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Soft tailoring fit for spring

As someone who has spent what seems like an eternity wearing house dresses or bike shorts and T-shirts while working from home during Auckland’s lockdowns, the idea of pulling on some tailored outfits is alarming, yet incredibly inviting.

There are certain items that feel a little foreign to me right now, and that I’m feeling nostalgic for: blazers, covered-in shoes (some days, even heels), handbags, and proper pants, and so for those in other alert levels, I say: get to it.

But not all tailoring is created equally. With Aotearoa’s low-key approach to dressing, and the increasing casualisation of our wardrobes, loose-fitting blazers and pants are a reliable option for the office, working from home, or a smart day off, particularly as we head into the warmer months.

What constitutes “loose tailoring”? It is usually oversized or deliberately loose, and is made from soft breathable/stretch fabrics (often linen). In the case of a blazer, loose tailoring is often unlined.

It’s your favourite jacket or pair of pants that you can pull on to instantly look like you have your life under control, but feels like you are wearing your favourite hoodie (an ivory Maggie Marilyn blazer is that for me), an “I got dressed today” alternative to trackpants or those bike shorts.