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Suit of the Week

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iconiconFor 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, which should be as classic and basic as you get — instead, this feature is about the slightly different suit that is fashionable, yet professional.

This week we're liking this Tahari suit, available exclusively at Bloomingdale's. We like the long, lean look of the jacket, and the charcoal linen fabric seems perfect for boiling summer days. (We will say, though, that the styling in the picture reminds us a wee bit of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man — we might try it with a nice silk blouse in a rich color like a French blue, a royal purple, or a lipstick red. Or, if we stuck with a neutral top, we'd add a pop of color with a brooch on the lapel or a statement necklace.)   The jacket (Tahari ASL Exclusively for Bloomingdale's Quinn Linen Jacket) is $168, and the pants (Tahari ASL Exclusively for Bloomingdale's Vera Linen Straight-Leg Pants) are $158.

(L-4)

58 Comments

  1. This jacket is really, really, really long. I’m both short and short-waisted and this would be a disaster on me. (Frankly, I think it looks weird on even this tall, slender model.)

    1. Agree — I think it could work on someone tall, maybe, but the placement of the buttons makes the bottom of the jacket look very disportionate, like it has a Leno chin. At any rate it’s a very masculine look.

    2. I really really dislike this suit. Agree that the jacket is absurdly long. The pants also seem to be really tight on the thighs and make even this very skinny model look hip-py. No thanks!

      1. I was thinking maybe there was a photoshopping disaster with the pants photo. The legs look all wavy and unnatural, all the way down from hip to feet! And I don’t mean that as any kind of comment on the model – I think it has to be the photo editing, right?

        1. I think you’re right, I just thought the picture was fuzzy but the shoes are in sharp focus. That’s hilarious.

          1. Come on now, ladies. Maybe the model just has wavy bumpy legs. Didn’t we all agree not to criticize the models’ bodies?! :-)

    3. They don’t even tell you the inseam on the pants, but I’m guessing 31″ or 32″. No one tall enough to pull off that jacket could pull off those pants.

    4. maybe it’s the pretty model coloring the entire styling of the suit, but it looks like she’s waiting to go in to audition for kraftwerk…

  2. Anyone see this fabric in person? I have major doubts about linen as a suiting material… I think linen and I think wrinkles… and suits (in my mind) should be wrinkle free.

    I’m also not sure about the two button… There’s something off about them (or it could be the picture… as always, prefer to see/judget/try on in person)

  3. Yikes, jacket is absurdly long.

    Thread hijack – I think this has been discussed before, but does anyone having recommendations on keeping a pencil skirt from twisting around during the course of the day? I just went out for lunch and walked a couple of blocks and when I came back to my desk the ruffle in the back of my skirt was in front! It obviously looked strange. I am hesitant to pull in the waist because I’ve lost weight recently and want to give myself some wiggle room in case I put on a few pounds later on.

    Any ideas?

    1. Safety pin it to your underwear? I know that sounds weird but in the winter I have pinned skirts to my hose to solve the twisting problem.

      1. I’ve pinned many things in my day (skirts to underwear, bra straps to skinny strapped shirts…) … not weird at all!

        1. how does this work when you need to use the ladies’ room? I can imagine it getting tedious to unpin / repin all day — I get impatient having to rebuckle a belt!

          2. If you don’t want to unpin, you could pull the skirt down with the undies. Otherwise, you’ll have to unpin for obvious reasons. :-)

          3. I’m impatient w/ belts as well… I only use two pins, max, and just pull down the whole skirt-underwear contraption… I also have used safety pins as stopgaps for buttons and pants that should be hemmed..

          4. I agree with Shayna that I’d only use two pins max–but more likely I’d only use one. You only need to be anchored on one side to stop the skirt from twisting, in my experience.

    2. have you tried wearing a slip under it? (not sure if that will work if there is a slit) — I’ve found that wearing a slip will give you a littl extra girth (which could be a good thing here), and cut the static if that’s causing it to inch around your waist/legs… I have this one http://amzn.to/dAxjAQ and like it b/c it’s short, and doesn’t have any lace.

    3. Safety pins are a great idea! I was actually thinking first of binder clips, but pins are much better. :) Thanks!

      2. i have binder clipped many various fashion disasters. the mini size are almost exclusively for things other than paper, haha.

      3. It must be too big — she said she lost weight and doesn’t want to take the waist in, in case she re-gains some of it.

    5. Is it possible to nip in the waist a little without cutting the fabric? I’m assuming the skirt is loose on you as it is, so you could get it tailored a bit to gather it in a little (but not too tight so that the extra fabric makes an outline) and if you need to open the stitches, then you have that option as well. I have no idea if this is possible but it’s a thought.

    6. It’s possible to take in the waist without cutting the fabric. If you have a sewing machine you could also take it in at the waist seams a little bit and then use binding to cover the excess fabric/new seam in case you need to let it out again. Any other corporettes who can tailor their own things? My mom taught me how when I was little, and while I still leave things like suit jackets or stuff with no-seam lining to the pros, it’s nice to be able to do quick fixes like that without having to wait.

      1. Thanks all for the comments. The skirt fits me very well in the hips and I’m worried that if I take in the waist then it may pull in the hip area. I’m going to stick with the safety pin idea.

        I also really hate the idea of spending more on this skirt — I bought it from Nordstrom full price, and the tailor told me that taking in the waist would cost $21! Yuck, don’t want to spend that much.

        1. I have a small waist and fuller hips and backside, so I just had the waist taken in on my skirts with the hips/seat let out. Just wanted to say that it is possible to take in the waist without losing hip room!

          I also have this problem with some of my other skirts that I haven’t had altered. The thing is, I’ve had this problem for years (only recently realized it was b/c they were too big in the waist) and I’ve just learned to constantly check my skirt. If you catch it when it’s only moved an inch, you can slide it back pretty easily (without being obvious, if you’re around others). Also, if you’re walking a long ways like to lunch and you know it’s moving, try keeping one arm down at your side inside of swinging it while you walk. It may sound weird, but I’ve learned how to make it look like it’s just casually dangling there, when I’ve really got a hand on my skirt keeping it in place. Okay, so both of these (neurotic checking and the dead arm) *are* weird. But it works for a skirt that you don’t wear often enough to justify paying to alter, but don’t want to give up on completely.

    1. Awhile back someone posted about the mid-90s Jones New York “zoot suits” that were all the rage for awhile and this suit reminded me of that comment – and those suits! Talk about a trend that does NOT need to come back :)

  5. I love the color, but I looked into my closet and realized that I already own 3 grey suits…

    1. No kidding – Dana Scully rocks this suit in many an episode (top button of the blouse buttoned, of course).

      1. ha–you laugh, but all the women I see who are in Secret Service or FBI do tend to wear these kinds of suits, with the buttondown. (I think they have very strict dress code requirements).

        1. Part of that is allowing room for a bullet proof vest and gun belt. My friend is in the FBI – you think us lawyers have trouble picking out outfits?? Try to look stylish with all that extra gear on!! Often, the situation dictates having the gun hidden (if they are trying to use discretion walking into a business or something) hence the longer suit jackets.

          1. Oh, I can completely see how a gun belt would change your entire wardrobe game. My profession doesn’t require me to carry a gun, but I do own one for personal protection, and pulling my t-shirt/sweater/shirt over the holster when transporting it from my home to my car is just laughable. A zoot suit would probably keep it completely hidden though!

  7. Thread hijack (sorry!) –

    I’m a recent law school grad studying for the Bar and the firm that I have been clerking for iover the last year just offered me a post-Bar job today!!!! Woo Hoo!!!!

    Just had to share my excitement!!!

    5. Good for you! Obviously you have proven yourself. They aren’t just giving out those offers these days. Good luck on the bar and congrats!

    7. CONGRATULATIONS!!! For a rising 3L, this is very very very good news :) And good luck on the bar :)

    8. Yay! Good luck on the Bar. One less thing to worry about while you study . . .

  8. This suit kind of reminds me of the suits worn by the older partners in my office who have clearly not gone shopping in the past 20 years.

    1. I guess if you wait around long enough, everything will cycle back into fashion!

      (and, yes, I get that there are tweaks — so no one please feel compelled to point this out :) ).

      1. No tweaks, just a good laugh :-). But if you already ‘wore’ the cycle the first time, stay AWAY the second time, n’est ces pas? I mean, I remember being a newbie lawyer and wearing pretty much this look (the long jacket and masculine shape – all this styling needs is a little more shoulder padding and one of those floppy bow tie things and presto it’s 1985) and that alone seems enough reason not to wear it now!

  9. It’s not a lot different than last week’s suit of the week (that jacket was shorter and one button and not ‘zoot suity’ ). I ordered it and like the jacket but am kind of swimming in the trousers, must see about tailoring. Lots of commenters warned about that. And a lot of people questioned the quality but I think it is fine for a $200 suit. As between last week’s suit and this week’s, if you are looking for a serviceable light gray suit, and you size well with ASL Tahari, skip this weird concoction and go to last week’s suit of the week.

  11. The fact that this was posted on Tuesday completely threw off my week. I spent yesterday evening thinking it was Wednesday. Apparently, I rely too much on Corporette to know where I am in time (and fashion).

  12. Images of pulling down the “whole skirt-contraption” thing attached with two safety pins, binder clips, and masking gun-holsters gave me the giggles and I needed that today! I must say that I have used binder clips, tape, rubberbands, and paper clips for numerous fashion applications and mishaps.

    And congrats, Law-less!

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