Suit up ladies

A power attire that was once a part of only men’s wardrobes, pant-suit, has now emerged as a big fashion trend for the divas of Tinseltown! Interestingly, the trend made its first come back from the ’80s around the 2016 US Presidential Elections with Hillary Clinton donning a suit, and then vanished again in the wake of the athleisure trend which dominated the fashion industry during 2018.

However, the style is back now and how! Many B-town celebs have been pulling this very smart and elegant style quite effortlessly. Talking about the trend, stylist Shreeja Rajgopal says, “I believe that a pant-suit is a very versatile piece of outfit. You can wear it to any type of event. One thing that is of prime importance here is to understand that pant-suits are still majorly considered business attire. So if you want to sport the look effectively, you can try playing with colours solid or printed  but make sure you don’t accessorise too much. Use at most a blingy earring, that too only if you think you are looking very plain, and complete the look with a pair of nice pumps, stiletto heels or formal shoes.”

Priyanka Chopra.

No longer treated as a “borrowed-from-men” outfit for women, it might also interest one to learn that it was once illegal for a woman to don pant-suit in the United States. “When this trend started picking up, they said that it was a masculine trend being picked up by the women. Now, however, I think that women have nailed the look so well that it no longer belongs only to the men,” says celebrity stylist Nithisha Sriram. In describing how one can alter the pant-suit to suit any given occasion, Nithisha adds, “If you are going for a business meeting, then, of course, the attire has to be more formal. Use bold and traditional colours such as black, white, brown or even blue. For a casual day even with friends, you can go for bright colours and even prints. For a casual evening or night event, you can skip the shirt and go for a crop top or even a bralette.”

While it may seem like a comparatively easier look to pull off than an evening gown or short dresses, the length and style of the jacket can be tricky to choose. Celebrity stylist Meghana Alluri, who has worked with Tollywood divas such as Anupama Parameswaran and Catherine Tresa, says, “I have been a huge fan of this trend. But one has to be very careful while choosing the fit, cut and length of the jacket to rock the look. For example, actresses like Deepika Padukone or Sonam Kapoor, who are quite tall, can totally look fabulous in a loose jacket and bell-bottom pants. However, for someone like Alia Bhatt, a fitting suit with a pair of slim cut pants will work the best as it will help accentuate their height. Many Indian girls have heavy bosoms. In that case, a high-waist pant, tucked in shirt and fitting jacket would make you look tall and chic.”