hasn't bought a new item of clothing for 12 years, though you would never know. Her tip for buying vintage suiting? “Men tend to buy better quality pieces they plan on wearing for longer, so I always find the men's occasion wear rails at my local charity shops are like gold dust, and not many women have caught on yet.”
Just off to rifle through the menswear section...
Melanie Rickey is founder of @theenoughness and host of The Enoughness with Melanie Rickey podcast
You Might Also Like
