Making my wardrobe work harder: ways to style a checked suit

Well well well, isn’t this a blast from the past. If you ever found yourself on this blog last year, you may be loosely familiar with this ‘series’ that I think I only ever actually did around five times, which involved taking one item and styling it four different ways.

The point of these posts was to ensure that the items in my wardrobe were ones which really deserved their place, and that strikes me as something I want to bring back some of my focus to. I’m as guilty as anyone (and, I expect, more guilty than most) of getting swept up in the ‘new new new’ machine and along with everyone else who watched the recent Stacey Dooley documentary, I was horrified at the impact said machine has on the planet.

So – back to placing more emphasis on buying and styling smart I go, and a suit, though it seems a bit ~fashun~ at first glance, is in fact surprisingly versatile. All four of these looks are ones I would (and have/will) actually wear for various occasions, and these are just the tip of the iceberg; as it’s autumn I’ve gone for all autumn-appropriate outfits, but there are multiple other ways to dress this for summer or winter too. That’s before you’ve even started working them into looks as separates; the suit works hard, people, and here are four ways I’m wearing this New Look sale checked one.

ONE

Tee – C/O Boohoo | Trainers – Carvela | Bag – Zara

This is my everyday suit styling, and in my opinion the easiest way to don a matching two piece; a plain or slogan tee plus a pair of trainers make it feel far more low-key. Realistically I don’t really find it possible to feel entirely low-key in a suit – that’s one of the best things about them, they just make you feel so fabulous – but this is my favourite way to make it wearable for weekends and weekdays alike. Pop of colour optional but this red bag deserved a run out and co-ordinated with the shades in the checks plus the t shirt, so why not.

TWO

Jumper – Primark | Boots – Primark | Hat – H&M

Ahh, personal style. One day you’re feeling all modern in your suit and trainers combo, the next you’ve somehow dressed as an extra from a Madness music video. Luckily, I love stuff like that, and thus a comfortable and warmer version of my casual suit outfit is born with a rust coloured turtleneck, velvet biker boots and of course a baker boy. The final addition to this look was a cold, but I think I would have preferred it if I hadn’t been sneezing every other second, so skip that particular accessory if you can.

THREE

Shirt – H&M | Shoes – River Island | Earrings – Primark | Bag – Mango

A lot of suit stylings I see involve the chunkiest trainers possible and no top or bra underneath the blazer. While I find myself very enamoured with the photography that this type of look features in, I’m also very aware that this is just not suitable for most people to be wearing when they’re doing their day jobs. I wanted to see if I could find a way to wear this that wasn’t too dressed up but wasn’t casual either and this is the result; low block heels, a flowy blouse, and a neutral bag. If you can’t wear trainers to your place of work this is a pretty decent option without heading down a route which feels starched and stuffy.

FOUR

Top – New Look | Boots – New Look | Bag – Miss Selfridge | Jacket – Topshop

Note: this is not the proper way to wear a jacket. It’s quite impractical. Still, I fancied trying this as evening attire, and October evenings in the UK are cold, so it’s a necessary addition. One thing I love about suits is that even though your whole outfit is essentially sorted, the shoe and top choice can change it entirely – a la this little satin blouse and sock boots combo taking the checks into dinner and drinks territory. Big gold earrings and a pop of ochre from this adorable crossbody bag turned this into one of my favourite outfits of the four.

And that, my friends, is all I’ve got! I can think of plenty more ways I want to wear this, but as you can probably imagine, these take rather more time than your standard outfit post to put together, so four is enough for now. I’d like to start doing this semi-regularly again, so for that reason I’d love to know; what item would you like to see restyled next?