Suits you, girls

It’s time for the girls to teach the boys a thing or two about how to wear a suit.

I mean, men have been doing it for years, and still, so many of them keep getting it all wrong – cheap fabrics in the wrong colours for the occasions and their own colouring, cuts that don’t suit their body shape, ill-matching shirts and ties. And let’s not even mention the shoes.

This season, suits and tailoring come to the fore for women, not least because there’s a new androgynous wind sweeping through fashion, when girls start to look a little bit like boys and vice versa (just a little bit, mind – no need to go mad with the eyeliner as you did back in the 1980s, chaps).

We’ll return to androgyny as a theme later in the season, but for now – don’t panic. I am well aware that, for those of us who don’t have masculine angles and no bottom, the very word “androgyny” is enough to send us flying to the hills covered in floral prints and flounces, but there’s no need. Suits can and do work for all body sizes and shapes, as long as you follow a few basic style rules.

Whether it’s a trouser suit or a skirt suit (and there are oodles of both around), fit is the first consideration. Just because it’s a two-piece, there is no need to throw your usual style rules out of the door, as if magically the suit-ness of it all will skim over all body flaws.

It’s best to think of a suit as two separates, each piece cut to suit your body shape. Petites and apples with slim legs should look for slim fitted trousers and skirts, with a jacket cut short enough to show off slim hips. A longer jacket could work with cropped pencil slim trousers, for an Eighties’ feel.

Pear shapes look best in a cropped fitted jacket and a flared and flirty skirt, either knee-length or try this season’s below-the-knee circle style skirts and cinch in your waist with a belt. It’s best to steer clear of most hip-length jackets, although you might be able to get away with one if it’s tailored to the waist. Don’t button it up at the hip or the overall effect will be that of a walking wardrobe – not a good look.

Meanwhile, wide-leg trousers will suit pears and curvy types, although not petites unless your heels are teeteringly sky-high. Apples should note that a great way to add the illusion of a waist is to choose a high waist skirt or trousers and belt beneath a jacket left open.

Colour-wise, there are lots of lovely camel colours around and also soft greys, and both will look classy with navy or can be given a splash of oomph with accent red, or pink if you want to girly it all up a bit.

Black and white will always look crisp, as will navy, but be careful in hotels and airport lounges, in case you get mistaken for crew.

A metallic top and sexy heels ought to do the trick for after-work drinks.