Category: Jumpsuits

The single most useful thing to know before buying a jumpsuit is that the rise matters more than anything else on the garment. Sit down in the changing room, not just stand and twist. If the crotch pulls or the waistband digs when you bend, that is the whole relationship with the piece decided in one movement, and no amount of lovely fabric above it will save you from feeling trapped in it by lunchtime.
I would not put a jumpsuit anywhere near a bulky belt unless the waist is already defined and asking for one, because a thick belt on a loose wide leg just chops you in half and adds a layer of faff you do not need when you are already negotiating a full body zip to go to the toilet. Heavy ankle boots under a wide leg jumpsuit can also work against you, dragging the whole silhouette down if the trouser doesn't have enough drape to fall properly over them, so it is worth checking what is actually swinging past your ankle, not just what looks right in a photo in the mirror. The difference between a jumpsuit that earns its spot in rotation and one that ends up at the back, worn once for a wedding and regretted, is almost always in the details nobody photographs well. A good one has a lining that stops the fabric clinging or going see through when you sit, a zip that sits flat against the spine rather than puckering, and seams at the crotch that are properly finished rather than a single line of overlocking that will give way the second you reach for something on a top shelf. Cheap polyester versions go stiff and shiny after one hot wash and never recover their drape, while a jumpsuit with even a small amount of viscose or a decent weight of cotton will soften with wear and actually move with you, rather than announcing every step you take.
Where it falls apart as a choice is anywhere you need to undress in a hurry, a jumpsuit is a genuinely bad idea for a day involving multiple toilet stops, a fitting room with a long queue, or any situation where you might need to peel off a layer quickly, because you are peeling off the entire outfit, shoes included, every single time. It is also not the forgiving option people assume it is if you are tall or short, since the torso to leg ratio is fixed by whoever cut the pattern, not by you, and a jumpsuit cut for someone six inches different in the middle will never sit right no matter how good the fabric feels.
Can I sit down in this, properly, for twenty minutes, and still stand up without adjusting anything?
Picked by Nadia Okafor. More in Jumpsuits & Playsuits.