There are these professional events when you have to wear a suit. While wearing skirt- and pantsuits seems like a great idea in these cases, you should think twice when you are in midlife, and/or when these occasions just occur twice a months or so. First, high quality, classic suits are expensive. Second, you don’t want to wear the same suit over and over, but also not invest in an entire suit wardrobe. Third, closet space is real estate. Fourth, many stylists discourage from wearing suits over 40. This post covers why and how to loose your fear of unmatched suits. After reading this post, you know how to style an unmatched suit, wear a suit without buying one, and how to get more millage on suits you might already own.
- Are You Aware of these Messages a Suit Sends?
- Wear an Unmatched Suit Instead
- How to Wear a Suit when You Don’t Own One
- Example How to Style an Unmatched Suit From and Orange Skirt and Jacket
- Faux Pink Suit Outfit Inspiration
- Athleisure Pants and Blazer
- A Dress with Jacket Can Substitute a Suit
- Try Out Everything with Everything
- Further Unmatched Suit Outfit Ideas/li>
Are You Aware of the Messages a Suit Sends?
When there is an important meeting at work one has to “dress up”. Often this involves wearing a suit. While on young women, suits read mature, professional, on us over 40, a real suit easily reads conservative, old fashioned.
Unfortunately, these attributes are also often associated with not being up-to-date and not being creative, and past your prime. These things are nothing we want to be associated with.
On the contrary, men can wear the same suit-tie combo over-and-over and nobody would think of them as boring, old-fashioned and non-creative. Instead, they are considered as being stable and reliable.
Therefore, women over 40 have to be creative to convey the message
I am on top of things!
The Solution: Go for an Unmatched Suit Instead
When you own an ensemble or more, unmatch the two pieces and pair the jacket with other bottoms, and the bottoms with other jackets to
- look modern in a suit, and
- look different at the various meetings.
Why is this important? Well,
it conveys the message that you are creative and have ideas, and that you are on top of things.
Extra benefit of unmatching: You get some extra to wear on the investments.
How to Wear a Suit When You Don’t Own One
Create an unmatched suit from the pants/skirts and blazers in your closet. Fake suits instantly make a Business Casual look. Color-wise when both the skirt and jacket can have the same hue, the fabric structure should differ. Try distinctly different shades of similar fabric structure. When one piece has a pattern find a separate that picks up one of the pattern’s colors.
Example How to Style an Unmatched Suit From and Orange Skirt and Jacket
The skirt and jacket are from the same brand. The danger of two pieces in the same color from the same brand is that you always wear them together. Resist this urge. It makes your style boring. Also avoid adding another piece from that brand. Wearing the same designer all over makes you a fashion victim and let’s you come across as unsecure. A message you don’t want to send.
Faux Pink Suit Outfit Inspiration
This inspiration uses the concept of a monochromatic look sort of while using different texture. The smooth leather and weave of the tweed do the trick.
Athleisure Pants and Blazer
The next example works for Casual Friday in a casual work environment. It features the athleisure trend, and builds on the black and white trend color-wise. The heels and the classic combination of hounds tooth blazer with turtleneck sweater make the athleisure trend office appropriate.
A Dress with Jacket Can Substitute a Suit
In summer, it is often a great choice to ditch the skirt suit for a tailored work dress. It provides thermal comfort at the meeting in AC and still remains bearable when you have to walk a couple of blogs for the luncheon with the group.
Try Out Everything with Everything
Keep your eyes open and get inspired. Sometimes an outfit idea just occurs by accident. When hanging my new skirt back into my closet, I saw that the tweed has about similar colors and the same size of structure than my tweed motorcycle jacket. Well, a fake skirt suit was born.
Outfits look great and are head turning when they look right, but are unexpected. Of course, its a balance act. Styling is all about balance, gals.
Take-home message: Don’t stop at the obvious. Try out everything with everything and go for what looks the best way wrong.
Further Faux Suit Outfit Ideas
While going for a monochromatic look is the easiest, other nice options are classics like a navy blazer with a gray skirt, a plaid blazer with a matching skirt or vice versa. Swap plaid for floral in summer.
If your work dress code is corporate style don’t settle for boring. Switch it up with accessories.
Short suits as well as leather power suits are having a moment. When you want to jump the leather suit band wagon for cheap, style an unmatched suit from leather pieces in your closet.
Photos: G. Kramm
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