For my high school graduation present, I asked for my firstsuit.
At the time, suits, I believed, were the chicest thing a woman could wear.
The suit conjured cigarettes and witticisms.
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Once I had a suit, I felt sure, I would join the ranks of real intellectual lookers.
Marilyn Monroe
Marlene Dietrich
The boyish fits I tried on just didnt look right.
I looked like a female news anchor.
Marilyn Monroe
Pulling at the already taut material, I fixed an evil gaze at my chest.
I realized that the thing standing in the way of my vision was actually two things.
Yes, I lived it: I was a 17-year-old with a massive rack.
Marlene Dietrich
Was my vision of washboard androgyny unattainable?
Was my body just ill-suited?
Nonetheless, I took home a massive navy pinstripe Etro suit.
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My dad adjusted it on my shoulders, issuing a threat: Youll own this forever.
There werent, by the way.
Yet I couldnt let go of the suit.
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In college, I wore it open with just a lacy bra underneath.
I wore it with a stupid American Apparel schoolgirl skirt.
I wore it with a bowler hat.
At some point, I retired the pants entirely.
Eventually, I let go of the girl in the suitthat wan, haunted womanto embrace the suit.
After all, these were my clothes for me, not for Jane Birkin!
So I started to buy more.
From a charity shop in Rhode Island, I got a navy linen suit with a standing collar.
I acquired a brown tweed Norma Kamali suit with a slick velvet trim.
Im happy to report that suiting is back in a big way (hello,Saint Laurent!
), Im here to give my tips: the busty girls guide to not busting out.
Do not make a run at be subtle.
Do not take a stab at be French.
Angles, people, angles!
I want a tiny cinched waist or a big ol shoulder pad.
I want a bow tie, massive hair, and drama!
Belts are good; suspenders are terrible.
Oversized is great; if youre going oversized, go big or go home.
A suit is an excellent investment because you dont have to wear both parts together.
When done well, suiting is powerful.
When done poorly, its still, unfortunately, powerful.
Suiting is the rare conduit between how you want to be seen and how you are seen.
My father, of course, was right.
Ill own it forever.
