Suiting Up with Color

Suiting is very strong among designer silhouettes this season and likely to parlay into fall, as well. TSALT paid attention to the the message and chose to represent the trend with none other than the masters of blazers, Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe. For those of you who don’t know, I am a longtime fan of Smythe. I add at least one if not two carefully selected pieces from them each season.This year I was torn between some of their incredible blazers but they also offered suits in vivid color. This combines two very important messages for Spring 2018. Suiting has been a quiet force in the past seasons but the swell has now built to selections at every price point. One of my all time favorite inspiration looks for an event is the always stunning Blake Lively. I’m sure there will be a red suit in my future fall purchases!We all have our favorite downtime guilty pleasures and one of mine is scrolling through images from Paris Fashion Week street style. Since many designer influences come from street style, I use the European variety as my own study guide. Thinking about suiting and color, I combed through my sources and put some impressionable looks together to share:While the colors are bold and powerful, these look are still rooted with feminine details. Notice that the leg openings are wide and the lengths are getting longer, if not puddling. Choices of what to wear under the suit range from iconic t-shirts and white blouse to tanks. You’ll also notice that with a strong suit, jewelry is more minimal. In the 80s there was a power suiting trend but the jewelry and shoulder pads dominated the overall look. When you are repeating a previous style trend, pay attention to how it was done the last time as opposed to how it is done now. This will keep you from looking like you’re attending an era-inspired party.Back in September, TSALT was presented with a few choices from the SMYTHE spring collection. The suit was covered in pink, baby blue, and kelly green. Since the pink Duchess Blazer was chosen as a pre-spring style, kelly green and baby blue were left. Which way to go? Baby blue was a tempting choice for the softer color and an instantaneous spring-like feel. However, the kelly green posed a strong play into transitioning into fall and being the more statement-making choice.What’s a woman to do??When pressed with a quandary such as this, I go back to my street style resources and start evaulating the overall look, especially since this is a very dominant color play. Looking at women who wear a full-on color well, you will start to see with which camp you are more associated:Well, TSALT did what we all wish we could do…got both! Ultimately, Tamara and her team wanted to let the customer decide. Both colors have been doing well at the boutique and re-orders have already occurred. The luck of the Irish is with you this weekend since you have an opportunity to try on both to see which version appeals to you.Tamara is wearing the green suit, celebrating St. Paddy’s Day, and for the baby blue, check out the Street Style look today on Ann Loughlin. Both colors are strong and relevant for spring, proving that style is a personal choice and the power of color is the ultimate takeaway.

Here we paired the kelly green suit with a strong floral blouse from Alice & Olivia!

With a simple change of a blouse, you can recreate your suit, making the most of your budget and your style.

To soften the look and make this a little more casual, try incorporating a blouse that has touches of kelly green. Wearing the jacket open with a slip-on sneaker would also be a great way to make the most out of this set.

Here’s hoping everyone has a fun and Happy St. Patrick’s Day. How lucky we are to live in a city that celebrates with a wholesome parade!