I have a conference after work tomorrow and I was in desperate need of a new suit so I went shopping after work and bought what I thought was a nice, simple black suit. The suit I already own is a dark maroon color and it makes me stick out in the photos taken at company events and I couldn’t bring myself to wear it yet again. I bought a suit similar to this one but without the strange shoulder line and with a different shirt underneath the jacket. My options were very limited and I thought I looked pretty good when I tried it on. I came home and tried it on for my fiance and his immediate response was, “I don’t like it. It looks like it is missing buttons and I don’t like that I can see your shirt at the bottom.”
Well, crap. If it looks stupid I don’t want to keep it but I need a black suit and this was the best of my options. Most of their other suits looked more like this or this which I felt were way too casual for a work environment. He admits that his idea of fashion is a polo shirt with black or khaki pants so he doesn’t want me to put too much stock in his opinion but no one else has seen me in it to tell me one way or another. If you were at a conference and saw a woman in a similar suit would you think she looked out of place or would you think she fit in fairly well whether or not you thought the suit design was aesthetically pleasing?
I think it’s aesthetically fine, but depending on the wearer it could come off as being either a tad casual or hip. I mean, because of the shirt showing below the button. The fact that it only HAS one button kind of makes it a fashion statement rather than just hiding a few Christmas pounds but I think it’s just fine, as long as the environment isn’t 100 percent Wall Street SuperPerfect.
Edit…and hell yes, it looks a lot more professional than the other options. Those look great for sailing on the African Queen, but not into a meeting.
Unless you’re conferring with some super-traditional types (with a white-shoe law firm?), that should be OK. I’d wear it with something nicer than a shell/t-shirt underneath, perhaps a fine-gauge sweater. It’s definitely more basic-professional than your other two alternatives.
The one button is flattering to larger busts - but I’m not a big fan of the large shoulder pads in this version (although you say yours is better). I’d be more inclined to wear this over a dress though [ which would avoid the shirt showing at the bottom. Alternatively, could you tuck your shirt in? I’d also go with the others’ suggestions of the right top underneath - tshirt is too informal - fine knit or a silky camisole etc would be better.
If it doesn’t have the pointy shoulders that the pictured one does, I don’t see any problem with it. But like GilaB said, I wouldn’t go with anything resembling a t-shirt underneath it. Maybe a silk shell, though.
I work for a pretty big corporation and ladies’ shirts peeking out the bottom of suit jackets is very common (I do it myself). I think the jacket is pretty.
Well, I loved that jacket on Demi Moore in St. Elmo’s Fire. That may be the weird shoulder line talking. But, if you like it and it fits you well, go for it. The shirt peeking out isn’t an issue.
The cut of the jacket isn’t an issue, but IMO the fabric is. I don’t think there’s anything you can do to ponte knit to make it look professional. I can’t see the second thing you linked, but I actually prefer the third jacket (in grey, not khaki).
Of them, I prefer the ponte knit. I do nto see a problem with it.
The issue with the womans suit is it is either going to be extremely macho or very feminine. We do not have the classic 3 button and vest suit that men do. We have fashion designers jerking us around. We can either do the mens suit thing, or the super macho microskirt womenys powr suit, or try to see what is on the market this year that may work.
I don’t think it’s horrible – I don’t think it would be flattering on most body types but it surely could be flattering on you. Personally, I like showing a bit of shirt at the bottom of the jacket. Especially with a black or dark navy suit. As long as the shirt you choose is more attractive that what’s shown in the picture, and I trust you when you say it is.
BTW, the lack of suit selection isn’t just Lane Bryant. I’ve been looking and from Ann Taylor Loft to Brooks Brothers and everything in between there are NO GODDAMN SUITS. Basically I can go to Macy’s and buy the same 5 suits I already own, and that’s about it.
I pretty well always get my suits at Banana Republic. Currently they’ve got spring weights up (like this: Banana Republic) but in the fall/winter you can get a nice light wool as well.
I prefer the style/line of the jacket I linked above; however, your jacket isn’t terrible - it’s maybe a bit…evening-ish? Like I would wear it to a work cocktail party, but not to a day function.
That being said, it’s not a horror - I think you’ll blend in fine (if you say that’s what you want).
I’m wearing a dark red camisole underneath the jacket and I think it looks way better than the white t-shirt the lady in the picture is wearing. It has a different fabric than the one in the picture (the same fabric as my pants actually, but I couldn’t tell you if it was cotton or chinchilla because I don’t pay much attention to that kind of thing) and I have black flats to go with it. I’m glad to hear that it isn’t as unprofessional as my fiance led me to think it is!
I was really disappointed by the selection of suits at the store but that isn’t anything new. All I want is a nice, classic black or charcoal grey suit that I can wear for a few years without looking ridiculous in it and I had a hard time finding anything close to that. Seriously, a bolo jacket for a work suit? Turquoise jackets with half sleeves? There is some really crappy stuff out there. I would have much preferred a jacket with three buttons that created a crisp visual line but that wasn’t a choice. I am pretty happy that it doesn’t have shoulder pads though! I would hate to be mistaken for a line backer on my way to work.
I think it looks nice, and it sounds like a good outfit for a conference, where you need to look pulled together but you don’t need to look too formal.
I have a few one-button sweaters, and they are indeed good for a larger bustline. They’re not my favorite style of all time, but they’re good enough. I always get compliments when I wear one particular one with a patterned shell and black pants.
