Are suits for women completely passé?

[HandleTheJandal]

I’m writing from NZ, and trying to crystal-ball gaze workwear post-lockdown. I’m a lawyer.

In the UK, have suits for female professionals survived the pandemic? Day to day, suiting was on life support for women in the professions in NZ and worn consistently only in real estate and tourism. But lawyers still might have one or two suits if only for occasional wear.

If suits are again an option - where do you buy your suits? There are next to no suits available in NZ online stores. So to access a broader range, I would look to buy suits from an international online stores.

Not really. Even really dressy workplaces are more about separates and less about suits. I do have an idea that they will come back, though.

I'm a solicitor in private practice in a large private client and commercial firm. I stopped wearing suits at least 20 years ago. I used to wear tailored jackets and skirts or dresses but they weren't matching suit items.

I moved away to about 90% dresses - sometimes with a jacket, sometimes a cardigan even before pandemic. Now I wear dresses all the time. I can't see myself buying a suit again.

I bought a suit the other day… but it’s a very statement oversized/unstructured jacket and barrel leg culottes affair from Cos.
Otherwise like others above I have dresses, trousers, structured tops and jackets.
I think it’s hard to make traditional suits look stylish now.

I don't know any women who wear actual suits anymore in our very corporate environment.

The women wear a mix of trousers, skirts, dresses. Sometimes with tailored jackets. But they don't match. Thinking about it, non of us wear a tailored jacket unless it's a big meeting.

Day to day office I would say most people wear some sort of cardigan over a dress or trousers and smartish top.

I'm a City lawyer in a large firm. No one wears suits anymore.

Only in sixth forms which bizarrely seem to be getting stricter by the year despite the workplace getting more relaxed. Apparently it is to prepare them for the workplace. As dd wants to be a doctor I think she should by that logic wear scrubs to school.

To echo the others, no one wears suits. The only women in suits that I see are those that work in high street banks.

At work senior women wear separates, smart trousers and tops, dresses with a softer style jacket,wide leg oversized trousers with tucked in thin knit.

Hardly anyone wears heals. I do but I'm in the minority.

I reckon Shiv's stylist in Succession will give suits a comeback. I want most of her suits. And I WFH!

Sadly, yes. And the sadness for me is because I love a suit and have a couple of beautiful ones that are 10 yrs old stashed away in my wardrobe but would feel ridiculously overdressed to wear them now. I even felt overdressed going to an interview in a suit recently and joked with the interviewer that I felt I’d turned up like a candidate from The Apprentice. Luckily she hired me anyway!

@BigPyjamas

To echo the others, no one wears suits. The only women in suits that I see are those that work in high street banks.

At work senior women wear separates, smart trousers and tops, dresses with a softer style jacket,wide leg oversized trousers with tucked in thin knit.

Hardly anyone wears heals. I do but I'm in the minority.

Yep, great description of what’s in style in London.

@lastminutetutor

Only in sixth forms which bizarrely seem to be getting stricter by the year despite the workplace getting more relaxed. Apparently it is to prepare them for the workplace. As dd wants to be a doctor I think she should by that logic wear scrubs to school.

Me and my dd had this conversation recently. Her school were keen for her to attend sixth form. From her point of view, their stance on making sixth formers wear 2 or 3 piece suits that must match, showed her how our of touch with the actual work place they are. She opted for college instead.

I’m a City solicitor. None of the women in my office wear suits. It’s all separates, none of them match in the way that a suit would.

Things like cigarette trousers, a shell top or a shirt or a blouse (tucked in) and a short jacket. Or a dress and a jacket. Lots of colour. Knits. Plenty of women still wearing heels but lots and lots in flats.

I'm a lawyer and would say I wear a 'smart jacket / suit jacket' to work events / client meetings - but think it's just old fashioned language. It's a tailored jacket and I don't own a matching suit.

When not meeting clients we have a dress down policy.

I’ve come in to say that since going back into the office I’ve started to see suits again. I’ve been wearing similar to others, dresses with a smart jacket but recently bought a trouser suit for a very corporate function. I got lots of positive comments. Massimo Dutti have some, I think they are starting to make a comeback.

I'm a lawyer and for my last 5 or so years in private practice I wore dresses. Cardigan round the office with a smart jacket at hand for any meetings.

I moved in house a couple of months ago and am now very much more smart casual, but with some nice separates for meetings.

I think it depends what you mean by "suit". Matchy-matchy jacket and trousers or skirt are definitely out but there are still a good number of people wearing formal separates. Jackets are either cropped or boyfriend style right now. I wore a boyfriend blazer in khaki green to work earlier this week with slim leg navy/tan check trousers and gold loafers and felt great.

If I were buying suit-type garments right now I'd look at The Fold because I adore their tailoring. You can get a matching suit from them but most people wouldn't wear it together right now.

I was thinking about this the other day. I started teaching in the early 90s and Jigsaw and Hobbs suits were my staples. I think I bought my last suit in 2006 . I’d feel ridiculous now wearing one but at the time they were an easy solution.

I'm a lawyer, in a large city but not London. When I started suits were essential, now they are only for court. Client meetings smart separates or follow their dress code. In the office most people are in jeans these days.

I've always thought a bad fitting suit (excess material in the trousers, too long, shiny material, too tight jacket) looks way worse and less smart than say some well fitting trousers and a cardigan. (For both men and women).

I think it can be difficult for lots of people to find a suit that fits well, its a big ask when the measurements need to match your whole body. I've got a weird body shape and would be never manage it and at 45 have never owned a suit.

Female lawyers in the City haven’t worn suits for years.

I can't speak for lawyers in the city - not my world - but, from what I've seen elsewhere, I'd say this was more about suits evolving than disappearing. The one you bought in the early noughties might not feel right any more but I think tailoring is still very much a thing. I think a trouser suit with an oversize blazer - matching or otherwise - looks really good at the moment, although you might be more likely to see one in a bar than in a workplace.

Agree with everyone else. I think over the last 20 years, it's morphed from formal suits to smart separates pre pandemic to what I would describe now as smart casual.

I loved my pre-pandemic office wear of dress, non-matching jacket and heels and I feel like I am having to find my bearings again on what is my post pandemic office look as that old combo definitely feels out of place!

I absolutely love the look of a fairly business-y dark suit, with a larger, looser jacket, on women. I think they are coming back.

I remember the Chanel autumn/winter collection having quite a number of suits and co-ordinated separates - just not many that you'd wear to work. Which doesn't really answer the op's dilemma but basically I think the suit's still with us but it's moving on.

Bizarrely there were loads of suits at both Tory and Labour Party conference this year.

Usually in bright colours worn by 23 year olds.

I've not come across a grown up corporate women in one in years.