Your Autumn/Winter ‘Must Have’ List Starts Here!

Must Have No. 1:  The Trouser Suit 

(pictured suit by Vera Mont)

This season is about a no-fuss look and bringing back some favourite pieces.  So, number 1 on our list is the trouser suit. Tailored trouser suits are back on the fashion agenda, again. You only need to look at what Ms Prada wore at the latest Met Ball in NYC – evening brocade trousers with matching tunic.  Where she goes, everyone follows.

The new season’s look is more elegant and sleek, differing from the ladylike and demure styles of previous seasons.  Victoria Moss wrote in In Style magazine:  “The new fashion landscape is about strong, empowered control…There is a stylish sleekness going on.”
Whilst the trouser suit is a bit about ladies playing with menswear, you don’t have to look the tomboy.  A trouser suit can be one of the most stylish, modern and sexy outfits a woman can wear.

Some tips on getting it right: make sure you get the right trouser length – too long means a tripping hazard and a laundry disaster in winter weather, too short will ruin the elegant look.  Think of the width and the volume too as you will find cuts from cigarette slim to slouchy boyfriend.  The most modern way to wear them is cropped (or 7/8^th as known in the trade) so you flash a bit of ankle.  This length looks good with flats or heels.  Maintain the look with a tailored jacket. 

Last tip: your jacket and trousers don’t have to be matching. Although a complete suit can look fabulous, it might be too coordinated for your tastes. If you mix up your top and bottom, make sure the fit is good for both and the overall look works.  

Does your man need some style advice?

The recent survey claiming that “37 is the age men give up on style” inspired some interesting responses from women: 37% buy their partner’s clothes, two thirds admitted preventing their partner from buying certain clothes, almost a fifth highlighted ill-fitting jeans as one of the worst offenders (here, here we say!).

Most men and women need a bit of style advice at some time(s) in our lives.  Our bodies change, our lifestyles change and fashions change. So, men are not alone in going for the easy option past a certain age when they simply don’t know what to wear anymore.  He can’t dress like a twenty-something at forty-something, he probably feels he doesn’t have a style ‘identity’ (classic, creative, sporty etc.) and quite honestly, he just don’t know what looks good on him anymore.

Generally, women enjoy clothes and ‘dressing up’ more than men. We like to take time to shop, browse and find the right piece at the right price. From our experience, both as women and as consultants, we find that men don’t enjoy shopping that much, they want to find the item they need, buy it and go home.  Also, let’s not forget that there is more style advice available to women, it may not all be suitable, but we absorb it and take it into consideration.  

Most women are prepared to put the effort in to look good and, most importantly, we are prepared to go and take advice if we feel we have completely lost our way in fashion. Men don’t like to ask for help. It is much like the “no, of course we don’t need to ask for directions, I can work it out” approach.

So, wives and girlfriends take on the styling mantle, which isn’t necessarily wrong, but it does take up your time. Plus, isn’t it nice to see your man dress well by himself? With a bit of knowledge and confidence, men can enjoy their wardrobe and express themselves through their clothes too.  They deserve to look good and find their style ‘identity’ just as much as we do.  And, once they get advice on how to dress to fit their shape, colouring, lifestyle, age and personality, it will make clothes shopping even easier and quicker than usual. 

Suits him sir!