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For busy working women, the suit is often the easiest outfit to throw on in the morning. In general, this feature is not about interview suits for women, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.
Pendleton always comes up in discussions about great basic suiting with readers and so, dutifully, I check the website frequently to see if there’s a potential Suit of the Week in there. To be honest, to this point I haven’t been too impressed — but not this week. Love the ’40s vibe to this jacket with peplum front and sides. It reminds me of something Rosalind Russell or Katharine Hepburn would wear, and as such if I got this suit I’d make sure it was tailored to a tee. It’s available in a gray charcoal (pictured at top) and a “midnight navy” (pictured below), and comes in misses, petites, and plus. The jacket (Fine Line West End Jacket) is $258, and the skirt (Fine Line Madison Skirt) is $128. Other pieces in the collection (including two more jackets, two pairs of pants, and two dresses) range from $63 to $268.
AMN
I purchased this skirt, a pair of pants and the ‘Topline’ jacket in ‘Midnight Navy’ when it was on sale back in June (and now on sale for even cheaper!). The fit of the skirt was not quite right for me – the waistband was very narrow, the length was a bit too short- but I kept the jacket and pants.
Fabric quality is fantastic. The coloring of the midnight navy is a bit light, I think, for fall/winter…but is absolutely perfect for a spring/summer suit.
Tall women take note – at 5’9″, I had to have the pants let out all the way to work with flats (which I prefer over heels). I had the sleeves of the jacket taken out as well, but there was plenty of allowance for that. But the fabric quality was well worth the hassle.
Diana Barry
Ditto. I had to have the jacket I got from them let out at least an inch in the arms, and passed on the pants bc the length was so short. Apparently they used to have tall sizes but don’t any more.
RR
Actually, only the jacket is available in plus–not the skirt. Thus, my problem with Pendleton. They offer random pieces in plus, but good luck finding a whole suit. In one collection, they will have the jacket but no bottoms; in another, they will have pants but no jackets. In the fine line collection, there is a pair of pants that is plus; however, my second issue with Pendleton is that plus pants have an inseam of 30″. There’s this assumption that all plus-sized women are petite. At 5’8″, I’m not, and no amount of altering is likely to make a 30″ inseam work on my 32-33″ inseam in flats legs. I feel like their whole plus size offering is just a tease, although I did get a lovely blouse from there last year.
and so anon
It’s impossible to watch this without smiling.
100 Years of Fashion in 100 Seconds
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JxfgId3XTs&feature=youtu.be
TX Attny
Thanks for posting this – fun!
E
Wonderful! Thanks for sharing that.
Lydia
Fun!!! Thanks!
Bonnie
Funny. What are they advertising for September 13th?
Eponine
The opening of a shopping centre in England.
a passion for fashion
the coolest thing about fashion in this decade is that one could wear just about anything in that video (perhaps with a slight modern twist) and look totally normal.
found a peanut
Can someone speak to sizing? Their size chart seems like it runs bigger than J Crew. Thoughts?
eo
I have tried to make Pendleton work for me, but have finally given up. Their sizing seems to run large and the smallest size they offer is a 4, which I think is really more like a 6. I often like the traditional look of their clothes, though, and I think the featured suit jacket is sharp and would be very versatile.
AMN
For me, the pants were similar to JCrew; I’m a size 12 there and a size 12 at Pendleton. The jacket was bigger- My JCrew suit jacket is a 14, and I had to get the Pendleton 14 taken in quite a bit.
NYC
I am actually the same size in Jcrew and Pendleton. Agree with the prior poster on length. I can’t wear their pants at 5′ 10″. Their skirts seem to run long though. So far my best purchases from Pendleton are blouses and jackets that are not part of a suit. Beautiful fabrics and well made clothes, if you can find something that works with your style.
anon
this reminds me of Kim Novak’s grey suit in Vertigo.
that having been said, it would look terrible and stodgy on me.
Kanye East
You just made me go from disinterest to WANT.
lostintranslation
This looks like it would work well for linebacker shoulders (cough cough). If I wore suits more often, I would at least theoretically be all over this.
mamabear
Kim Novak in Vertigo was my first thought!
I don’t think it would look stodgy on anyone if the waist was tailored exactly to fit.
Delenn
Really like this. It has the touch of sophistication that a lot of contemporary suits lack.
anon
Help! So I snagged this gorgeous Elie Tahari jacket during the anniversary sale but they are out of the matching pants. Of course now the only black pants by the same brand are $168 as as a poor student that’s way out of my budget. I can keep the jacket as a separate of course but I was hoping to use it for interviewing. Trying to match it with pants from a different brand will be impossible right? Any ideas about where I might scoop up a match outside of nordstrom? Of course half of their line is “exclusively for nordstrom” grr.
Counting on my corporettes for ideas!
MelD
Did you just check online or call your nearest store directly? If you call your nearest store, they can check other stores nearby and have it shipped. It’s worth a try.
Nordies shopper
If you call customer service, they have a better idea of what’s available (vs the website).
Anon
Try shopstyle. You can narrow down to Elie Tahari at all the websites. Do a comparison of the fabric content. It may be that its exclusive to Nordstrom, but someone else has a pant in the same fabric that is a slightly different cut. Or a skirt. Also try the Elie Tahari website. If there is customer service, even call and ask.
Bonnie
Definitely don’t try to match them with a different brand. Talk to customer service. I bought a jacket during the sale and wanted to exchange it for a different color but they were out of stock. About 2 weeks later, the color I wanted was back in stock but at a higher price and they honored the sale price.
SF Bay Associate
PSA – Priscilla of Boston is closing all of its stores today. I expect there will be lovely sample sales soon for those that are interested.
Anonymous
That makes me so sad. One of the rare, gracious, timeless greats.
Hydrangea
This is my favorite suit from Corporette so far. Thanks, Kat!
Scientista
Can I enlist the collective to help me find a beautiful blouse?
I was at an orientation meeting yesterday for my master’s program, and I saw this woman across the room with the most stunning blouse – it was dusty rose (more grey-dusty than beige-dusty), silk (or looked like silk), with pearlescent buttons. At our break, I got up to ask her where she got it, but she had left before I had the chance! Alas!
Has anyone seen something like this in a fall collection? I went through BR and AT to no avail. I suppose it may have been vintage, but I’m hoping that’s not the case.
StaffingStarr
Beautiful suit – fashion forward, yet classic! I definitely think it would be appropriate to wear for an interview – the midnight navy preferably.