The perfect work suit?

[Yazzi]

I am small to medium size and very pear shape. I hate suits but must wear them most of my work week.

I don't want super statement suits, and I have a lower end to med budget.

Does anyone have a suit that fits them like a glove and that they love? Would love to follow any recs!

To get a suit that ‘fits like a glove’ you need to buy the size(s) that fit your largest measurement, then take them to your local alterations service to have them tailored to you.

When you say suit do you mean a jacket and skirt, or jacket and trousers, or might you have more flexibility?

Actual clothes size, height and budget figure would help!

You get what you pay for with tailoring, unfortunately. I am pear shaped too and often buy a 10 on top and 12 bottom. I prefer the cut of Italian/Spanish brands on the high street - Massimo Dutti for example. Although for range of choice you can't really beat M&S.

Have you looked in any charity shops too? Sometimes people donate blazers which have been hardly worn and you can wear them with smart black trousers.

I’d opt in your position for ranges where you can buy the jackets and skirt/trousers separately so that you can buy different sizes for a better fit. I often buy one jacket and matching skirt and trousers so I effectively have two suits in the same range.

My body shapes is different to yours so my labels may not work for you. I like Theory and Libby London for basic suits.

I used to have to wear black / dark coloured suits for work and I’m afraid I agree that (to an extent) you get what you pay for. Cheap tailoring flatters nobody and to me seems a waste of money.

Fortunately these days there are many more options if one wants to access decent quality on a limited budget. You’re probably better off buying something pre-owned from Vestiaire, or trawling T K Maxx Gold Label, for a reliable brand and natural fabrics, rather than settling for cheaply produced synthetic fabrics from any source. Or getting to know a few good brands and really targeting their sales.

I do think if you found something perfect you wouldn’t hate suits.

As people have said - mix and match. Skirts that are a-line or full are a good answer with a blouse and jacket. I have worn suits all my life and say that I wear skirts or dresses 90% of the time.

Strangely enough I bought a fantastic suit jacket in navy from H&M - as it was more budget I didn’t expect it to be so nice. It’s slightly stretchy material, although you wouldn’t guess from looking at it, and the sleeves are quite snug and flattering. It tucks in slightly at the waist. Best jacket I have ever bought.

Not sure about trousers or skirts but I haven’t liked suits from Next!

Sadly an actual suit, matching top and bottom- I am a lawyer and work mostly in court, in a role that expects very serious dressing (so no "fun" suits, this applies to men and women).

I've never really bothered to get across nice suits and so just feel a bit drab and frumpy all the time!

I would say my budget would be max GBP200 (for the set, not per piece). I am a size 8 on top, quite flat chested, size 10 on bottom.

I think you're right re tailoring- I have a big bum and small waist and legs, and everything gapes so I use belts which cause bulging.

I think you might be surprised to learn that it is possible to fulfil one’s professional role in court and be fantastically well dressed.

But it requires both considerable expenditure (if you’re buying new) and an actual interest in clothes. If you’re not interested and don’t want to spend more than the bare minimum you may well feel drab and frumpy. (Though that may have no bearing on a brilliant career!)

I think you might struggle to get decent quality suits at that price point even in the sales. I’d suggest either you aim for fewer but more expensive ones, or look at pre-owned or BNWT options.

If you were able to go up even to around the £300 mark you’d have more options and what you buy will last longer. With very cheap work tailoring it is often buy cheap, buy twice unfortunately as they don’t always withstand washing or dry cleaning well or can wear thin or get shiny quickly.

I re-wrote my previous post about a dozen times - and still didn’t feel able to speak plainly! And don’t feel I’ve been any help.

@Yazzi I could give you a mile long list of stylish brands to explore - but £200 just isn’t enough for a decent new suit.

This jacket is 55% polyester:

& Other Stories

This is 100% wool:

Cos

Corresponding trousers would be another £100.

The good thing is it’s easier to buy jackets and trousers or skirts separately now - to accommodate all measurements.

You might get something in Next. They do different jackets and bottoms in the same fabric so you can mix & match. I find the slightly bootleg trousers the most flattering but I wonder if you might have to be in a skirt.
Otherwise, it's a question of stalking Hobbs sale. Their shift dresses fit a pear much better than you might expect from looking at them. Don't just check out their shops but also JL and so forth until you get the items you need for a suit.
If you can do any element of mix & match (and I appreciate you may not be able to), Mango, Zara etc all do good jackets although you might want to swap the buttons for something a bit less blingy. The problem is that their skirts barely cover your bum so wouldn't be suitable.
It's a real challenge getting proper suits these days

For sure, many lawyers dress beautifully!

It's the specific culture of this jurisdiction and the nature of this specific work though, what I meant is that while in other jurisdictions (courts) people might wear statement blazers, amazing shoes, dressy jackets, it's absolutely not the culture in the court I'm based in (I'm a duty lawyer so I always appear in one specific court).

It's also not that you have to be drab, though. Definitely the theme is navy, black or grey. But people definitely dress in beautifully cut suits, that flatter them wonderfully. I am hearing what everyone is saying that that's not possible at my price point. I find it very hard to prioritise spending more on a beautiful suit, so I think the suggestion made a few times about looking second hand might be the go!

Honestly, my suits (and I am not very young lol) are from H&M, Uniqlo, Zara.

Do you have any brands that are worth looking out for second hand?

I’m a lawyer too @Yazzi and slightly better suits will last much longer than anything from Uniqlo or H and M

I’m just thinking of my own work wardrobe and I have a suit from Reiss and one from Jaegar which are more than 10 years old and still look immaculate. They were around £400.

i also have more recent suits from Theory, Whistles and Libby London which are hard wearing and look good. Those are around the £300 mark. The Libby London one is even machine washable.

My indulgence purchases are a suit from Tommy Hilfilger bought in the sale and one from The Fold which I bought on Vinted BNWT. These were both around £500.

You don't have to buy loads of new clothes at once, you could spread your purchases out over time to build up a hard wearing hard working wardrobe which if you choose classic cuts and styles will last for many years.

Thanks so much @Katrinawaves- that's really helpful.

I should also mention I'm overseas (but travel to UK regularly). Where I live, suits (and all clothes really) cost luxury prices for what in the UK would be considered mid-range quality. That's why I'm thinking it might be better bang for buck getting some UK brand recommendations and purchasing there instead.