Like men?s, women?s three piece suit consists of a jacket or a blazer, a vest or a waistcoat and a pants or a skirt. In my experience, I do not come across women wearing three piece suit that often. Indeed, three piece suit has been heavily associated with men and often worn to very formal events such as wedding (specifically when you are the groom). So, I am not surprised if you have huge reservations when it comes to wearing three piece suit to any occasion, let alone work. Nevertheless, wearing women?s three piece suit to work can be a part of your interpersonal or networking strategy. In this post, I am sharing my experience wearing one to work.
The Woman in Suit in three-piece suit
It Drew People?s Attention Like I Wanted It To
Frankly, I have worn three piece suit to professional-related occasions. The first time I wore it was when I had to give an important presentation at work. I wore a black trouser, black blazer, white shirt with french cuffs, black tie and a jacquard pattern silver waistcoat, just like the one in the picture above (minus the hat).
I came to the office and greeted my colleagues. ?Good morning ,? I said. ?Hey! Good Morning,? she replied and she looked as if she noticed something different. She continued to say, ?Gosh, I love your outfit. Ready for the big presentation, aren?t you??. ?Thank you. Yes, I am!? I answered. I then walked to the kitchen and someone I do not know by name complimented, ?Looking sharp!?. That morning, I felt good and confident about myself. I thought to myself that it was a great start to the day and I knew I was going to do well during the presentation.
Then came the presentation. Every meeting participant arrived and made themselves comfortable in the seats of their choices. I sat nearby the big screen where my PowerPoint slide was projected to. I stood up straight, pulled my waistcoat down, fixed my tie, chest out, a bit of somewhat-cheeky smile on my face and I said confidently, ?Welcome everyone.? I would never forget the reactions of everyone in the room that day. The room went silent, everyone re-positioned their seats to face the screen and I was making meaningful eye-contact with each participant in the room. Throughout the presentation, I saw executives nodding and having ?A-ha? moments.
At the end of the presentation, I got few questions as well as compliments. It could not be any better. The presentation went as smoothly as I imagined it would be. I was told after the presentation that the executives enjoyed the presentation and that I prepared really well. ?Great job!? My manager told me. That ?Great job!? motivated me to do my best in everything that I do.
It could be because I knew the materials for the presentation really well, it could be because of my loud and assertive voice, it could also be because the participants were all respectful and appreciative. Nonetheless, I could not help it but to attribute a portion of my small win that day to my three piece suit outfit. I felt good in it, I felt very confident wearing it. It gave me a great start to my day and it drew people?s attention like I wanted it to. It served me well.
Make a Fashion Statement With a Three Piece Suit
Since then, I wore a three piece suit to occasions where I wanted to make a bold statement about myself and draw people?s attention. I wore it to networking events and to events where I was invited as a speaker. To me, by wearing a women?s three piece suit, I was making a statement: I?m BOLD, CONFIDENT and I GOT THIS.
An article written on Bustle by Elaheh Nozari suggests that fashion statement is all about attention grabbing. The fact that not a lot of women wear three piece suit makes it unusual and new. Hence, it draws attentions. Nozari further elaborates that making a fashion statement is important. In her words:
?Yes, no matter what industry you work in and whether you care about clothes or not?. Clothes are a form of self-expression, and how we dress impacts how we feel about ourselves, and vice-versa. So if adding something bold makes you feel better, then voila, proof that making a statement isn?t a shallow ?look at me, look at me? concept.?
Elaheh Nozari, What Does ?Statement? Mean In Fashion ? And Is It Even Important?, published on Bustle.com
I could not agree more. If you work in a corporate setting and you have an event coming up where you want to draw people?s attention to you, why not give women?s three piece suit a try?
Don?t Worry, Women?s Three-Piece Suit is Versatile
If you are afraid that three piece suit may make you look overdressed or too masculine, don?t! With cinched waist and a slim fit, a three piece suit can make you look very feminine. Furthermore, there are three pieces of clothing. This means that you have the option to wear all three, two of them or mix & match one or two of them with your other clothes. My Pinterest board below explores the various looks and styles out there that use three piece suit.
How To Get a Three Piece Suit
You can get a three piece suit tailor-made, especially if you want one that is not black, grey or navy. In my opinion, if your style is feminine, you should go for a soft, bright colored suit, e.g. peach, pastel pink. Nevertheless, the cost-saving way is to use your existing two piece suit. If you have a black or grey or navy or white pantsuit, you would probably only need to own a vest that goes with your pantsuit to pull off a three piece suit look. You would want the vest to have a slim fit to compliment your lovely waist and curve. Moreover, pay attention to the color and the style of the vest.
A more youthful look would be to grab a bright-colored vest if your two piece is already dark-colored. Additionally, I always go for vest with a V cut that does not make it seem that my breasts are about to spill over. If not tailor-made, finding the right vest can be difficult. So, when you walk around and see a vest of good quality that may compliment your existing pantsuit, you should buy it.
You are drawing attention and making a bold statement by wearing three piece suit. If you feel CONFIDENT in it, GO FOR IT! It can be a part of your presentation or networking or interpersonal strategy. Try wearing it to events where you want to stand out and draw attention to yourself. For instance, networking events and other events when you want to be the star of the room.
Let me know you feel about wearing three piece suit to work or other professional-related events. Share with me your experience if you did wear one in the comments below. Alternatively, if a three-piece suit is not your thing, check out my gallery and see if there?s a look that may be of a better fit for you.
This article was originally published on www.thewomaninsuit.com
Dedicated to cool and ambitious women, The Woman in Suit (www.thewomaninsuit.com) is a fashion and lifestyle blog which provides content that helps empower girls and women everywhere to dream big and reach their maximum potential. Follow me on IG at the_womaninsuit
