How to Buy Suit Separates
I've always said that suiting separates are far, far more flattering and versatile than discount bin suits (you know the ones, sold on the same hanger with a single size, some for very inexpensive prices) and we've seen an explosion in recent years with a TON of options for suiting separates. Jacket, skirt, and pants, sure — but there may also be multiple jackets with cuts, buttons, and collars, ankle pants as well as trousers, a matching sheath dress or vest — I've even seen short shorts.
So let's discuss, ladies: how do YOU buy suit separates? Which pieces are your favorites to buy first (pencil skirt and collared jacket? ankle pants or trouser pants)? Do you buy as many pieces as you can afford and dry clean all your suit pieces together so they wear the same, or are you open to “sale stalking” pieces from a matched suiting set, ready to swoop in if they go on sale? If you fluctuate between sizes, do you often buy two different sizes to keep in your closet and pull out the day of?
UPDATE: Ah, I'm seeing from the comments I've been unclear, so let's set up a hypothetical. You need a new suit and go to a store like Talbots and find a beautiful suit on the mannequin — you love the color, the fabric, and hey, you need a new suit. You ask the clerk and she tells you there's a pair of trousers, a pair of ankle pants, a sheath dress, a pencil skirt, a flared skirt, a collared jacket, a collarless jacket, a duster vest, a fitted vest, a pair of Bermuda shorts — all in that beautiful fabric and, wow, they all fit you perfectly. (Hey, it's a hypothetical.)
Do you buy ALL of those pieces at once? If you decide to only buy three pieces (say, pencil skirt, trousers, collared blazer), do you stalk the others to wait until they go on sale? (If you later saw one of the pieces on deep, deep discount — like the Bermuda shorts — would you buy them if only because you already had other matching pieces? Or at a certain point do you say NAH, I'm good, I have enough matching pieces for that suit.)
If you buy three or four pieces and it becomes your favorite suit, would you ever go back to buy other matching pieces?
(Pictured: just a few of the suiting options that Theory has offered over the years — I'll try to update the post later when I'm not having tech troubles to show some of the other great examples for suits with a thousand matching pieces.)
I have rarely gotten a suit that wasn’t sold as separates to fit properly so I have to buy them this way.
I always read the dry clean everything together rule but I never do it and I can’t say that I have ever noticed a difference. Not to mention that most suits these days don’t last long enough anyway, even if they are from “higher end” brands. Sometimes I think this is a rule perpetuated by the dry clean industry.
I always buy the pieces separately because that is the only way to ensure fit. I’ve all but given up on wearing dress pants so I just buy the pencil skirt (sometimes 2) and jacket. But then I wear suits so rarely that I wind up wearing the skirt on its own a lot and never dry clean them together.
Would any of you wear the suit styled as above, with the (seeming too short to me) ankle pants/no socks/loafers.
I do like the look of loafers/mens wear edge, but what do you typically wear with your loafers (sock/pant length)?
It’s not my personal style but I wouldn’t think twice about someone else wearing it so if you like the look, I say go for it.
I think the only way to do it is no-show socks and ankle pants.
And I haven’t done it because i’m worried loafers like that will become “orphan” items and I’m in core-wardrobe-building mode.
I have old versions of the Theory suit pictured above but mine have more tapered ankle-length trouser. I also have the matching “Betty” dress. I wear the pant suit with loafers/no socks. I also have the above pants (they were called “Max C” a few years back) but they more of a boot cut look and I find that they don’t pair well with flats.
I have a few pairs of loafers that are something more akin to a ballet flat and loafer hybrid. I wear them all the time with everything (dresses, skirts, pants).
I just recently purchased a pair of menswear inspired TOD’S. So far, I have worn them with pants and with socks and without. I get a ton of complements on the look both ways. It’s very cool-girl modern feeling. I plan to pair them with dark tights and skirts in winter.
Also, I regularly wear loafers with jeans or black legging type pants on the weekend.
I’m starting a new job next month (from government to private practice [small firm]) and I’ve purchased only separates in preparation. Pants and jackets first, specifically the lined Campbell pants in navy and black from J.Crew, and the matching Campbell jackets. I tend to buy pants and jackets first because I’m so worried the talls will go out of stock (I believe the pants are backordered in some sizes). I haven’t purchased skirt in navy yet, because I’m waiting for a sale.
I’ve also purchased a couple of navy blazers, one longer from J.Crew that looks nice with my slim pants, and a shorter, more tailored one from AT for my skirts and dresses. I’d love to find a similar blazer in black.
I’m practically having to update my entire wardrobe (moving from business casual), and I’m worried about not having enough suits (also worried about overbuying). I’ve been reviewing old posts re: building a wardrobe and capsules, etc. but it’s so overwhelming. The Stylebook app has helped me identify holes, and I keep a running list of outfits I could make if I had x or y. Any updated suggestions on basics would be appreciated!
I always buy suits as separates. I only wear skirt suits, so no problem with the dry cleaning issue.
I have considered getting a dress + jacket suit, but I like the flexibility of wearing a skirt. (You can easily wear different top of different weights depending on weather.)
My office dress code is casual, so I don’t need to wear suits to work. However, I did buy the navy blazer, pencil skirt, ankle pants, and sheath dress suiting separates from Ann Taylor. I never wear them as a suit. I wear the blazer with jeans, the pencil skirt with tights and boots in winter, etc, so they don’t get cleaned together. I know that I can mix and match my blouses and they will all coordinate with the navy separates, and if I need a suit for some unforeseen reason, I technically have one.
+1
Suiting separates make for easy capsule wardrobes.
If possible, I buy the skirt, long (as in not cropped) pants, and jacket all at once. Then, I stalk the other pieces on sale later. If I wasn’t so cheap, I would pretty much buy all the pieces at once to make it faster. Sometimes, I’ll buy a piece on sale and then look for the other pieces on sale later, but this hasn’t been an ideal approach for me because I forget and then I just have a random piece sort of stranded in my closet. I hear that there are apps and whatnot that will remind you when something goes on sale, but I haven’t gotten that organized yet.
I will always buy three pieces if they are available. Used to get slacks, pencil skirt, and blazer. But post 2 kids the pants from theory and j crew rarely work for me so I get a dress, skirt and blazer.
I once got a suit skirt from Ann Taylor and was waiting for the jacket to go on sale. It never did and I am still bummed years later I didn’t buy the jacket when I had the chance!!
I always buy separates and will usually buy as many pieces together as are available – plain and print jackets in same hue, pants and tops. Don’t wear dresses or skirts so they’re never on the menu. I’m not fussy about making sure I dry clean everything together and can’t say that I’ve noticed any harm from that approach.
Based upon the question I would buy the most necessary pieces which for me would be the collard jacket, skirt and pants. I would stalk any additional pieces such as dress or an additional skirt or/pants. I wouldn’t buy a piece just to finish a collection if I really didn’t need it or would not wear it on a regular basis. I do try to coordinate new pieces into my existing wardrobe. I have missed out on some pieces waiting for the item to go on sale. Next, I never thought of taking all of the pieces to the dry cleaners at the same time. I have with some pieces but it was not planned. Lastly, no I wouldn’t buy multiple pieces in different sizes for weight fluctuations.