It has long been a belief of mine that the common female business suit prevalent in areas of manhattan, is both an inferior model of it’s predecessor, the male business suit, and a degrading adaptation. The larger commentary revolves around the immense number of ill-fitting, poorly designed suits present in the greater population of New York City, but I have personally taken notice to a more frequent number of fabric injustices on the female side.
I’m not sure when it became decided that a feminine business suit was to be a recipe for awkward tailoring, one could argue that it is on account of its derivation of a garment designed specifically for the frame of a man, but ladies, come on. Three-quarter length sleeves, cropped short capri style pants, lumpy sagging shoulder pads, unflattering collars that overtly try to be “lady-like”?! It is an insult to woman that a female’s suit must in some way resemble a shrunken, thin fabric stereotyped version of it’s predecessor.
Of all the grievances, the most unforgivable is the insistence on literally short-cutting sleeves. Is there some daily process I am unaware of that requires a woman to utilize a bare-skinned arm just below the elbow? Perhaps ladies find themselves in need of exposing their wrists, as if they frequently play five card stud and want to ensure their male counterparts that they are not cheating. Or the fabric choice - often thinner, more inclined to drape than to hold its form. Perhaps the body temperature of a girl is greater than that of a guy?
Is there anything wrong with simply producing a suit in the standard fashion that subtly reflects the differences in body shape between men and women? Let’s not get carried away. The spirit of the original can be maintained, there is no need to infuse a sexist slant, indicating that a suit for a woman must in some way feature, not simply cater to, her curves.
I feel equally as passionate over the injustice of the, droopy drawered, David Byrne inspired pin-striped numbers that many, many businessmen flock to. The bottom line, a suit should embody a sense of self, knowing full well that it is a suit and not a pair of capris, a baseball jersey, a blouse, dress, kilt, or anything else for that matter.
