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Original poster

DH saying black suit + sneakers is not smart enough

221 replies

GilmoreGirl84 · 20/04/2023 21:53

I went to a business breakfast wearing a black suit (jacket + trousers), paired with a burgundy shirt underneath and a pair of box fresh New Balance 327, white and burgundy. I had to travel by car and by train to get there and walk 20 minutes in the City, so I went for smart casual. DH is saying the sneakers look odd but I am pretty sure it is acceptable these days to wear them ironically under a suit? For reference, I work in the charity sector but it was a business event.

OP posts:
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14
ChairFloorWall · 21/04/2023 06:19

I think it depends! For some areas of industry it wouldn’t be okay but for others it would be fine!

Isthisexpected · 21/04/2023 06:24

I don't get the ironic comment either.

To me it's all about context. I don't see a need for heels at all in any sector. But there is a wide spectrum of shoe in between heels at one end and trainers at the other. I would tend to wear shoes to events like this (ie anything I felt formal enough to require a suit).

Peapodburgundybouquet · 21/04/2023 06:54

I wear really box-fresh trainers with thin legged cigarette trousers, which finish slightly shorter than normal, plus shirt and super slim fitting jacket. I think it looks great. I work in a less formal setting, presumably like you, OP, and am always very well accessorised with really good bag and sunglasses and a camel overcoat in cooler temps.

LynetteScavo · 21/04/2023 07:01

Well, this is what I might wear to work (although I'd have Veja and probably a smart t-shirt) so I'm going to tell you it's fine. It was a business breakfast, not an evening presentation which you were paid to give.

TheNachtzehrer · 21/04/2023 07:06

My God, I see the Mumsnet fashion-proof hordes are out again.

Your husband doesn't know jack shit about women's fashion, and neither do most of the comments you've got. A suit with trainers is a totally common look, and I love it. Frankly, a matchy matchy suit with heels is what would look dated and frumpy right now, unless you were making a court appearance. I'm going to assume for the moment that it wasn't a dated and badly cut suit, because someone who picks out New Balance 327s would know better than that.

RobertaTheRotund · 21/04/2023 07:07

Sounds fine. My DH is brilliant at many things, but fashion advice is not one of those things! So if yours is anything like mine, I'd cheerfully ignore

Peapodburgundybouquet · 21/04/2023 07:08

TheNachtzehrer · 21/04/2023 07:06

My God, I see the Mumsnet fashion-proof hordes are out again.

Your husband doesn't know jack shit about women's fashion, and neither do most of the comments you've got. A suit with trainers is a totally common look, and I love it. Frankly, a matchy matchy suit with heels is what would look dated and frumpy right now, unless you were making a court appearance. I'm going to assume for the moment that it wasn't a dated and badly cut suit, because someone who picks out New Balance 327s would know better than that.

Thank you. I thought I was going mad on here reading the supposedly nonplussed comments. Where do these apparently stylish women work if they‘ve never encountered smart sneakers and low-key business wear?!

Peapodburgundybouquet · 21/04/2023 07:09

And as for someone saying 327s were gym shoes… 😆 and another likening them to her shaggy old ASICS running shoes…

RobertaTheRotund · 21/04/2023 07:10

Tbf, I'm just outside London where I think fashion stuff does seem to appear first (don't shoot me for saying that), and I'm devastated to report that heels seem to be making a bit of a comeback 😩.

Trainers and a suit is still fine though, but heels aren't 'frumpy' anymore either!

LynetteScavo · 21/04/2023 07:11

TheNachtzehrer · 21/04/2023 07:06

My God, I see the Mumsnet fashion-proof hordes are out again.

Your husband doesn't know jack shit about women's fashion, and neither do most of the comments you've got. A suit with trainers is a totally common look, and I love it. Frankly, a matchy matchy suit with heels is what would look dated and frumpy right now, unless you were making a court appearance. I'm going to assume for the moment that it wasn't a dated and badly cut suit, because someone who picks out New Balance 327s would know better than that.

Exactly what I was thinking.

LetsStartFromScratch · 21/04/2023 07:12

I do t thinks trainers with a suit look OK for a work meeting.

If you really wanted to wear footwear that wasn't "shoes"'as such then, at a push, maybe a pair of black converse?

Covetthee · 21/04/2023 07:12

Sounds like a great outfit!

i do wonder about the ages of some people who comment here ( not offence at all btw)

no one i know who works in the office environment that doesn’t mix casual with smart.

smart suit with shoes is a bit outdated i think in most sectors.

smart outfit withs trainers are one of main fashion trends atm.

DH saying black suit + sneakers is not smart enough
LynetteScavo · 21/04/2023 07:12

@RobertaTheRotund What kind of heels?

TheNachtzehrer · 21/04/2023 07:13

PS. My H is actually very good at ascertaining whether a colour or shape suits me, or whether I look comfortable in something, and I not infrequently ask him for advice on an outfit. But I would never ask him for advice on putting stuff together or dressing for a situation, because he doesn't really know women's fashion and men's is way simpler and more conservative. In general, never take fashion advice from your H/P unless he is actually a fashion designer/buyer.

Theraffarian · 21/04/2023 07:14

Only you and the people at your meeting that day know if they were appropriate. For example I wouldn’t get away with trainers of any description in my job , we have a dress code , nothing to do with fashion . However my daughters job although in a similar industry wouldn’t bat an eyelid for internal meetings .

So for me if someone was in trainers I would assume they were comfy getting to work wear and they had forgotten their boots or shoes . In your husbands job it may be the same , but doesn’t mean it was wrong for you .

dudsville · 21/04/2023 07:14

@TheNachtzehrer saved me time. You'll never get 100% agreement but the look you describe is very current and lovely.

Riverlee · 21/04/2023 07:15

It’s a no from me.

QueSyrahSyrah · 21/04/2023 07:15

Pissingoncarwheels · 20/04/2023 22:47

I’d be thinking you wore them for walking there but that you had actually forgotten your shoes if I had a business meeting with you.

Same. If the whole outfit was casual (fine in my industry) then I wouldn't raise an eyebrow, but they'd look odd paired with a suit to me.

RobertaTheRotund · 21/04/2023 07:16

@LynetteScavo I have seen quite a few chunky platforms and block heels (thank fuck no stilettos. If they ever come back, I'm not wearing them {bangs gavel})

TheNachtzehrer · 21/04/2023 07:16

RobertaTheRotund · 21/04/2023 07:10

Tbf, I'm just outside London where I think fashion stuff does seem to appear first (don't shoot me for saying that), and I'm devastated to report that heels seem to be making a bit of a comeback 😩.

Trainers and a suit is still fine though, but heels aren't 'frumpy' anymore either!

Still not heels with a matching suit, though. I think that makes you look like you're playing the District Attorney in a film set in 2003, or escaped from the set of the West Wing.

ShandyQuaffer · 21/04/2023 07:18

I’m a lawyer in London. This sort of look is completely standard and looks much more fresh and modern than heels. Whether I’d wear it for a client meeting would depend on the client- some of my clients are more traditional, some are more modern and genuinely like their lawyers to seem the same way (stuffy outfit-stuffy thinking). Have been in a meeting where CEO of our client cut off a partner’s tie with a pair of scissors 😭

RobertaTheRotund · 21/04/2023 07:18

Matching is never nice, so yes, agree with that @TheNachtzehrer

dudsville · 21/04/2023 07:22

I also wonder about the ages of all of us posting as trends change over time and we can all get stuck in a lane, but it's not the most useful bar as i don't think I'm super unique and i am old, and i know very untrendy young people.

Coodwut · 21/04/2023 07:22

I have a few pairs of 327’s and I sometimes pair them with cropped smart trousers or long wide leg linen pants, if I want a smarter look than jeans. I’d wear them in a business environment but not for a client or regulator meeting

QueSyrahSyrah · 21/04/2023 07:22

Covetthee · 21/04/2023 07:12

Sounds like a great outfit!

i do wonder about the ages of some people who comment here ( not offence at all btw)

no one i know who works in the office environment that doesn’t mix casual with smart.

smart suit with shoes is a bit outdated i think in most sectors.

smart outfit withs trainers are one of main fashion trends atm.

Lots of the thread agrees with you in terms of Converse, like your picture, or other very obviously not running shoes (Adidas superstars / Veja etc) but the New Balance that OP references look very much like sports / running shoes.

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