Manner ISSUE 2 | Page 19

STYLE JACKET £238.50, TROUSERS £121.50, GANT AT DE GRUCHY JACKET £407, TROUSERS £246, LUISA CERANO AT VOISINS American singer-songwriter Janelle Monae is famed for wearing suits and menswear pieces on the red carpet. Her signature look is a monochrome jacket and trousers which she calls her uniform, celebrating her family’s working class heritage. Her mother was a caretaker, father a bin man, so the suit serves as a reminder to her that as a woman in uniform “she has work to do, people to uplift, people to inspire.” Her suits tell the story that to get where she is today, she didn’t have to compromise who she was, instead she embraced it. Just like Peter Parker, there seems to be a great deal of responsibility for a woman that chooses to wear a suit, as if it can be used to channel our inner superhero. It is a strong sign of personal expression, a precursor that the wearer has something she wants to be heard. Th is could be a message as simple as ‘Girl Power,’ as told by the Spice Girls when they collectively wore theirs buttoned low with push-up bras! Strong feminine symbols need no longer resemble Disney Princesses and the suit has always been about dressing for yourself rather than for men or the general public. Suits are no longer the embodiment of power dressing for women as Giorgio Armani himself admits, “women have edged out their standing in the world. Today, they don’t have to wear a suit jacket to prove their authority.” But this hasn’t diluted the impact of the ensemble nor its ability to make a loud statement. Sit up and take notice as suits are here to stay, telling the wearer’s story in a fashionable and unique way. ■ JACKET £114, TROUSERS £79, METAMORPHOSIS 19