The Skirt Suit Emerged as the Hottest News in Tailoring at Haute Couture Week

One of my favourite movies growing up was Baby Boom. Released in 1987 and starring the peerless Diane Keaton, it told the unlikely story of a career woman, J.C. Wiatt, who inherits a little girl (I know). The film poster shows Keaton – child in one hand, briefcase in the other – wearing a shoulder-padded blazer, a pencil skirt and almond-toed pumps. And it pretty much sums up why skirt suits, until now, lost their way after the ‘80s. Don’t get me wrong, I loved J.C. – and, obviously, Keaton looked fabulous in her pinstripes, pussy-bow blouses and clip-on earrings – but, coming of age in the early ‘00s, it felt even then like an outmoded visual representation of ‘having it all’, skirt suit included.

In a not-very-imaginative leap, trouser suits became ‘The Thing’, their minimal lines in palette-cleansing neutrals epitomised by ‘90s Calvin Klein, and in today’s world no tailoring is necessary with ‘business casual’ dress codes a widespread consequence of hybrid working culture. Then came Chanel SS26. Matthieu Blazy’s debut was always going to be a moment, and in terms of house codes, no garment depended on its success more than skirt suits, a pairing that is still enduringly associated with its founder Coco Chanel.

Actions speak louder than words so to list the celebrities who have already worn his skirt suits might tell you whether or not they made their mark: Ayo Edebiri, Teyana Taylor and, to sit front row at Chanel Haute Couture, Dua Lipa.

The latter wore a squiggle-print skirt in the bombastic colour palette of acid yellow and fire red, its pattern resembling leopard print as the singer rushed past fans outside the show. On the very same day at Copenhagen Fashion Week, Isabella Rose Davey, the event’s chief operating officer, wore a suede mini-skirt suit from Copenhagen-based The Garment, a brand that prides itself on craftsmanship and durability. I was immediately sold, especially as she didn’t temper its ‘boss lady’ connotations but, instead, amplified them rather magnificently with opaque tights, point-toed courts and a sleek ponytail.

'For the 20-year anniversary cocktail reception, I was not only representing the incredible design talent on our schedule, I wanted to look smart but have an outfit that I could throw on in the office bathroom 10 minutes before doors. This beautiful two-piece delivered,' she tells Marie Claire.

Outside of Chanel, the skirt suit received multiple endorsements for SS26. Dior’s take was to challenge its cut. The result? A Bar jacket that fanned over the waist paired with thigh-high pleats, all rendered in stiff charcoal wool. At Tibi, meanwhile, echoes of minimalism were felt in a longline grey blazer teamed with a column skirt that slit up the calf. (Interestingly, grey seems to be the shade for skirt suits; Susie Lau’s micro houndstooth version was on-point and then some outside Dior Homme.) I think this proves that you can lean into the skirt suit’s corporate aesthetic then spice it up with styling (Lau also wore hers with two-tone, bow-tied pumps for a final ladylike flourish that was counterbalanced by a stretch of leg).

In a season where statement skirts with a sense of extravagance are trending, the bottom half of your skirt suit, in contrast, might actually be served by a quieter silhouette. Loulou de Saison's suede panelled suit has a skirt that's straight up and down on the body, which, paired with its elongated jacket, makes for a very chic overall picture. Creative director and founder, Chloé Harrouche, lets the suit take centre stage when she wears it. 'I approach it in a very simple way whether with a classic white shirt or a simple cashmere sweater to add and play with fabric and textures,' she tells Marie Claire. Her skirt suit influences are similarly cut and dry. 'Carine Roitfeld's iconic looks with her pencil skirts,' she says, adding, 'I also always loved the '80s working girls image of strong empowered women with those soft suits that makes them super confident.'

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