I can't say that I wear a lot of tailored pieces and even if I do, it never looks like I'm wearing something tailored. Nobody is ever going to say "Ooooh Susie, you look SHARP!" That's sharp as in, on the ball, professional and ready to get a job done. However, this doesn't mean I don't have secret yearnings to look sharp. The allure of tailored pieces that fit like a glove that become the building blocks of a wardrobe hasn't entirely escaped me, despite the fact that I scrunch my nose up at the so-called 'wardrobe essentials' that people like to harp on and on about. It might be the influence of the boyf who dreams of owning a bit of bespoke/Savile Row tailoring so much so I can almost see dream bubbles floating above his head whilst he's asleep.
Still, if I was ever going to be going down the tailored root I'd hope that there would still be something a bit "off" about it. That's not to take away anything from Alex & Eli's wonderful A/W 09 collection below. The skirt being a wee bit longer, the jackets cropped a bit shorter and the heavily texturised wools in the collection makes the tailored pieces all the more appealing for me. I was already intrigued by Alex & Eli aka Anna Zeman and Aja Singer (both Parsons graduates, one of which I met backstage at the Rodarte show where she is interning…) and their cream and mint green loosely tailored S/S 09 collection. With this new collection though, I think they've hit their mix and match suiting stride. At the very least, they've convinced a tailored suiting skeptic such as myself that I too could possibly look sharp. Mind you, give me one of these ensembles and I'd probably wear some neon lace socks, some customised heels and an embroidered organza t-shirt with the neat jacket and skirt… that's as sharp as it gets for me I'm afraid…
