My wardrobe consists mainly of jumpsuits, boilersuits and playsuits. I used to worry that I was displaying Steve Jobs tendencies by limiting my clothes to one genre, but it turns out I just have a bad case of ‘decision fatigue’ – a fashion-related malady whereby the individual slowly loses their mind trying to pull together an outfit every day.
Clothes are flung far and wide across the bedroom, as cries of ‘I have nothing to wear’ and ‘I hate all my clothes’ can be heard when decision fatigue has well and truly claimed its victim. Nothing good comes of this. The cure however, as Jobs, Barak Obama and Marge Simpson will tell you is to remove the decision element of getting dressed. Which is why I now embrace my desire to keep it simple – jumpsuits for a more pulled together look, boilersuits for a grungier look and a playsuit for summer.
So – two wardrobes; one for weekday jumpsuits and one for weekend ones. How simple is that? All the time I would have spent deciding what to wear in the morning I can now put to good use completing Wordle.
What’s the difference between a jumpsuit, a boilersuit and a playsuit?
As discussed at length in the Eliza office – a jumpsuit is fitted with long arms and legs, a playsuit has short arms or straps and shorts and is usually a thinner fabric for warm weather and a boilersuit is what you might expect to see a car mechanic wearing. It’s bigger, thicker fabric and baggy. Long legged/short-sleeved combinations throw a slight spanner in the works, but I’m going to go with jumpsuit here because for me, a playsuit is super summery and will never have legs.
This playsuit from Les Animaux (an independant store in Margate I recently discovered) ticks all the playsuit boxes and is made locally from sustainable fabric so will be long lasting and save money in the long run. Here’s Jodie rocking hers.
How do you style a jumpsuit?
For me, the jumpsuit is the closest to office smart I get. I have around four on rotation – two denim, one mustard Topshop classic and a silky Whistles short-sleeved one – I love them all so dearly I fear they will disintegrate one day.
For the office, I’ll pair them with trainers, Chelsea boots or heeled ankle boots (depending on what I have in my diary), plus gold hoop earrings and red lipstick. You don’t really need much else. It can be tricky to find a good coat to work with the jumpsuit (especially denim or thicker fabric) so I opt for an oversized blazer, or a knitted cape when it’s cold.
Chic jumpsuits to shop now:
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For a dressy occasion, my jumpsuits are more delicate (I live for 80s vintage silk iteration) so these will require heels and a blazer.
I have a gorgeous oversized H&M jumpsuit that I wear religiously at the weekend with Birkenstocks for day-to-day business, and an & Other Stories brown corduroy flared all-in-one that I see as somewhere in between casual and dressy. I believe it’s always the holy trinity of the right shoes, big earrings and the very best red lipstick and these will dress a jumpsuit up in a million different ways.
How do you style a boilersuit?
Boilersuits are slightly trickier – but I love falling into a well-worn boiler suit. You might be able to pull off heels in one, but I definitely can’t. I’m 5’1 so I can look a little lost. It’s Birkenstocks where possible for me but trainers also work. I love tidy hair, slicked into a ponytail, bold lipsticks and big earrings – a dash of femininity to soften the stiff boilersuit. A high-necked t-shirt or polo-neck underneath can warm things up in the winter months, buttons down and a statement belt will take your boilersuit to a new stylish level.
Stylish boilersuits to shop now:
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How do you style a playsuit?
As someone who lives 24/7 in the weekend in denim shorts, playsuits are how I dress up in the summer: super lightweight ones with either spaghetti straps or off the shoulder are a winner. Cute summer sandals and a big floppy hat will dress up your look but likewise I love trainers or Birkenstocks. I’ve seen some amazing playsuits crop up as wedding dresses over the last few years and have worn them myself for weddings – playsuits are far more versatile for dressing up than jumpsuits, in my opinion.
The absolute best thing about jumpsuits and boilersuits is they are built to last. I can honestly say I’ve yet to lose one (so far) although I’ve been through many a playsuit just down to the nature of the lightweight fabric. It’s for that reason I’m inclined to invest more financially as I know I’ll get a decent amount of wear out of them. I miss Topshop jumpsuits just because they were so utterly fabulous (I know, I know I can shop Topshop on ASOS but we all know it’s just not the same).
The elephant in the room is of course – playsuits, jumpsuits and boilersuits are a pain in the butt to get in and out of when you need to loo – what can I say? It is a small price to pay for all that wordle time you have reclaimed.
The best playsuits to shop now:
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