Personally, I have a strong preference for natural fibres. For one, many of them produce less static, which is an issue for me because I don’t use hairspray. Secondly, they smell fresher.
However much I prefer natural fibres, I am not a purist. If you find high quality polyester garments and are comfortable wearing them, why not? In any case, it’s nearly impossible to find tailored clothing lined with anything other than synthetic. But here’s another common office faux pas: wearing a cheap polyester jacket with good trousers. It even looks tacky with jeans.
Combining tailored pieces to make “jacket looks” requires considering factors beyond just whether these two colors can be worn together. Do the textures of the fabrics work together? How about the drape?
One final suggestion: if you must wear the cheap polyester jacket, wear it only with its actual suit counterpart.
Your thoughts on appropriate/inappropriate business-wear fabrics?
Any shiny fabric is not suitable for work.
Nor is anything too sheer – we should not be focusing on your underwear at work!
With thrift/consigmment shopping or a careful eye for sales, there should be no requirement to buy a “cheap ployester jacket” . It will end up costing more than the natural fibre one because it won’t last.
if you want lining of a jacket in a natural fibre, it will be rayon or silk. Rayon is not very durable. Silk is gorgeous but fragile- you mostly see it on very high end and couture clothes.
You can also find unlined natural fibre jackets (some wools, linen, heavy cotton)- Lands’ End has quite a few.
Linings are going the way of the bound buttonhole. Just try to find a pair of fully- lined slacks!
I agree–I would never wear a poly jacket, and I don’t see how making it a suit helps matters! I do have some polyester matte jersey separates (a wrap dress, some wide-legged trousers, and a skirt–all black), but not a jacket. That sort of fabric is too slinky to look professional to me.
I have only one silk-lined jacket; I bought it vintage in the early 1990s. It was handmade in Hong Kong, probably in the 1960s. It is a little too tight for me now, but I am saving it for my daughter! 🙂
Well, all I can say is I got a big bonus at work and tried to spend it on a suit last weekend. Didn’t find the right one, but I could definitely see the potential. I may become a suit girl, esp. if I get this much-hoped-for-and-long-delayed promotion. I loved how “pulled together” I looked, not boring at all.
Actually, the epidemic I notice is cheap looking fabrics for women’s trousers. I suppose it’s a result of the demand for easy-care business casual, but there are a couple of fiber blends common at the moment that just look terrible unless the garment is very well constructed and fits pefectly. When I walk around my office park, it seems like 90% of the women not wearing skirts or jeans just look awful.