ByKat Hours Updated
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Suit of the Week: Elie Tahari

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

Today, we're liking this great brown suit from Elie Tahari. The singluar, high button on the jacket is intriguing, and both the sleeves and the pants have a slightly flared look to them. In fact, both pieces would look great on their own, which is how Zappos is selling them. The jacket (Elie Tahari – Steffie Jacket (Chestnut Melange) – Apparel) is $402, and the pants (Elie Tahari – Theora Pant (Chestnut Melange) – Apparel) are $202. The set is also available at Neiman Marcus, and in plus sizes at Bloomingdale's (jacket iconand panticon).

Sales of note for 12.5

And some of our latest threadjacks here at Corporette (reader questions and commentary) — see more here!

Some of our latest threadjacks include:

28 Comments

  1. The plus size version looks like a giant brown bag with no shaping. The “regular” size looks cute.

    1. I daresay the plus-sized model could go down a size or three. It’s just too big on her. Maybe she’s not actually plus-sized? Anyway, hard to know how it would look if it fit properly.

      1. I don’t think the plus sized model looks plus sized at all. She’s not that much bigger than the “regular” model. And while I like the pants, I think the jacket makes the “regular” sized model look pregnant (see how it kind of looks like it is poofing out under the button?).

    2. I really like the feature of a suit that comes in different sizes, and I like the suit; but, am I crazy to think that a $300 pair of pants should be lined? Why is it impossible to find lined suit pants anymore?

      1. Plus, the Bloomingdale’s link doesn’t list an inseam, and they look short. So is it 34″ like the regular sizes or is it shorter (as is typical because apparently fat women can only be short and fat?)

      2. This. I don’t get it. I used to be able to find even relatively inexpensive lined pants, and now it’s nearly impossible.

  2. I have two jackets with this cut and they both make me look really big and I’m not. I have actually been trying to figure out how to get my other two jackets tailored to not have that effect. I think it is the length of the jacket and the placement of the button. I have big boobs, no hips and a slightly wider waste. I wear 8’s at BR, and 6’s at other stores. My hip/waste area just looks like I’m carrying a tire under my jacket in cuts like this. Any ideas? Shorter jackets don’t have that effect.

    1. Sounds like I have a similar figure to yours, just mine’s a size or two bigger. My solution: avoid one-button jackets at all cost. They NEVER lay right on me and end up looking pregnant or just bigger than I already am.
      It might be possible to take the jackets to the tailor and see if they can add another button. I’ve never had this done or known anyone to do it, but depending on the cut of the suit it may be possible.

  3. mmm…this is sort of like empire tops. Suddenly wearing the button this high is going to start the pregnancy rumor mill. Plus, this does seem like a trick that maternity suits would employ. Love the fabric though!

  4. Does anyone actually own this suit?! Those have got to be the most unflattering ads I have ever seen. I HOPE it doesn’t look like that in person for $600-700!

  5. These pictures make the suit look hideous! However, I’ve generally had good luck with Elie Tahari in person – it might be woth checking out when actually in NM or Bloomies.

    Who does these pictures?? Its amazing how unflattering and terribly styled they usualy are.

  6. Reminds me to wear the skirt suit that I have in this color…best $45 I ever spent on the clearance rack of Target :)

    1. I bet I have that same skirt suit! Same color, but the jacket has 3 buttons, much, MUCH more flattering

  8. That’s the horrid thing about plus fashion: it’s built to be worn by a particular shape (very thick), so when you get a bigger woman who has fairly normal proportions, things just don’t look right. Happens to me all the time, especially since I’m both broad-shouldered and busty.

  9. Question–I myself have just purchased a brown suit. What color shoes do you wear with a brown suit (the suit I purchased is a skirt suit)? Brown? Any other ideas?

    1. You should be fine with brown shoes since it’s a skirt suit, or you could do a beige/tan as well.

      Kat- I have been getting the “You’re posting comments too quickly” message all day today and haven’t been able to comment.

    2. Brown; I like a little texture like croc or reptile or maybe even a patent or ombre. (I confess to having a pair of shoes that are brown patent ombre slingbacks.) Other choices would be olive green, metallic bronze, a variegated reptile in shades of brown/taupe/nude, or maybe even what I think of as a winter spectator (black and brown). I even saw a cute pair of brown tweed pumps a while back!

    3. I love my brown suit! I most often wear beige shoes with it, sometimes brown ones and sometimes gray, or sometimes a fun bright shoe.

  10. The pants look like a nice cut but I think the one-button jacket can be unflattering to most of us. Another thing is, a jacket like this needs to be custom tailored to fit well, and I for one do not have access to a really good tailor! The Bloomie’s ad says add to brown bag but I think the jacket looks like a brown bag.

  12. Eeeeh. I like Elie Tahari, but the jacket wouldn’t do anyone any favors… looks dumpy.

  13. Well, I’ll speak up for the jacket. As someone who’s sort of apple-shaped, it’s really really hard to find jackets that don’t pull and gap around my waist when buttoned up (the ones that don’t are invariably too big in the shoulders). I find them like button down shirts – just really hard to fit properly. So I get people’s concerns about frumpiness and poofiness, but when you do have a bit of a gut, something like this seems likely to lie better.

    (This is all conditional because I haven’t actually tried the jacket on, so it might be wishful thinking! But I do think it would work for certain body types.)

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