My career has spanned eras. When I started working, people wore suits every day. And then came Business Casual, which set off shockwaves in law firms. And then the pandemic, which normalized athleisure as workwear. As a result, the Business Casual of today is not the Business Casual of the aughts. It probably needs another name. Directorate: I call upon you to put a descriptive name to this era, which I have been calling The Way We Dress Now or TWWDN (trademark pending) for short.
A jacket of any sort, today, reads dressy.
This is a suit for TWWDN. We have: a jacket (of sorts), trousers (of sorts), and shiny, assertive shoes. Is this a suit for TWWDN?
This boucle . . . arguably a jacket, greater than a vest . . . is more relaxed than a long-sleeved jacket,* but indisputably worky. I’ve paired it here with cropped trousers that flare a little — an important note on the silhouette, as I don’t think tapered pants would have worked as well. This jacket would also look good with full-length pants cut straight or with a slight bootleg.
Note the flared cuff on the blouse echoes the cut of the pants. That match was not intentional, but it’s a nice bonus.
It’s taken me more than a year to figure out how to wear this jacket. It seemed so simple when I bought it, but I then realized that the scoop neck is just large enough to be tricky. It requires a blouse or collared shirt and would not work with a simple round-neck jersey. A white poplin shirt — so often a go-to — would be too bulky to tuck into trousers and I think any top worn under this jacket needs to be tucked in. So a silky or whisper-weight blouse seems right. Fortunately, I have acquired several over the years for livening-up traditional suits and to wear under sleeveless dresses. There were several to choose from: this, this, and this.
Though the jacket has a nipped-in waist, I added a belt for extra definition. Not sure if that is just right or too much. Had a belt been intended, the buttons would have been spaced differently.
Do note how shiny the buttons are.
If you look close, you can see it’s a building. The button is like those convex mirrors that help one navigate alleys and parking garages.
* For Pere Directrice, long-sleeves are a foundational element of the jacket; he may be wondering why I think that information needs to be added.
Jacket: Michael Kors from The RealReal; Pants: JCrew Demi-boot Pant in Italian ponte; (JCrew says these pants run “slightly small”; they run incredibly small — I went up 2 sizes); Shoes: Coach Leah Loafer
Suit-adjacent. Perfection!
I would call the new office attire NFG (No Fs Given), especially for government attorneys.
Your “suit” is adorable and would be almost overdressed for a hearing at my agency.
Love the quasi-suit! But see the dilemma on the neckline. I wonder if it might perchance be a job for a … dickey? Someone must make a snazzy modern one
“Suit Adjacent” is stellar. I identify with this sentiment, trying to find the right balance of business-wear with how I want to dress now (NFG…)
Looks great! 🙂