Blake Lively stepped out in a pretty arresting white pinstripe suit last week in New York. The matching trousers, fitted waistcoat and long-line blazer were broken up with lacy shirt sleeves and a pile of pearls, our favourite in a line of lady suiting looks that the actress has favoured of late.
Ladies suits are back in business, and we don't just mean in the boardroom. Flowing pant suits are hugely in vogue at the moment, with many Autumn/Winter and Resort ‘18/19 collections featuring chic suit styling for the modern woman. The best fabric for women's suits is a wool gaberdine, a wool crêpe or a wool flannel, or a marocain or silk crêpe for more of an evening wear look - read on for advice on which material will work for the latest styles from our favourite designers.
Ralph and Russo's fall ’18 couture collection championed modernised ‘power-dressing’ with their glamorous white pantsuit. A beautifully structured blazer with angular statement shoulders, slimmer lined than what we saw in the 80s, but just as strong, sat over wide, cascading trousers, almost skirt-like and infinitely chic.
To create an evening-wear look like Ralph and Russo's, make your trouser-suit with either a silk crêpe or a marocain crêpe, which both have a soft, graceful drape.
Victoria Beckham sent this elegant, belted chocolate-brown pant suit down her runway, accessorised with a buttery dark caramel leather collar insert.
VB has probably used a wool gaberdine for this, which is a popular women's suiting fabric, but if you'd like to take this suit right into the colder winter seasons, this lovely wool flannel will make up into this style beautifully and look gorgeous.
Celebrating the female form as always, Zuhair Murad's smartly tailored versions were typically offset with girlie adornments. He kept his cuts sexy - sharply squared shoulders, a nipped in waist and a slight flare over the hip, emphasising an hourglass silhouette - and utterly feminine, with lacily embroidered and embellished lapels.
Use a wool gabardine or a wool crêpe to recreate Zuhair Murad's suits, or a marocain crêpe if you'd like them to have a little more of an evening-wear/cocktail party feel. Add a guipure lace trim to complete the look.
You can browse our full range of Women’s Suiting and Women’s Trousers fabrics online in our ‘Outfits’ menu bar.
