Meet The Sleeveless Suit, A Summer Workwear Winner
Six warm-weather tailoring picks – plus, shopping for a film-journo friend pre-Cannes.
Murphy’s Law dictates that as soon as I hit send on this newsletter all about office dressing for summer, the warm weather will suddenly disappear and a storm will start brewing. But in any case, despite there being rain on the forecast for a few days this week, the sun will eventually (hopefully) come out again and we’ll all need clothes to go with it. And so, this edit is all about sleeveless suits which you can wear to the office and which won’t leave you sweating after you step off the Tube. Although if you’re lucky enough to work with guys who like to have the AC on full blast, then maybe throw a matching blazer into your basket too.
For me, styling a sleeveless suit – styling in general, really – is all about playing with contrasts. And although I’d personally go for a more fitted top-slash-jacket anyway, I’d still try to offset the more masculine feel of suiting with accessories and shoes. As I see it, anything that’s tailored and polished is begging to be paired with something edgy (a chunky chain necklace or cuff, or the Tabis in the SIR look) and/or laidback (a raffia or canvas bag). Likewise, anything more boyish needs to be balanced out with more feminine details (statement earrings or hoops, heels, and so on). If you end up shopping any of the below, then I’d say that’s something worth keeping in mind!
(P.S. Some of the links I’ve included are to Matches as they’ve got a huge sale on. Obviously it’s a little tricky to navigate post-collapse – and there is a potential risk to the consumer there – but I will leave you to decide!)
Faithfull The Brand
TOP: £149 / TROUSERS: £229
This time around, I’m starting with my favourite pick of the bunch. I stumbled across this linen ‘vest’ on Net-A-Porter, totally fell in love with it, and if I did a proper office job it would be on its way to me right now. The square-neckline makes it feel much less boyish if your style is more ‘ladylike’ – and I love how the buttons stop midway so you get that subtle flare. Fortunately, the trousers come up pretty high so you won’t be flashing your entire midriff to your colleagues.
Shop Maya vest and Isotta trousers
The Frankie Shop
TOP: £190 to £205 depending where you go (on sale at Matches for £95) / TROUSERS: £150 to £175 (on sale at Matches for £90)
My friend Kitty wore this set to a wedding – and looked divine – but it would easily work just as well for the office. IMO she styled it perfectly too: the playfulness of the yellow Stine Goya bag; the colour contrast of the white shoes; the glamour of the gold earrings. The Frankie Shop offers another asymmetric waistcoat to go with these trousers, which is very cool, although I prefer this more snatched version (which you can tighten at the back) just to give the body a little shape. Also I once borrowed this piece and wore it unbuttoned over a little white T-shirt Jennifer Lawrence-style – which is to say you can get plenty of bang for your buck out of it at the weekend too.
Shop Gelso waistcoat and Gelso trousers
SIR.
TOP: £245 (on sale for £171) / TROUSERS: £390 (on sale for £195)
Pinstripes are underrated! I personally own a pair of comfy pinstripe trousers from Loulou Studio and they’re great to throw on with a T-shirt and trainers (again, contrasts!) just to smarten them up a bit. I love that rather than a black or a navy or a grey, which can feel very serious in a corporate context, it comes in burgundy, which is a touch more unexpected. And speaking of not being too serious, the shoes and the squishy bag make for perfect counters. (Maison Margiela Tabis, they will never make me hate you!)
Shop Guillaume vest and Guillaume trousers
Reiss
TOP: £198 / TROUSERS: £178
I actually spotted this Reiss* set in the Knightsbridge store on Friday while heading to Harrods after work (to window-shop). My first impression was that the fabric reminded me of a burlap sack (the website describes it as a ‘natural nubby texture’) – but in a very charming way. This one, in my view, would be ideal if you’re curvy with boobs, thanks to the shape of the neckline and the belt. And the longer length of the waistcoat really elevates things too.
(*Don’t tell anyone you got this from me, but a few years ago I figured out that if you’re very nice to the Reiss staff while trying the more expensive things on and sort of ‘um’ and ‘ah’ about buying them, they’ll usually offer you 10% off. To be honest, I’m shameless enough to slyly ask for a discount in most stores and you’d be surprised how often it works.)
Shop Cassie waistcoat and Cassie trousers
Staud
TOP: £215 (on sale at Matches for £107) / TROUSERS: £330 (on sale at Matches for £165)
I’ll be continuing my mission to get more corporate women wearing colour in the office. Think of it as a public service, really: if I were drowning in spreadsheets and contracts and whatever it is people do in those big glass buildings and some glamorous woman walked in wearing this outfit, it would (1) absolutely brighten my day and (2) make me ask her where she bought it. The answer is Staud, which is one of those ‘cool girl’, not-insanely-expensive brands from the US. Also, I love how the stylist has contrasted (!!!) the smartness with beads, a big fat bracelet and the snakeskin shoes.
Shop Brett vest and trousers
Loulou Studio
TOP: £225 / TROUSERS: £200
This Loulou Studios set looks especially put-together when worn as one, but really it’s all about what’s happening up top. You can’t quite gauge it from this photo, but it’s basically got rather short, skinny straps, which isn’t something I’ve ever seen with suiting – and it works very nicely. If a waistcoat still doesn’t appeal to you, then I’d say try something like this instead. And again, kudos to the stylist for making dark-grey tailoring look high-fashion with the satin sandals, squidgy bag and chunky hoops. (Not biased at all but Net-A-Porter really does have the best styling team on the planet.)
Shop Mihan top and Takaroa trousers
My aforementioned friend Kitty is heading off to Cannes to cover the film festival, and I was very flattered when she asked me to help her sort some chic outfits for the occasion. Admittedly, this couldn’t be further away from corporate City dressing, but it is technically workwear (and she should absolutely be able to expense it) – so why not share? Her style is very cool / not super-girly and she was feeling all-black, so I picked out this jumpsuit from Mango and this halter top from Reiss (which I actually own in white). Anyway, I had a ton of fun shopping for her – and living vicariously through her – and it’s something I’d love to eventually offer to paid subscribers in the future. Watch this space.
