The suit is a powerful tool; not only can it give the impression of Schwarzenegger shoulders, it can also help seal the year’s biggest deal. The bold structured lines of expensive tailoring – often in intimidating dark shades – hold a high and mighty corporate status giving first-appearance power when walking into meetings. It is also a common office rumour that, Mr or Mrs Most Professionally Dressed is more likely to get promoted over colleagues. Anyone fancy an investment trip to the tailors?
What makes such a boring and basic blend of horizontal seams be the bane of our professional existence? The answer – conforming. If we all look the same, then not one of us would stand out form the crowd for any other reason than for our mental style (our brains). Take school uniform for example, it makes sense as it helps prevent the rich kids picking on the poor underprivileged kids for not having the ‘in’ jeans. But as we grow older, we start to develop personalities, which can be shown through the way we dress. So what purpose does it fulfil that all business people wear practically the same?
Within the workplace, it is imperative that as a businessman or woman, you are taken seriously. Therefore the suit, derived from the French suivre meaning ‘to follow’, is the compulsory dress for the majority of city slickers due to its safety net of connotations. But, in actual fact, conforming with what you wear, could imply that your ideas are conventional as well. And nobody wants to listen to conventional ideas.
So, what can you do about it? Well, you don’t need to turn up to work in a flaming red cocktail dress or tuxedo to proclaim yourself an individualist. The texture, the tone and the fabric of the suit, the stiffness of a shirt, and the proportions of a skirt and jacket are all reliable indicators of the wearer’s personal business style.
These days, it isn’t imperative to stick to Savile Row standard tailoring for the bee’s knees of business wear. If you’re required to smarten up five times a week but don’t want to be another tailored two-piece on the payroll, here’s what you do…
Find the right fit for your figure, an ill-fitted suit can sometimes look worse than wearing ruthlessly ripped jeans and an ‘I hate my boss’ emblazoned t-shirt.
Women
(Petite) [Pencil skirt and ruffle blouse dress Wallis, £55]
If you are petite, avoid wide-leg trousers as they will make you look shorter. Go for a slim-fit pinafore style dress and make the most of your petite-ness. Wear a black jacket over the top to give the impression of a suit – make sure it is a single button jacket that stops at your waist, as this will elongate your body.
(Pear-shape) [Black high waisted pencil skirt Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, £136 / White ruffle blouse Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, £180]
Pear-shape women should add volume on top e.g. puff sleeve blouse to balance out your bottom half. A-line and flared skirts work best for your shape as it gives the allusion of slimmer thighs. Vivienne Westwood Anglomania collection contains the perfect cuts for this shape, launching this autumn.
(Slim) [Brown wool high waisted, wide leg trousers Principles, £45 / Oyster silk blouse Cacharel, £151]
To give the illusion of curves, slim women should go for high-waist cut trousers, there is a great range coming to Principles in the autumn. Team with a plain white blouse/shirt and a swing jacket: think Marlene Dietrich-high waist skirts work just the same.
(Tall) [Brown wool blazer Paul & Joe, £366 / Blue silk blouse Paul Smith, £360]
If you are tall, go for below the knee pencil skirts. A longer style jacket works well if you want to play down your height; Paul & Joe does this longer style jacket perfectly smart enough for a meeting. A high-neck detailed blouse works wonders under this, Paul Smith do a beautiful blue number.
Men
Short [Black skinny tie Burton, £7]
If you are short, avoid longer suit jackets as it makes your legs look shorter. Don’t wear fat ties and wide lapels, keep it slim. Look taller by paring down; a belt can make you look shorter. Shoes should be kept slim rather than chunky. Get skinny ties from D&G, J Lindberg and Burton.
Tall [Grey two-piece suit Paul Smith, from £550 / Red patent round toe lace-up shoes Paul Smith, £260]
Tall men should avoid suits with over-sizing liked padded shoulders, as they will only increase the appearance of frailness, not muscle. A two-button suit works great on tall men, as long as the suit has relatively high-cut lapels, try Paul Smith for slim-fit styles. Opt for a tie with a bit of width, as this won’t elongate your torso, Etro and Aquascutum are good places for these.
Large [Selection of white shirts Ede & Ravenscroft, from £65]
If you’re a large man, avoid wearing a roomy suit; they don’t make you look slimmer, just sloppy. Wear a simple, elegant shirt by Savile Row or Ede & Ravenscroft. Wear a pocket square as it brings the focus to your chest, not your tummy.
Athletic [Dark brown leather brogues Hudson, £80]
Athletic men are the lucky few able to wear narrow cut trousers, so enjoy them. Low-collar shirts work well with a thicker neck. Try on a pair of Hudson brogues for size, they are not too chunky yet not too flimsy.
So, there you have it. It isn’t actually that hard to get the business look- if you know what suits you. But beware, there is a way to ruin a good suit: the wrong shoes. A nice tailored suit with a pair of clumpy rubber monstrosities is a definite no. If the suit is slim, so should the shoes be; if the suit is on the bulky side, a pair with buckles or some kind of heavier detailing will do the trick. In all cases, whatever the weather, the suit chooses the shoes, not you!
Stockists
Burton: www.burton.co.uk
Cacharel: www.my-wardrobe.com
Ede & Ravenscroft: www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk
Hudson: 0207 729 2113
Paul & Joe: www.my-wardrobe.com
Paul Smith: 0207 379 7133 www.paulsmith.co.uk
Principles: www.principles.co.uk
Vivienne Westwood Anglomania: www.my-wardrobe.com
Wallis: 08451214520
