Ask Our Fashion Editor: Style Tips for Comfort and Fit
The Post-Partum and Perimenopausal Fit Crisis
Guardian fashion editor Jess Cartner-Morley—who has held the role since 2000—stepped into a live reader Q&A to tackle the unforgiving reality of dressing changing bodies.
Reader Redstar1000 opened the exchange with a pointed styling dilemma: finding comfortable yet stylish trousers for a body featuring a c-section pouch still noticeable one year after birth. Moments later, reader nardacnardac highlighted the sudden waistline changes brought on by perimenopause, asking how to maintain a sleek, fashionable look without retreating exclusively behind shift or tent dresses.
Why Corset History Still Haunts Modern Closets
Cartner-Morley responded that defining, accentuating, or narrowing the waist has remained a dominant element of women’s fashion for so long, largely influenced by historical garments like corsets.
Current trends among well-dressed women favor generously cut shirts left untucked over trousers. This approach allows consumers to select waistbands based strictly on comfort rather than restrictive fit, bypassing the tyranny of the rigid waistband entirely.
Hybrid Trousers and the Search for Elastic Relief
Cartner-Morley pointed out specific design solutions currently available on the market to bridge that gap.
According to the Guardian fashion editor, brands such as Me + Em produce trousers featuring elastication on the back half while maintaining a smart, tailored appearance at the front.
The Death of Men’s Tailoring and Office Dress Codes
Beyond individual bodies, the discussion widened to macro-level shifts in menswear and retail. Cartner-Morley noted that the overarching trend over decades involves the continuous decline of men’s tailoring as a proportion of total menswear sold. This retail shift drove numerous designers to pivot toward sportswear and streetwear categories as consumer demand leaned heavily into casual, comfortable apparel.
Illustrating the point, Cartner-Morley shared retail observations made over the weekend while walking through a back-to-school children’s uniform section. Raising questions about institutional dress codes, the fashion editor observed that children are routinely dressed more formally for school environments than adults are expected to dress for contemporary office settings.