Nov 03 The Suit: Tips for Wear and Care
A suit is a great versatile outfit but most people only wear the suit as an outfit. A suit for women especially can be worn with lots of other items. When you break the suit up and wear it as separates, it becomes more versatile and you will get your cost per wear out of the investment of the suit. Here are my four tips on purchasing, wearing, and caring for one of our most versatile wardrobe ensembles. Follow these suggestions and you will create outfits and find unique ways to wear your suit pieces to keep them looking new and fresh.
Mix Up The Pieces
Don’t be afraid to split up the suit pieces. Mix and match them with other items in your closet. Wear the pants with a twin-set, a printed blouse or a beautiful sweater. Wear the jacket with another pair of slacks, a dress, another skirt and even with your jeans for a dressy casual look. In order for your pieces to not look mis-matched, ensure you have some difference in the colors and textures between the two different pieces.
Hang Suit Pieces Separately in the Closet
In your closet, merchandise your suit by classification: hang the jackets together, the pants together, etc. This way when you dress in the morning, you can see more options and will gain more versatility out of your outfit.
Cleaning & Care
Although it is absolutely fine to mix up wearing the pieces separately, I always recommend that you dry clean the suit at the same time. Try to wear the various pieces at the same rate also. This way when you dry clean them as a set, it ensure your pieces remain color fast. A far as dry cleaning goes most people over dry clean their clothes. Unless you spill something on a suit pieces, a suit really only needs to be cleaned a few times in a season. Natural fabrics will bounce back into shape after 48 hours. If you do get wrinkles in your pants, use a home steamer and take them to the cleaners and just asked that they be pressed. Be cautious that when you dry clean too much, the suit fades prematurely and can get that finish to it.
Purchasing A Suit
When buying a suit I always recommend to my clients to buy the jacket, pants and matching skirt all at the same time. This way you can make sure the dye lot is the same on all three pieces. These three pieces many more items to mix and match with other pieces in your closet. When you follow this advice, you will find buying suits with this mind set will help you justify the investment because you will get so much more versatility and wear for many years.
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Sarah Hathorn, CEO of Hathorn Consulting Group, is the go-to-expert in working with leaders and companies to create successful corporate DNA. As an executive coach, consultant and speaker she collaborates globally with clients and brands such as Deloitte, McKesson, Kimberly-Clark, Sherwin-Williams, Home Depot and other leading organizations.
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