Women's suits.

To be honest no one wears suits nowadays to work

It's patently not true in the city I live in.

To be honest no one wears suits nowadays to work

I'd like to see the evidence for this statement. In my work, people are expected to dress smartly, and those in customer facing work wear suits. I'd love to be able to dress down, but short of retiring (let it come soon pleeease) there isn't much hope.

Depends where you live. Not that I shop in high end stores (definite hourglass so very much not a fashionable shape!) but every bloody time I go shopping for me there's signs "for more colours go to our website" "for our full range go to our website".

Each time I come back angry and buy something online from an online retailer who doesn't pretend to have stuff in store. Time to cut out the intermediate step of schlepping around the shops!

On the bright side OP, I had to buy a formal suit for the first time in 15years recently and was delighted to see that the jacket had a hole for name badges - it always annoyed me that there was nowhere to pin them.

Maybe it’s been like this for 15years!

I actually meant the person who gave you this information was making a huge exaggeration.

Gotcha, thanks for clarifying.

And I thinkhuge exaggerationis an exaggeration tbf; I said "basically" "no choice" not forced under gunpoint or something

I actually meant the person who gave you this information was making a huge exaggeration.

I don't really understand this discussion. All the links brought me to pages with women's suits.

I cant imagine Boris in a jumpsuit tbh.

However, why couldn't a female prime minister wear a jumpsuit. Or even gender free/fluid prime minister wear one?

And most people, men or women, dont dress for their day thinking 'what would the prime minister wear?'

There are lots if feminist issues around clothing. The fact that you like a trouser suit and they arent currently widely available, because not many people wear them isnt a feminist issue.

It actually makes getting back into work easier and cheaper.

I was just thinking about my return to work 3 years ago. Style and beauty section helped me. In fact, they were the ones that said to take note what women in my city wore as well as recommending interview and back to work clothes. I dont go there often. But there is excellent support there. Especially for women, getting back into work.

Had 2 promotions since, I returned to work and going for my third tomorrow. Lack of a trouser suit hasnt held me back. Far more things in the work place would hold me back, as a woman. Not wether I own and wear a trouser suit.

So for me, the lack of trouser suit availability isnt a feminist issue. It's a fashion one.

random, I know where you're coming from but personally disagree with the often trotted out 'one suit is enough to cover all formal occasions' thing. This may work for men who aren't particularly style conscious and don't have a lot of formal events to attend but doesn't seem to work for many of the men I know and have shopped with.

If women actually 'need' a new outfit for at least every second wedding and christening or not will depend on your personal style and views on fashion. Personally, I prefer a fairly minimalist aesthetic with interesting shapes in neutral or muted colours. I'm mostly not keen on things like loud prints or fussy details, so many of my clothes probably aren't that memorable to the causal observer but make a good blank canvas that can be mixed up with interesting accessories.
I think I manage to get away with a pretty small wardrobe that way (other people say I'm well dressed) but may have the advantage of living in another European country where wedding wear is often a bit more casual and a lot of workwear would be perfectly acceptable at weddings or christenings. I don't know anyone who owns 10+ dresses in pastel colours and floral prints plus matching heels (which still seem to be the expected choice for many British weddings).

To be honest no one wears suits nowadays to work - lawyers accountants etc the men wear shirts/trousers chinos and jeans!

Not in my experience. There is the horror of dress down Friday and many men have given up ties but in general men in those professions still wear suits.

Because I thought it was a women's issue.

Getting smart for an interview is important. Men can do it easily.

Women not so. And many women do spend time out of the fashion stakes when it comes to having to look after children or taking care of others.

Then when their time shines again what is there to look smart?

If you only wish to shop online you merely need to change your internet search parameters.

There are plenty of smart clothes for women - despite your gender stereotyping above.

It is easy. Even when you have children. Even if you are a woman

Men's suits are very much do everything though - 1 investment does until you get too fat... So £350 does weddings, funerals, smart office, races, christening etc for years

I dont think that's true that much any more.

All the men I know would have different jackets and also dont want to be photographed in the same suit tome and time again.

I don't want to go to Style and Beauty.

It's not a board I frequent.

Women post on there all the time who've been out of the workplace or moved to a job with a different dress code. What you seem to be saying is that, even though, if you told them your dilemma, type of workplace and budget, they would almost certainly be able to make suggestions, you won't ask them for help because it's not your kind of place.

Righto.

If what you were really looking for was a feminist critique of women's fashion, or just to let off steam then fair enough. It's just a pity you didn't make that clear from the beginning, then people wouldn't have wasted their time trying to help.

@Taxiplease

Men's suits are very much do everything though - 1 investment does until you get too fat... So £350 does weddings, funerals, smart office, races, christening etc for years.

My £200 outfit will do a couple of weddings and a christening, need something else for "black" funerals, and really can't do office and wedding with the same outfit!

Getting smart for an interview is important. Men can do it easily.

Women not so. (...) Then when their time shines again what is there to look smart?

I'm sorry you're having trouble finding an outfit you like, but this just isn't true. There is lots of smart, office and interview appropriate fashion for women. This really isn't a feminist issue. Your personal taste and preferences simply don't align with what's currently fashionable - it happens to most of us every now and then.

Quality on the high street is mostly shit these days, with some notable exceptions such as COS and Arket. Yes, things like men's t-shirts or socks tend to be better quality even at cheap prices, but you will massively struggle to find a decent suit for either sex for under £100 because they are comparatively expensive to make. It's not a conspiracy against women, it's just down to the simple fact that good tailoring and nice fabrics are expensive.

This may just be my personal experience, but on the whole as a woman I can actually get away with spending a lot less on office wear or outfits for formal occasions than my male DP. For an entire outfit (decent suit + good shirt + tie + reasonably nice shoes) he'll easily pay £1000 in total and that is for pretty mid-range stuff, nothing all that fancy. I can easily pull together a good outfit for under £200 (bag not included) and look equally well turned out, so I'm not quite convinced that women have it that much worse fashion-wise.

Oh and my son agrees with me.

Sorry, but this is where I'd normally post that good old 'A man has arrived...' meme.

To be honest no one wears suits nowadays to work - lawyers accountants etc the men wear shirts/trousers chinos and jeans!

Women where shirts, trousers , dresses etc don't know anyone that wears suits and I work in a very corporate environment I have friends at banks and they don't wear them.

Hobby Perhaps you can tell me what is a legitimate discussion on these boards?

I'm not alone in saying that this is not a FWR issue and yet you continue to call me out specifically.

You'd expect people to use the FWR boards to discuss things related to FWR. The consensus seems to be that this topic is not related to FWR, but you're continuing to bang that drum. Fine, but you're not getting the answer you want and instead you're just getting annoyed with people who are approaching this from a FWR point of view and disagreeing with you.

S&B boards tend to be used for threads looking for help with finding specific clothing etc. That's where to go if that's what you're looking for, or if you want to bemoan the lack of availability of the type of clothing you're after. It doesn't matter if you "don't frequent" those boards, you can still swing by and ask your questions from time to time.

I just think you're not getting what you'd hoped from this particular thread, other than those who've answered from a S&B perspective rather than a FWR perspective, hence why some others have recommended you should head there and others still have said this is not a FWR issue.

I can't really be any clearer, but I hope you find what you need - I'm sure you will as I know first hand that I had no issue finding smart clothes.

I so look forward to the day when our prime minister wears a jumpsuit to PMQs.

Indeed. Boris Johnson would look rather fetching in a h&m jumpsuit

MargueritaBlue

Now informed that you basically have no choice but to shop for clothes online

That is a huge exaggeration.

From what random said in the UK there isn't a lot of selection in-store - I'm just going from what I read upthread I'm not making a statement about your shopping or what your shopping is like because I don't know.

And I think huge exaggeration is an exaggeration tbf; I said "basically" "no choice" not forced under gunpoint or something.

What an odd thread.
"I shouldt have to use a filter" "I don't want to go on style and beauty because I don't use that board"

Do you actually understand how the internet works OP?

I disagree it's a womens issue.

Office wear in the uk has made a huge shift for both men and women in the last 5 years.

2 piece trouser suits, for women, are less popular.

I work in HR for one if the uk arm of one of the world's largest employers. Office wear here and in the US head office is definitely more casual smart.

And it is the same for men. Men rarely wear a 2 or 3 piece suit anymore.

Senior managers and directors (female) wear dresses, jumpsuit, trousers with smart tops, suit jackets usually over Jean's and dresses or casual trousers.

So they are more difficult to get hold of in high street stores. You need to go to more specialist shops.

Yes women can struggle as they are more likely to spend a few years out if the work place. But I did a bit of online googling of more recent fashions when i returned 3 years ago, after 4 years off. Also kept and eye out when put in town to observe what women wore.

It doesnt become a womens issue, because you want a suit which is no longer the main stream fashion. If you like them, wear them. But they will be harder to get hold of and you cant force then to be in fashion