The Trouser Suit: Wear It With Presence.
This Spring there’s a huge choice of trouser suits available. Look around and you’ll see bright primary
in-your-face colours. Or quiet classic neutrals of navy and grey. And the more subtle but equally bold
look-at-me hues of dusty pink, olive green and sky blue.
Trouser suits are high-impact, low-effort dressing.
From a statement to highly practical, a tailored trouser suit is the 2-piece dressing equivalent of the 1-piece dress.
And the trick is how to pull one off with style.
You can choose to be Business Smart with a silk blouse and heels or Business Casual with a relaxed T-shirt and trainers.
The choice is yours and of course appropriate to where you work.
CWC style tip: use your competitive advantage and keep a touch of femininity to your look.
The Duchess of Cambridge recently offered us a perfect example of how to wear a trouser suit with executive style. The duchess kept her look business-appropriate with smart grey heels.
Tailored suiting can be worn as separates or as a single look.
When recommending a client to invest in tailoring, one of the first criteria is that the suit can be broken up.
Both pieces, the jacket and the trouser should be able to look stylish as separate pieces as well as together in one outfit.
As the phrase separates implies, one of the tailored pieces is worn ‘separated’ from its matching piece.
Yes, the ‘whole effect’ of the trouser suit is broken, but you can remix the pieces according to the season, your lifestyle and work space.
As separates, take a tailored trouser: add a knit, a smart blouse and even wear it with a different blazer turning it into a mismatched suit.
You could do the same with the jacket. Add a different trouser.
A blazer will always add instant polish. It’s transforming.
In fact a smart blazer will turn a seemingly casual outfit into a chic one.
It will take you from Saturday morning shopping to a weekend BBQ.
CWC style tip: wear a double-breasted jacket open for a more relaxed effect.
Demonstrate Personal Impact
Wearing a tailored trouser suit as it was envisaged to be worn – as a single entity – conveys executive presence.
Wearing a trouser suit in all its glory communicates the strongest visual effect.
Let’s talk suiting choices
Let me just clarify for the purposes of this blog, I’m talking about trouser-suiting, not skirt suits or shorts suits.
What are the key choices when it comes to choosing a trouser suit?
Style
Single or double-breasted blazer?
Slim-fit or wide-leg?
Cropped length or full length?
CWC style tip: taller women can carry off a double-breasted wide-leg trouser suit with more ease.
Petites can easily be swamped by too much fabric.
Colour
The choice is open this year. However as this tends to be more of an investment purchase, you want to wear it for a good couple of seasons.
Therefore I’d recommend going for a classic colour or one that fits across the seasons.
Ivory trouser suits can be stunning in Winter but but they look more welcome in the Summer.
Primary or in-trend colours might make a statement but I’m not sure it is necessarily the best one!
There can be something clown-like about them and I can’t take them seriously.
Fabrics
Again you have a choice from year-round wool ones to silk, linen and various blends.
Personally a linen trouser suit oozes Summer style but I appreciate linen isn’t for everyone due to its wrinkle-properties.
If you are someone who needs to iron out any crease at all, I’d suggest a linen mix.
One of my favourite blends is silk linen.
How To Wear A Trouser Suit With Style
Dress them up, glamourise them and dress them down – mix them up.
You’ll find an investment in a good quality trouser suit turns out to be one of your best spends.
They’ll become some of the most versatile flexible pieces you have.
That’s why they belong in any capsule wardrobe.
Simply re-style them again and again.
CWC style tip: neutral trouser suits offer the most versatility.
Change the colour/fabrics of your tops according to the season.
Grey trouser suiting from Business Smart to Business Casual.
Navy trouser suit from Business Smart to Weekend Chic.
Get In Touch
If you would like help with your business look, whether it’s working within a corporate office or a more relaxed working environment, please get in touch. We’d be delighted to help.
