Ladies, suit up!

Fall will certainly see its fair share of sultry winks and full on sex appeal but on the other side of that sartorial coin, it will also see the subdued, ladylike skirt suits.

Designer Amy Billimoria says, “Sometimes the real appeal comes from the mystery rather than the show and tell. It’s all about self-confidence and fresh take on traditional styles. There’s definitely a skirt that fits you and the latest autumn trend of skirt suit is a classic that can be pulled off by almost everyone. You can opt for several variations — from pencil skirts with bias cuts teamed with dressy jackets, loose jackets teamed up with straight fit skirts in linen, Prince of Wales printed jackets styled with mini skirts, cropped sweaters and white button up, etc.”

However, if you are pairing a midi skirt with your skirt suit, then it can be tricky because a midi can quickly make you look and feel a little frumpy, points out Vandy Mehrra, director of SBJ. She quips, “Do everything you can to make your legs look longer and slimmer. This generally means tucking in your top and wearing a pair of killer heels. If you are going to wear something full at the bottom like an A-line skirt then make sure that your top half is perfectly neat and fitted. Anything too blouse-like is going to add bulk in many places, hence avoid. Long, lean lines are the best, so keep the top tonal a similar colour to the bottom.”

The art of mixing things up by wearing mismatched items is also a trend that has many takers but Vandy cautions, “Do not make it too messy and over the board by mixing too many different styles and colours. Strike a balance. Go for a brighter range of hues that include ruby red, fuchsia, tangerine, pea green, bright yellow or go for colour blocking techniques on warm palettes.”

Adding to the colour palette, designer Kiran Uttam Ghosh shares that smoking powder blue, frost pink, frost coral, pistachio green, lavender, metallic shades, black and white too are much in vogue. On the other hand, designer Natasha J. advises, “Mismatched could be anything: colour contrasts, colour mixed with print or even print mixed with print. It totally depends on the wearer’s personality and how each individual carries their version of mix-n-match. For me, it’s always a safe mismatch if there is some common element or colour in the separates in order for it to look bold yet perfectly in-sync.” Kiran, on the fabric front, shares, “The fabric decides if the skirt should be worn on a formal or casual occasion. For formal events, normally satins or fabrics that take the shape of your body are preferred. For casual outings, you could choose heavyweight cottons, denims or even leather.”

In the spirit of creative layering options, you could go for variations of different styles of jackets, says designer Nachiket Barve. He adds, “A circle skirt can be set off with a fitted tailored sharp jacket. A peplum jacket can be paired with a midi pencil skirt and a cropped jacket with a long skirt that skims the ankles. For Indian body types, relaxed tailoring with statement accessories paired with a strong colour blouse or the proportions tweaked with culottes and an oversize jacket will be the best.”