Anne has for decades worked with an in-house dresser, Veronica Cain, who reworks vintage favourites into her wardrobe, famous for its bold colours and prints and sharp tailored silhouettes with some new pieces (Anne favours a brand called Shibumi) as well as local designers close to her Gatcombe Park home in Gloucestershire.
Of course, we all can’t have in-house dressers to curate our wardrobes. But we can hire local stylists to help edit and remix our clothes, as we’ve often discussed at Zoomerist. And we can find the right places to shop for top-notch suiting, both off-the-rack and bespoke. In Toronto, a go-to authority is Melissa Austria, who began her shop Got Style with menswear, but has expanded into womenswear, a market notably underserved in the suiting category. “As women are going back to work at the office these days,” she says, citing the waning of work-from-home post-pandemic, “we need to start dressing up more. The men are dressing so casual that women need to boss up.” It is okay, Austria assures us, to be the best-dressed person in the room.
Emotionally, a suit is a power uniform, and as men have known for centuries, it offers protection “The structure gives you superpowers,” Austria says. A suit also makes it easier to get up and go in the morning – they’re basically pre-coordinated, so no thought is required!
Another bonus for women, she says, is that layering provides temperature-control options. “In perimenopause and menopause, to me a suit or blazer is better to deal with hot flashes. Jacket on, jacket off!”
History tells us a good suit will last 10 to 15 years. “Suits are trending right now,” Austria says. Both single- and double-breasted looks are “in,” she says. “And vests are really in. Shoulder pads, like from the late ‘90s/early 2000s, are coming back a bit, so vintage suits from that period would work well. You can even do ‘80s looks, if you cinch them with a belt.”
But the big question is: Can you make a suit fit if you have gained weight in the intervening years? And what if, as tends to happen with hormone changes as we age, your weight has shifted to different areas around the body?
Here is where quality counts. “If you are buying a good suit it should have a seam allowance to let in or out of a trouser or jacket.” That seam allowance should be an inch-and-a-half to two inches. If you go for bespoke, you could have access to even more. “That is the argument to buy something high-quality,” she says. “All good men’s suits have that. For women, you may have to go bespoke.”
Austria feels that pantsuits are a more modern – and timeless – investment option than skirt suits. You could also add in a sheath dress to go with the suit jacket, she adds. But take a page from our suiting lodestar Princess Anne and go for colour where you can. “We don’t do basic black or basic navy for women,” she says. “You can get that at Zara. But colour will last forever.”
She says most women look best in jewel tones: forest green, brighter blue or in a brown or navy pinstripe (the thicker the stripe, the better). “We have a Prince of Wales check that has been doing really well – it is a different look for women.” She has a few tuxes, off-the-rack, in cream for spring/summer and velvet for fall.
Keeping things as traditional as possible is the best way to preserve your investment. “If you want your suit to last, I wouldn’t do a three-quarter sleeve, and I’d stay away from peplum, cropped pants and cut-outs,” Austria says.
A good off-the-rack suit should cost you $800 to $1,000; custom starts in the $1,200 to $1,500 range. “It can definitely go up from there,” says Austria, “depending on fabric.” But some savings are built in: some premium retailers like Got Style offers alterations for life.
“It is good to bring your suit in preventatively,” she adds, to maintain good working order. “If you notice stress points in the suit, say chafing in between legs, or hems wearing out, the earlier we can adjust it the better”
Looking at the photos of Princess Anne, Austria adds that we can also learn how to accessorize from her. Anne loves a good hat, of course, often choosing more masculine fedora styles for pantsuits, versus the lighter-weight dainty styles she would wear with garden party dresses.
“Scarves are back, everyone is pulling out their scarves,” adds Austria. “And brooches! We are selling brooches to women and men as well.” It is a great way to add a bit of sparkle and personal flair to a suit, as any Royal well knows.
To close out the subject, take it from our muse in her own words: “A good suit lasts forever. If it is properly made, and has a classic look, you can wear it ad infinitum.” A confident final statement if there ever was one!
Always asking questions,
—Leanne Delap
