Trending: spring’s technicolour trouser suits

Caroline Issa
Caroline Issa admits that she dressed very conservatively in her first career as a management consultant, almost 20-years ago, ‘I had a brown suit, a black suit, a grey suit and a navy suit. In fact, the first thing I bought when I earned some money was a Jil Sander suit.’ Now chief executive and director of Tank magazine, Issa is often snapped outside fashion shows wearing a technicolour two-piece, ‘As I get older, I enjoy playing around more; I’m more confident in who I am now and like to express myself,’ she told me, ‘I love colour and texture and tailoring gives me that masculine-feminine twist I like to fall back on.’
Neat, chic and far from boring, I’ve always been a fan of the trouser suit. It’s the confidence-boosting double-act that can take the wearer anywhere. And even though I tend to spend my life in neutrals (make that, navy and khaki) and shy away from bold colour, earlier this year I collaborated on an Instagram-only workwear project with Next and was immediately drawn to this ochre trouser suit. Surprised myself there…

Photo: Claire Pepper
If the silhouette is clean and the fabric has stretch, it’s easier to brave the brights. Although it had a great response on Instagram, head-to-toe Crayola colour is not very me. I Know My Style and will probably stick to toned-down tailoring. When investing in a suit, choose the colour carefully. Go for a shade that will mix and match and give you extra wardrobe mileage, as Issa advocates, ‘I break it down and wear the jacket and trousers separately – with jeans, sneakers and a white t-shirt during the day and a shirt, loafers and chandelier earrings at night.’ I would also recommend avoiding this season’s oversized 1980s vibe and opting for a sharp, classic silhouette. Then add accessories to give it some edge: metallic shoes, statement sandals, sunglasses and sneakers, are easy ways to embellish a run-around spring trouser suit.

Caroline Issa photos: Acielle at Style du Monde
Colourful trouser suits aplenty here….
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I have really been winding away from dresses and have started buying pants which is a first for me – but I have just fallen in love with the Girl Meets Boy look with flat shoes. If anyone can suggest other budget friendly suit makers that do a darling suit in say …. florals, please holler. I want the fun of a floral dress with the ease and edge of suit without the Gucci floral suit price tag. I welcome any guidance from this great community to teach me more about how to build a gentlewoman’s wardrobe.