This garment, borrowed from men, has become a must-have in women’s wardrobes. Conquered after a long struggle, it allows us to reinvent ourselves. Its rigor makes us creative.
Suddenly we realize that it’s been two winters since we last wore it. We’re also seeing it everywhere, in every collection, in all shapes and sizes. This is not a return to the 1920s, when only some women in artistic circles dared to wear it. Nor is it a return to the “Thatcherite” 1980s when women entered the upper echelons of business and politics in force. It’s just that we’ve missed it.
Long years of struggle
A pant suit is not that comfortable garment that one might wear while working from home under the yoke of an endless pandemic. You might have only worn the jacket, for a Zoom meeting, wearing just about anything else on your lower half, even unmentionables, as long as they’re hidden under the table. Since Yves Saint Laurent reinvented the tuxedo for women, the pant suit has been treated with the respect that comes with the memory of the long years of struggle needed to conquer it. The pant suit is a warrior’s garment, the power-dress par excellence. Now that we’re heading back to the office, the ultimate confidence booster is coming with us
A bit of excess amid corporate sobriety
It comes out of the closet without a crease. Thrown on the bed, just like that, waiting for us to put it on, it is already throwing out magical sparks. Afterwards, you have to think, listen to your instinct. What are we going to do with this man’s garment to reveal its true power? It is not a question of wearing it as a simple uniform, a blue suit for a white collar. Its seriousness makes you want to do something about it: silk, lace, long pearl necklaces, an imposing brooch in the middle of the neck, we flash the feminine, the outrageous amid corporate sobriety. Heels give allure to the packed volumes, to these square shoulders. Stilettos, yes, boots perhaps. And force the note a little on the makeup, eyelids or lips. There must be something theatrical in the pant suit, a silent manifesto. It’s treacherous, a pant suit, always bordering on a fashion faux-pas.
This sparkling zip like a weapon
In our Arab world where the reclamation of female power still has quite a way to go, there is at least one pant suit in every woman’s wardrobe. The region’s brilliant designers were the first to understand this need. As a result, there is always at least one pant suit in their collections.
We love the Najla Mandarin Blazer by Bouguessa, cut from a sustainable crepe fabric with a mandarin collar and five buttons on the front, in a unisex style with a streamlined silhouette, available in dark blue and black. Mrs. Keepa created one piece in wool flannel tartan, all soft and supple, like pajamas and a robe, giving a combined feeling of strength and comfort, and it’s certainly classy! “Crystal clear everything” she comments on her Instagram page: There are clothes that really allow us to see more clearly in ourselves.
And Nafsika Skourti! Oh, Nafsika, she put it all in this sparkling zipper, like a weapon in the middle of low-rise, slouchy, perfectly cut pants. A fashion statement that stands on its own, combined with a soft jacket with three-quarter sleeves finished in bands, to wear with a crop top or a body suit. And then there’s Sara Tamimi, who dares with her black-on-white pool tile motif and an asymmetrical single-breasted jacket. And also Xia the Label, with endless silhouettes with bell bottoms and a short blue satin jacket. Finally, there’s Zaid Farouki, who relies on couture jewelry, a riot of brooches and oversized chains, to enhance an ensemble in duck blue cashmere with stitched edges, whose precious and discreet shine is enhanced by the delirious sparkle of crystals.
This is a piece of clothing that is not about to leave the fashion world, for a century it has fought to find its way into our closets.
