I have smart and formal work suits but I also work outdoors where I meet customers in all weathers. I am 45, 5ft 6in (1.67m) and a size 12. Am I asking too much to want to look professional, stylish but practical? Can a skirt look good with flat shoes? I would welcome some ideas for a wardrobe to suit this lifestyle, perhaps something smart to slip over a top when I go outside. Any help appreciated.
Not easy, I grant you. Particularly this year, when probably the most useful garment to have in your wardrobe is a raincoat. But rain or shine, a good showerproof summer coat should be a staple for the life you lead. If you can find one that does the job (protects from showers, looks good, gives some moderate warmth for chilly summer days) it will earn its keep time and time again.
If you’re the sort of woman who looks good in a trench coat – buy one. Provided they’re clean and relatively pristine, they can go to the smartest places and are considered classics (www.burberry.com promises next-day delivery). But you don’t need to pay really high prices (the cheapest Burberry is £475).
Marks & Spencer has two fabulous raincoats for less than £100 each. The first, which David Downton has drawn for us here, is a magenta cotton mac with a rounded collar (which I like because it’s rather more feminine than a trench), big buttons and, best of all, doesn’t need to be tied around the waist. It’s £79. But there’s also a crisp black and white cotton mac that seems to be something of a bestseller that would do the job well, too. Both can be worn over dresses and trousers.
If you want to feel a bit more hip, you could get yourself a parka – they’re chic urban wear at the moment and Primark recently had a fabulous number in bright blue for £8, while Gap has them at about £40. Get one of those and it would provide a welcome change of mood from the more serious raincoat.
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I don’t see smart, formal work suits as ideal gear for running in and out of doors. I think you’d be much better off with some comfortable but well-cut trousers (if you can run to it, try on lots of pairs at Joseph, 020-7610 8441, which seems to have a special line on the art of trouser cutting). These can be mixed with different tops and jackets.
Joseph also has a suit with a country air that would be terrific for cooler days. The soft brownish trousers are loose and comfortable (you need that for all that leaping in and out of doors) and are £159, while the jacket is £345 and the greyish silk blouse that feminises the look, £149.
You ask about skirts. Toast is a label you might investigate (www.toast.co.uk) as it does relaxed, easy clothes but with a nod to the way the winds of fashion are blowing. There’s a good brownish, greyish skirt, the Como (£46, reduced from £95), and you could wear it with the brown jacket from the Joseph trouser suit or, to give you more options, buy Toast’s grey Ambret jacket (£80, reduced from £199).
Finally, if we ever get any hot days a good summer dress is perfect workwear. Laura Ashley has some crisp shirt-dresses (particularly flattering in a deep blue linen) for £55, or Tibi’s green silk chain-link wrap-dress is £257 from www.net-a-porter.com.
Can a skirt still look good with flat shoes? Yes, yes, yes. But you need to use some nous, or what is more usually called an “eye”. Take a little time to find the best length for your skirts. Given that you’re 45, I wouldn’t have thought miniskirts were your scene and that something either hitting the knee or just below it would probably suit you best. There are lots of longish (to a few inches above the ankle) skirts and dresses, though, so experiment. Go to a shoe shop and try on flats and see how they look.
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I do think a little bit of a heel suits those of us who aren’t Elle Macpherson or Erin O’Connor (ie, long-limbed goddesses), and there are plenty of good sandals for summer that give a bit of height but are comfortable for walking. You could also try espadrilles, reduced in the Laura Ashley sale. And just remember – try to stay dry.