I am so excited by one of this year’s Spring trends and that’s the colourful trouser suit; tailoring has never been so exciting! Now I want to be open and upfront, I did not keep this pink trouser suit – I loved it and was really impressed with the quality of the both the blazer and the trousers but the colour did not love me! When you love a colour but perhaps it doesn’t quite suit you, you can get away with wearing it on the bottom half of your body, but the whole point of the outfit is that it’s two-piece suit!
In my own personal life I have to juggle many hats each week, pretty much like most busy 40-plus women you meet! Monday to Wednesday I work in an office, and whilst it does have a more relaxed approach to the dress code compared to the corporate ethos before, I still take it as an opportunity to get dressed up. Tailoring has so moved on compared to my early days working in an office, in fact I hated having to wear suits; partly because they were so stiff and uncomfortable plus they were a complete hassle to get cleaned (as in dry-clean only) so to keep that freshness about them was hard and expensive – suits always seemed to me a stale, boring and stiff choice of item to be in!
Oh it’s so different today – and tailoring is no longer just for people to head to the office. This modern day, machine washable, soft and suitably fresh trouser suits are a versatile option for the modern day working woman, who wears a lot of hats! Trousers can be worn day-to-night as so can the blazer – mix and match your styling with dresses, denim, leather trousers and not forgetting that it’s acceptable now to wear them with white trainers – I mean seriously it’s a great investment.
DOES THE COLOUR SUIT YOU!
The high street is giving us lots of colour choice to wear, which just makes it so exciting and fresh for Spring; making black, navy and grey a little dull in comparison. But be careful when picking the colour of your suit – does it suit you? (excuse the pun! – but it’s intentional!) Does it suit you? is what I want you to remember when you are in the changing room on your own and you are having to make these decisions. A trouser suit is not cheap and to make it a versatile item it needs to work with the rest of your wardrobe or that £80+ investment will not be worth it.
Now as I said at the beginning of my post, I did not keep this suit – and the reason being this magenta pink (that I was attracted to in store and looked OK in the darkish changing room) does not suit me. Fact. The bright and cool tone of this suit goes completely against my Autumn, warm and muted colour palette. and so because I was challenging two aspects that were not right for me, I simply can’t get away with it. Now rule breakers would say “well don’t worry, wear it anyway”, but the fact remains, I would struggle to match this bright pink with other items in my wardrobe, and then could only wear it as a suit – that’s not versatile.
So think about if you are a warm skintone or cool and a good test to ask yourself is “am I wearing this suit or is the colour wearing me?” I would hesitate asking the sales person what they think; most are not trained in colour-analysis and simply want the sale. If in doubt, buy it and ask your friends and family when you get home, you’ll be sure to get a real honest response! (Don’t ask the friend that always agrees with you! LOL).
STYLING TIPS FOR YOUR TROUSER SUITS
- Wear them confidently, and if you pick the right colour and style for you – you should have no problem doing so
- Wash the blazer and trousers at the same time – if you don’t you could find over time that the trousers appear to be slightly lighter than the jacket
- Avoid hanging your colourful suits in direct sunlight – clothes left for hours in the sun simply get sun damage and will lose it’s colour fast
- If you really, really love the suit and know a) you can afford to and b) know that you will get the wear – buy two pairs of the trousers – this helps with point 2
- You bought them together, but don’t forget they can be worn separately – mix your trousers with different tops and jackets and if you get ankle grazers, this will be perfect for trainers, flat sandals and high-heel stilettos. And then your jackets can be worn with denim, over maxi dresses and not forgetting the new season’s slip dress or skirt
- Don’t forget to mix your style vibe with different jewellery, add a brooch to the blazer or a silk scarf can be placed simply around your neck adding another layer of colour to give it a different look
- If the colour you have gone for is a light pastel and muted tone then you are likely going to need a statement handbag, but if your suit is bright and a statement in itself, I would personally opt for neutral accessories – but again some of this will come down to your own style personality
I am slightly confused by the online version of what I think is my suit. I do not recall any pockets on the blazer, I can’t seem them in my photos and yet I’ve looked and this seems to be the same suit. It’s definitely the same price.
Fully Lined Jacket – £49
Tapered Trouser Suit – £30
MANGO
Modal-blend suit blazer – £69.99
ZARA
REISS
FRENCH CONNECTION
Pastel Tailored Trousers – £80
COLOUR ANALYSIS OFFER
If you live in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire or Hertfordshire I am offering a colour analysis experience for yourself and a friend to receive colour swatch books (worth £25 each) for free if you book in with me by 31st May 2019 (Terms and Conditions apply) Simply email lovedbylizzi@gmail.com to enquire.
