This week I bought a jumpsuit, or rather another jumpsuit. This was meant to fill the denim shaped hole in my jumpsuit collection. Finding the right one took me several years.
As you probably know, jumpsuits have been mainstream fashion, suitable for adults, for a while now.
I have pictures of myself on my phone ten years ago trying on a jumpsuit in a dressing room (message to fashion friend: ‘Do you like this one I already have?’) I wore a Marks & Spencer jumpsuit on my birthday in my kitchen in the summer of 2016.
I have a velvet one, a needle-string one and an indigo cotton one, but a denim jumpsuit is the holy grail – cool, iconic, just seventies enough in a sexy way – and it’s the hardest to get right.
The successful candidate should not be stiff and bulky (a danger with denim), but also not too tight and slim. Like all jumpsuits, it should fit nicely on your torso and waist, cover your buttocks and have room in your legs.
Smart casual: Emma Thompson’s khaki look in a Stella McCartney jumpsuit
Height advantage: Kristin Scott Thomas’s jumpsuit
This one, from Me + Em, although expensive at £250, (meandem.com), ticks all the boxes and has the bonus of horizontal seams down the legs (sounds strange, but it gives it extra points of interest) and a tie belt that adds a certain swagger.
I now have the full jumpsuit set, but there’s always room for one more.
If this is starting to sound a little crazy, I apologize, but all I’m doing is making the most of what is, in my opinion, the superfood of fashion.
With a jumpsuit you get everything you need in one go: comfort, coverage, clothing from head to toe, something you can wear to a party or around the house that is glamorous and practical. If the proportions are right, a jumpsuit is the most flattering thing you own – or at least that’s what I’ve always found. Still, I know there are a lot of doubters out there — so why is my fashion happy place anathema to so many?
Maybe it’s because, thanks to lazy labeling, many overalls confuse overalls with jumpsuits — and overalls are Dyno-Rod Man to Pan’s People jumpsuits.
My other theory is that people assume they make your butt look big (it doesn’t); that you have to be tall (actress Kristin Scott Thomas is wearing a jumpsuit and she is 6 feet tall); or flat-chested (no, I’m giving you Anneka Rice).
As for whether they are suitable for the over 50 woman, Scott Thomas is 63, and the only difference between me, my stepdaughter and my niece when it comes to jumpsuits is that they occasionally wear stretchy velor gloves being carried.
I like a semi-ruched waist or a fitted waist with a belt and all my jumpsuits have long sleeves. I’m also not a fan of the occasional jumpsuit – for example backless in polka dot silk – because I think jumpsuits should be themselves and not pretend to be long dresses. And these days I try to avoid black and opt for khaki, denim or even cream instead.
Amanda Holden walks around London in a Reiss jumpsuit
With that in mind, here are six ways to wear a jumpsuit all year round:
1 Wear a denim jumpsuit, unbuttoned to your sternum with a white and blue striped cardigan underneath and western ankle boots with medium heel, or in warm weather smart sliders with two straps. (Note: With a cardigan instead of a T-shirt you can wear the jumpsuit tighter around the shoulders and arms.) For another good denim jumpsuit (£49.50, marksandspencer.com), try Marks & Spencer.
2 You can also wear a denim jumpsuit, with upturned sleeves, brown mid-heel boots and chunky gold jewelry. Sezane’s Brooklyn jumpsuit (£160, sezane.com) has a fitted fit and a sexier style.
3 A khaki viscose jumpsuit, unzipped to bra level, over a lace-trimmed layered cardigan with strappy gold or silver sandals, takes you to a smart casual party. Otherwise, go for a wide-leg V-neck, like Ghost’s Olivia jumpsuit (£169, johnlewis.com).
4 A corduroy jumpsuit, like Sezane’s Terracotta All-in-One (£155), worn with a neckerchief and smart trainers, is great for spring daytime, including work. In winter, wear a sheepskin vest above it or a turtleneck underneath.
5 On cool spring evenings, wear a velvet jumpsuit, unbuttoned to the waist, with a gold cardigan underneath, bare legs and sandals.
6 In summer, wear a short-sleeved cotton jumpsuit in khaki or coconut brown (£180, reiss.com) with the legs up and sliders. Or try a light linen jumpsuit with a contrast belt (£75, nrbyclothing.com) and silver kitten heels.