From Bianca Jagger to Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn to Angelina Jolie, the humble trouser suit has been given the stylish woman’s seal of approval (and a fresh fashion twist) decade after decade.

A godsend for the chronically busy, women’s trouser suits are a one-and-done outfit solution with all the ease of a dress – and extra attitude. Office, wedding, weekend brunch, date night: the trouser suit works in a broad spectrum of settings because of its inherent simplicity and versatility. Though the silhouette and styling may ebb and flow, the basic principle – a two-piece where the focus lies on fabric and fit - remains the same.

And then there’s the confidence boost a suit brings. Slip into the skilfully tailored trousers and expertly cut blazer of a great suit and challenge yourself not to feel quietly invincible. We dare you.

Whether you want to make a statement in bold colour or pare things back with relaxed, organic textures, read on for our favourite ways to wear (and compelling reasons to invest in) a trouser suit.

Marry a lightweight, breathable fabric with a relaxed suit silhouette, and you have easy summer dressing all sewn up.

Where suiting may once have been solely a sartorial projection of power, lighter, looser iterations now provide a subtler sense of inner confidence and freedom.

To master the easy breezy mood, pick a suit that feels a little more informal – and has comfort at its core. If you can picture yourself wearing it with sandals and a T-shirt, you’re on the right track. Natural fabrics like linen or cotton are key to this look, helping you stay cool, calm and collected, whatever the day brings.

Sharp lines are out. Instead, channel a feeling of elegant effortlessness with light-touch tailoring and softer structures.

Choose the right cut and fabric, and a trouser suit can be just as striking – if not more so – as the most dramatic of evening dresses.

"The thing about a tuxedo is that it is virile and feminine at the same time," said iconic French actress Catherine Deneuve, enthusing about the sharply tailored ‘le smoking’ style tuxedo, designed half a century ago by Yves Saint Laurent and loved by women for its understated sexiness ever since.

But you don’t have to wear a tux to embody this same sophisticated attitude. Wide-leg trousers paired with a nipped-in blazer equal instant glamour, while skipping the base layer under any suit will achieve instant after-dark appeal. Not brave enough to bare so much skin? A silk camisole makes an excellent evening suit companion. Opt for opulent materials – from velvet to satin, for added textural oomph, and up the ante with eye-catching accessories such as metallic platform heels or a statement necklace and gold-chain bag.

If you’re after a suit that feels both easy and elegant, try one with a cropped trouser.

Immediately more relaxed than a full-length leg, ankle-skimming, slim cut trousers paired with a suit jacket will see you through work meetings, weekend drinks and weddings.

Flattering on all body shapes, cropped trousers are particularly useful for petite ladies, who can feel drowned in too much fabric.

Our Slim Crop Trousers are a recurring favourite, and often come with a matching suit jacket in a range of irresistible colours. This season, it’s the turn of our Textured Slim Crop Trouser Suit in fresh white.

It’s perhaps unsurprising that when women in the spotlight want to lend gravitas to their words, they traditionally reach for a suit.

Synonymous with power and importance, the tailored suit has long been the working woman’s outfit of choice. But the rules of dressing for business are loosening up. From jumpsuits to jeans, women’s workwear is now as flexible and diverse as the many different ways of working.

So, what does this switch-up mean for the suit? Rather than falling by the wayside, the trouser suit has evolved to fit the needs of the modern woman. Fluid and flowing or printed and playful, there are no set guidelines when it comes to suiting-up.

Offering unmatched comfort, versatility and ease, a well-made suit remains the ultimate confidence booster, getting you in the right headspace for creativity and success. And, once it’s on, you can forget about it for the rest of the day – assured that you look perfectly put-together.

Pair your suit with a lightweight blouse for summers in the city, then switch to loafers and a cashmere roll neck as the temperature drops.

Black and white pinstripes. Drab, concrete grey. For decades, women’s trouser suits were worn as a kind of uniform – a conservative ensemble to help you blend in. Now, women are using them to stand out from the crowd.

The key ingredient to this statement-making look? A happy-making hit of bold colour.

Whether sugary pastels or more saturated hues, coloured suiting has been popping up everywhere, from the red carpet to wedding receptions.

Each season, we update our best-selling trouser suit silhouettes in a spectrum of juicy shades, so you can select the most flattering shape for your figure in your favourite colour. This summer, that could be sunshine yellow or light blue – two new hues from our latest collection. Balance out the punchiness of a bright palette with a clean white T-shirt or blouse and a pair of simple white trainers.

To make your trouser suit feel fresh, switch up the silhouette. From boxy to slim, flared to sleek, the shoulders and trouser hem are the key points to play with volume. 

Harking back to the ‘90s, recent suit designs have erred on the side of slouchy and oversized, with wide shoulders and baggier trousers lending an air of nonchalance. When the weekend rolls around, team your oversized blazer with your favourite jeans and a white tee for a timelessly cool look.

They say opposites attract, and that’s certainly the case with our next trouser suit category.

Hitting the sweet spot between smart and casual, sports-luxe suiting is a ME+EM wardrobe staple.

Worn alone, our Track Pant is an everyday hero piece that offers the elevated silhouette and styling of a wide-leg trouser with all the comfort and ease of loungewear. Pair it with our mix-and-match signature Boyfriend Blazer cloaked in the same pattern, and it becomes a polished two-piece with a sports-luxe twist.

Featuring flattering details and our ever-popular, leg-lengthening side stripes, the only other element to consider is what T-shirt or blouse to wear underneath, making getting dressed on busy mornings that bit simpler.