There was a time not long ago when a woman wearing a suit would have been scandalous. Luckily that has changed and women’s suits are quickly becoming just as common as men's.
From humble beginnings to mainstream media the women’s suit has taken a remarkable journey. Here's proof, suits aren't purely for men.
The Beginning
For ages, suits have generally been referred to as a men’s item. But the truth is, women have been wearing suits for over 100 years. The women’s suit dates back all the way to the 1910s when the Suffragette suit was first created. It consisted of an ankle length skirt meant to be worn with a jacket and blouse.
In the 1920s Coco Chanel was redesigning menswear and repackaging the suit for women. Inspired by her boyfriend’s clothes, Chanel created a suit that resonated with women who were ready to ditch the corsets and embrace a more active and involved lifestyle. With a shorter skirt and matching jacket, the iconic Chanel tweed suit was born.
It would take 40 years for women to finally get a pantsuit. Although pantsuits were originally introduced in the 1930s, it wasn't until the 1960s that they hit the mainstream. Yves Saint Laurent made them trendy with his “Le Smoking” tuxedo by combining female androgyny with provocative sexuality.
The Modern Suit
There was a time when the women’s suit was cutting edge and often met with opposition and criticism. Today seeing a woman wearing a suit is a common occurrence. Women have embraced the suit and incorporated it into their professional, formal, and personal wardrobe.
Today women’s suits are versatile enough to accommodate just about any occasion. The formal business professional suit will get you through your work week. Step into the business casual suit that can easily accommodate the weekend. And for those special occasions you have the fashion forward suit that can turn heads at any social function.
Modern women have a lot of options these days. They can wear their suits with knee length or pencil skirts as well as standard, wide, or cropped pants. Their suits come in a vast array of colors from professional grey, black, and navy, to bold and inspired wine or indigo. Women’s suits can be double or single breasted and with any choice of collar.
Made to order suits provide modern women with full control over their outfits. With a wide range of fabrics, a selection of buttons, and extra touches like monograms, every woman can have a suit that’s as unique as she is.
Women In Suits
Female celebrities are often spotted wearing suits both on the red carpet as well as in their personal lives. Women such as Celine Dion, Janelle Monáe, Jennifer Aniston, Kim Kardashian, Julia Roberts, Heidi Klum, and Emma Watson are no stranger to the suit and women’s suits in mainstream media are here to stay.
Women in politics have embraced suits as well. Who could forget Hillary Clinton’s pantsuits spurring #PantsuitNation? Now, it’s almost impossible to imagine her in anything else. With more female governors, judges, and Presidential hopefuls, we'll continue to see the suit as a common choice for women in positions of power. It’s not surprising considering how obsessed people seem to be with what women in positions of authority are wearing.
How Your Suit Works For You
Not only do women’s suits look classy and chic, they make a powerful statement. A woman in a suit commands respect. She wants her voice and her actions to be the center of attention. Yes she is a woman, a fierce one at that, but she also has unique thoughts, opinion, and messages to share. A woman in a suit is ready to take on the world. How about you?
What statement is your suit making?
Sierra E is a Los-Angeles based trial lawyer and entrepreneur. She became partner at her law firm in 2015 and has made numerous appearances as a guest legal correspondent on CNN. In 2018, Sierra launched SuitKits, an online shopping service that allows women to custom design suits and separates to fit their exact measurements, style, color and cut. Through her career, her writings, and her company, Sierra hopes to help women from all backgrounds achieve both personal and professional success for the benefit of themselves and their families. You can find her on Twitter/Facebook/IG @SuitKits
