Women in suits

A Woman wearing a suit hasn’t always been considered a classy option. Ladies were supposed to look and act feminine, even helpless at times and the wardrobe consisted only of ladylike dresses and skirts. It was first the legendary Coco Chanel who wore trousers and of course gained a lot of criticism with the act. But Coco was never the woman society wanted her to be. She often dressed herself in her boyfriend’s suits and she began to design pants for women to wear while doing sports and other activities. She also is the one who designed horseback riding trousers for women, who had previously ridden in sidesaddle in heavy skirts. And in the end – all the revolutionaries have always been the ones who see the world differently. So we can say she was one of the most influential fashion designers out there and the one we can be thankful for widening our choice of wardrobe essentials.

(Actress Jessica Alba)

And although pants were still shocking to many, it was the glamorous actresses Marlene Dietrich and Katharine Hepburn who kept loving the androgynous suits and made these more fascinating to the wider audience.

After Coco Chanel it was all in the hands of another worldwide famous fashion designer to make women love and desire wearing an outfit that was always considered to be the staple of the mens wardrobe – Le Smoking by Yves Saint Laurent. Le Smoking was a dressy and classy pantsuit for women created by the designer in 1966. Le Smoking is a tuxedo suit for women. It was the first of its kind and earned a lot of attention in the fashion world and in popular culture. This was the beginning of power suits for women. Saint Laurent was seen by many as having empowered women by giving them the option to wear clothes that were normally worn by men with influence and power. Only by the late 1960s pants on women became completely accepted, first for casual wear and finally for the workplace.

(Le Smoking by Yves Saint Laurent)

The suit has continued to influence fashion design worldwide until today and is been named a classic. It is not considered androgynous anymore, many believe it to be powerfully feminine with a touch of seriousness. Even today many powerful and influential women (think of Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, Rihanna, Eva Longoria etc.) worldwide choose to wear the suit even on the red carpet.

No matter if the power suit is from cobalt silk or muted tweed and cut in a handful of silhouettes like the 70’s “flowy” or skinny and cropped – the suit must always be perfectly tailored and make a lady wearing it look absolutely amazing – and just, well, stylish.

Power suit is always an elegant and classy statement: for finding which style, cut and color combination is perfect for you to make your own statement go to: www.lgfgfashionhouse.com