Why on earth does anybody make indivisible suits for women? Do you know any woman over the age of 25 who’s the same size top and bottom? I’m trying to get a diagonal advancement kind of job, and I’ve gained weight since my last job search, and they’re having a HUGE suit sale at Belk’s. Total number of suit separate options?
One style. Cheap. Ugly.
Billions of other suits. I tried on two gorgeous $400-marked-down-to-$140 Calvin Klein suits that made me look like a million bucks… if I could sit down in them. Seriously beautiful suits, First Lady in the positive sense, guaranteed to make them say “You’re hired!” when I walk in the door, not too elderly, not too youthful… but one assumes I can’t spend the whole interview standing up. Aaaarggh!
Meanwhile, outside the department stores, everything is separates. Great, except 1) they’re not on sale, and 2) most of them don’t look as nice as the nicest suits in Belk’s, and them that do I can’t afford. Also, they do tend to be more youthful, which could work either way for me. See, I’m kind of youthful for this position, although it’s not like nobody’s going to notice it no matter what suit I wear, but it could either go “new fresh blood!” or “babes in the woods”, you know how it is. It doesn’t help that the person who’s retiring from this position had me in storytime when I was a little girl. And she wasn’t actually very young then, either.
So please, makers of nice professional suits. Please. Separates. Thank you.
If you happen to have a Ross nerby – check them out. The Ross stores I’ve been to always have an excellent selection of suits with the prices good enough to buy the two sizes needed. Or, you could be the horrible, despicable person I am and take both sizes into the dressing room and ya know…mix and match. I have always been extremely top-heavy, so I know what it’s like. Today, in fact, I am having to remember to walk a certain way, as I am wearing one of my most gorgeous suits (that I got at Ross for $15 – original department store tag showed it was $89) – the top fits snugly, but the skirt is about to fall off my no ass.
Well, I did get one of those “more youthful” separate suits from Ann Taylor - it’s brown, pants, and I got this really awesome striped button down shirt to go with it. And I’d definitely get a lot more wear out of it. I’m just concerned about the fact that I’m going after a job where I’d be managing people three times my age already, you know? But then you don’t want to look like you’re playing dress-up.
Also I would totally get busted trying to buy a suit I’d “rearranged” to have a 6 on top and a 12 on bottom.
ETA - here’s the jacket for the one I ended up with, although the tie was tied in back and I didn’t realize it could go in front (I don’t think I’ll wear it that way) and this cute stripey button-down.
I like banana republic for suit separates! They tend to be relatively minimalist, no stripes or patterns or fancy buttons, and basic black-navy-taupe colors, but they’re generally well-crafted and, when I gained a little weight, I just went in and bought another skirt at one size up. Also, you can get great deals on end of season sales.
I have the same problem (I’m a guy) when trying to buy an off-the-rack suit. I’m pretty stocky all over, but especially broad through the chest and shoulders. Because of this, a suit coat that fits me is likely to come with pants in a 44" or even 46" waist! By comparison, I wear a 36 or 38 - and I’m far from skinny. I want to see the guy they used to model these suits after. Does he look like The Penguin???
Sigh - back to the drawing board. My dad, who used to hire and not-hire people all the time at a pretty conservative firm, vetoed it. “Too casual. Also, it isn’t you.” (It’s totally me, but I guess I’m too casual.) Mostly the color, I think, he didn’t like. I admit, brown is a risk in an interview suit.
I just got a JCrew suit and I love it! You have to buy the jackets online, but they do the pants in the stores. Their sales are pretty solid, and I think that this is one of those things that’s worth it to go to the higher end of your budget.
My old suit was J Crew. Unfortunately, we don’t have one in town. Also, they, like Banana Republic, are a little out of my range this time - normally I’d be glad to spend the cash, but I’m hoping not to stay the same size on the bottom forever, you know? Luckily Ann Taylor is having a suit sale online - I posted another thread about it. I think I’ve decided on two button jacket and skirt. and if I hate it, it just goes back.
It’s been a while, but you might check out Chadwick’s. It’s a catalogue, so there’s some guesswork, but they used to do great suit separates. Maybe they still do.
…or at least the same number top and bottom. Just the bottom needs to be a tall, the top needs to be a petite vest, and I’ll need to rip off the arms of a similar suit and attach them to make a jacket.
But it will be the same number for all of the various pieces.
Hmmm. Tricky. I like Tristan for clothes. (Pretty sure they don’t have them in your neck of the woods, however)
They do “sets” of things that are meant to go together. Jacket, vest, pants, skirt. In the same fabric and style. (oh, and lately - shorts. I am really looking forward for that particular trend to give up and wander away. I am fairly casual at work, but I will never, NEVER wear shorts. Even if they are the fanciest shorts in the whole wide world)
Yeah, but you can’t go pretending the law of conservation of matter doesn’t exist, you know? They’re awesome, but they’re not a wormhole into altspace where we could shove my fat for a few hours.
Since I can’t yet afford tailored (i.e. made to my measurements) suits, this is exactly what I have to do, and I’m used to it. Taking each sleeve up about an inch is never an issue, but having the pants taken in by six or seven inches often leaves them a little…funky.
The problem is the ratio. I’m smaller on top than on bottom, but yet it’s more expensive to have jackets altered well. In other words, I’d have to alter down, which means the jacket. I can do it if I have to, but I’d much rather have off-the-rack alternatives.
