A revival of women’s power suits is shaping the fashion silhouette for fall
A revival of women’s power suits may be a fashion bonus to emerge from this tumultuous presidential election season. With the potential of having the first female U.S. president, sharply tailored suiting somehow feels right right now in womenswear.
After all, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton is often called the queen of the pantsuit, having described herself as a “pantsuit aficionado” on her Twitter profile. On her campaign website, Clinton has a bestselling trompe l’oeil blazer T-shirt with the phrase “Pantsuit Up” on the back.
Since serving as secretary of State, Clinton has uniformed herself in matchy-matchy pantsuits in a rainbow of hues, many by Susanna Beverly Hills or designer Nina McLemore. On the presidential campaign trail, she’s upped her style game by mixing in more designer suiting by Ralph Lauren, Andrew Gn and Giorgio Armani — a tweed Armani jacket made headlines for its alleged $12,000-plus price tag.
Clinton isn’t alone when it comes to opting for suits.
Celebrities including Beyoncé, Rihanna, Rita Ora, Kristen Stewart and Georgia May Jagger have been photographed in strong suiting looks for day and night.
That shouldn’t be surprising because a parade of women’s suits in pinstripes, plaid, velvet, lace, brocade, denim-and-tweed and even sequins were marched on the runways at Gucci, Chanel, Stella McCartney, Tibi and Dries Van Noten for fall/winter 2016. And brands such as J. Crew and COS offer more affordable takes — all in a variety of cuts, from slim to oversize, to accommodate most figures.
“Luckily, pant legs are definitely wider and waists are moving higher, which is great news because this drapey, flowing style is universally flattering,” said New York-based celebrity stylist Kemal Harris. “Just add a sturdy heel or platform bootie, and you’ll look six inches taller.”
Thinking about the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards on Sept. 18, you easily can imagine nominees Julia Louis-Dreyfus, ex-POTUS on HBO’s “Veep,” or Robin Wright, who plays first lady and vice presidential candidate Claire Underwood on “House of Cards,” suiting up for the red carpet in an ode to their roles.
While Harris is Wright’s longtime stylist, she would not comment on whether the actress is considering suiting for the Emmys but she did mention that nominees Claire Danes and Keri Russell “would both look amazing” in a black-tie-worthy suit.
“I always have suit options for the red carpet, and occasionally, I’ll even throw in the tuxedo jumpsuit,” said stylist Tanya Gill, who has worked with Jane Fonda for years (recently outfitting her in suits by Christian Siriano and Saint Laurent) and is helping nominee Lily Tomlin dress for the Emmys. “Jane and I always have that conversation about: Why do women always have to look the same with a long gown for the red carpet? They just don’t.”
Gill points to Balenciaga’s fall suits with longer jackets and slightly padded hips as “a new strong silhouette” that could translate well for the Emmys “in an eveningwear fabric with a bright silk blouse.”
“I remember looking for suiting for Laura Dern five years ago, and there wasn’t much,” Gill said. “Now, there are so many interesting types of suiting for every shape of woman, which is fantastic. But it’s not really about age or body type. It’s more about personality. Everyone is enamored with suiting and tailoring right now, and it seems to be coming to a crescendo with so many powerful female executives and political leaders in the news — Angela Merkel, Theresa May, Sheryl Sandberg, Marissa Mayer and Hillary Clinton.”
