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