The suit, a long-standing symbol of power and dapper dressing has been considered a staple solely meant for the boys.

Long before the likes of Yves Saint Laurent, Katharine Hepburn and Bianca Jagger, the traditional suit was never intended for women to wear. But with the aid of visionary proponents, the notion of traditional dressing had been shattered and reconfigured into the ultimate pantsuit. 

The revolution began when Yves Saint Laurent designed ‘Le Smoking’, his expertly tailored version of the male tuxedo for women. It had sex appeal, a bit of androgyny and it harnessed a sense of power, that women were desperately seeking in the sixties. 

“For a woman, le smoking is an indispensable garment with which she finds herself continually in fashion, because it is about style, not fashion.” -Yves Saint Laurent

The spring 2015 runway shows were a clear indication, that ‘Le Smoking’ the original femme suit, had been reignited and fashioned by a new crop of designers. Christopher Kane dreamt up two distinct versions of the womenswear suit; one being a slimly-tailored tuxedo with a braided rope wrapped around the waist. Alexander Wang ushered in a minimalistic rendition for his collection with tapered high-waisted trousers along with a rigid, cropped blazer. Each interpretation felt modern, contemporary and further proved that any woman can wear a pantsuit. 

But no designer quite nailed the look as well as Hedi Slimane, the creative force behind the rock ’n’ roll suit. His spring collection proved to embody his signature aesthetic as his jet-black suit was accompanied with belted flares, wispy scarves and the quintessential tuxedo jacket. Rock-glam had once again been revived. 

Slimane has mastered the art and precision of tailoring, similar to how Saint Laurent perfected his own technique; in many ways it’s quite fitting that the ‘Le Smoking’ suit has remained at the French fashion house.