Fashion notes: Take the power back with suits

Digital fashion entrepreneur ­Miroslava Duma was spotted in a pink trouser suit in Milan, Italy. Stefania D’Alessandro / Getty Images for Rene Caovilla

At last month’s fashion weeks, it was made clear that a certain trend is sticking around another season. I’m quite thrilled about this, because it’s a style I have been wanting to try myself: the power suit. Dark and foreboding as it may sound, it’s actually the opposite: fresh, peppy and exuberant, full of print, pattern and plenty of pigment.

Though the trend has been surfacing all over street style during the past year or two, it’s something that the average woman finds a bit daunting to wear herself. Parading around in a head-to-toe print, in the silhouette of a suit, rather than a dress, isn’t your customary ladylike look. But funnily enough, when the suit is of a neutral solid shade or washed-out, pastel floral pattern, it can appear strikingly womanly.

While it’s often associated with the pyjama-style trend when it comes to street style at fashion weeks, a suit can make a great addition to a more corporate-themed wardrobe.

Last month at Milan ­Fashion Week, fashion director ­Caroline Issa opted for a gingham suit in a monochrome palette. She accessorised tastefully, with pointed velvet flats and dangly red earrings. On the same day in Milan, digital fashion entrepreneur ­Miroslava Duma was spotted in a pink trouser suit, which she wore with a grey T-shirt and burgundy-toned ­accessories.

The power suit is a smart investment. Not only does it look marvellous when the separates are paired together, but it also provides endless outfit options, allowing you to mix and match the garments with other designs in your wardrobe. When shopping, keep an eye on the cut – trousers should be of a tapered, cigarette-trouser type or culottes style. Blazers should be only slightly fitted – you wouldn’t want to risk popping a button.