by Devon Bird, Moden Boutique & Moden Essentials –
After multiple seasons being inundated with comfort-first, stay-at-home styling, this spring’s collections reintroduce a return to tailoring, embracing the 80s, albeit in a more tastefully proportional way. You can rest assured we are not advocating for Dorito-shaped blazers and David Byrne-esque pleated trousers, but the once simple suit is having a renaissance in bold beautiful tones and spring-inspired prints to brighten up the season long before the skies clear and flowers bloom.
It took only moments during the spring/summer ’23 tradeshow to recognize the importance of matching sets. Each brand had its own take on colourful suiting, playful printed separates, and silky pajama-like sets. This head-to-toe approach to styling started to make sense in the context of the popularity of casual and effortless dressing over the past few years. When your top matches your pants, half of the work is already done for you.
We saw tailored suits make a big comeback, not in the traditional corporate sense, but rather, in functional fabrics such as viscose or cotton that pair back to your favourite denim or a comfortable knit that allows you multiple styling options to give these pieces a lot more mileage. A beautiful pink cotton blend suit from Dutch brand YAYA, for example, can be broken up with the blazer styled back to jeans, with a striped tee to function as elevated outerwear in warmer weather. The trousers can be paired with a cotton pullover and sneakers to replace your go-to denim for a fresh on-the-go look.
If structure isn’t as appealing to you, this season’s ode to the silky matching pajama set might just be the trend for you. You can thank Angelina Jolie, wearing her Yves Saint Laurent silk pajamas through Heathrow airport and causing the fashion industry to tap its chin and wonder “why not!?” The eventual execution of this concept is a silky top and trousers in a playful print that give an air of undone elegance and stylish ease. A bit of shape in the sleeve, a beautiful border on the placket or cuff, and “voila!” – you go from sleepwear to street-ready in seconds. Danish brand Part Two offers a beautiful chevron-printed matching top and pant set with contrast striped cuffs for a European inspired vacation esthetic, sun hat, pearls and enormous sunglasses sold separately.
Pairing patterns not only cuts down on time in front of the closet considering what to match with what, but it can also provide an elongated silhouette, giving the illusion of more height. If this timesaving, inch-adding, effortless way of dressing doesn’t pique your interest, then imagine the endless options one investment set could offer a basic capsule wardrobe. Two printed pieces can inject new life into your basic wardrobe in a way a simple sweater or pull-on pant never will. This season isn’t about bringing back matchy-matchy, but rather, harnessing the powerful balance of a great suit that can look both polished and relaxed all at the same time.
