For those of you that know me, I often pop into my shops to see what customers are trying on and liking… and sometimes, not liking.
Recently, I was in our new Mirabelli Bayview Village location and a customer began telling me that she had been out of the workforce for the past three years having a family. She said she was now returning to her former job as a lawyer at one of the downtown law offices and that it was time for her to “dress up” and start to wear a suit to work again.
So the search was on to find the ultimate cool suit for her so that she could walk into the office and make a statement that she was back and ready for work. It had to be something that would make her feel confident and still allow her to be taken seriously by her colleagues and clients.
I always like to show options and different ways of wearing my designs. I pulled out two pant suits in two different fabrics for her to try plus two skirts in the same fabrics. To me, great suits always come with an interesting jacket, a great pant that can be worn with a shirt or sweater on its own, and a pencil skirt for days when you want to feel feminine while wearing your suit.
The first suit had a fine black stripe and was made of wool with a Lycra blend. We teamed the mid-hip length two-button jacket with multi-seam detail over a skinny almost mannish pant with a cuff and tied it all together with a fitted stretch shirt with black-and-white stripes.
This look — very menswear inspired — seemed to give her confidence. She looked sexy and powerful all at once. She was sold on it, but I wasn’t done with her just yet. There was still another suit to be tried on and I thought this could be another option even though it was an entirely different look.
The second suit was made of a viscose-blend with Lycra in a small and very subtle glen check, with a plum yarn running through it. The jacket was short with an asymmetrical collar and kimono sleeves. The pant was slim around the waist and hips but had a wider leg. When we looked at this jacket with the pencil skirt, we went “mad” alla “Mad Men.”
She looked at me and told me to pick the suit she should get and that although she loved both, she wasn’t going to buy both. I couldn’t decide, she looked great and completely different in both suits. We came to a stalemate until she came up with a brilliant idea. Let her husband decide. So she made the phone call.
The solution was made in a second: he told her to listen to Franco and buy the two outfits and that after three years of minding the family, she deserved them both. A win-win situation for all of us. A happy customer and a new home for pieces from my collection.
With three corporate stores in Toronto, Franco Mirabelli continues to distinguish himself as one of Canada’s strongest fashion talents. Keep up with him by following his weekly blog at PostCity.com or by visiting mirabelli.com.