How to Design Business Suits for Women

Business suits are a staple in every professional woman's closet. Whether a woman owns her own business or works in a law firm, business suits represent authority and efficiency. Some women might find traditional business suits to be rather dour and boring, but with a few feminine details added here and there business suits can be a formidable fashion trend. After all, it was the queen of fashion herself, Coco Chanel, who brought women's suits to the forefront of fashion. To this day, her tweed suit remains a classic coveted by women of all ages and backgrounds

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. 

   Choose a style for your women's business suit. There are basically two types of business suits for women: pantsuits and skirt suits. Pantsuits are generally an easier design to start with because the style is so straightforward. Skirt suits have a little more leeway in terms of design. Begin sketching a preliminary design on a sketchpad.

2. Choose a color for the business suit. This is a major design choice; color often determines the tone of an outfit. Most business suits come in a darker color because of the formality associated with them. Some good colors to choose from are black, brown, dark blue, gray, maroon, white, deep purple and mustard.

3. Choose the length of the skirt for a skirt suit. Most business suit skirts reach just above the knee; some hit directly at the knee. Depending on the formality you wish to achieve with your design, you can make the length fall about 2 inches below the knee. A more provocative business suit (made popular on TV shows like "Ally McBeal") has a skirt that stops mid-thigh, relatively short for a formal business suit.

4. Design the jacket for the suit. Determine the number of buttons on the jacket; most suits have between one and three buttons. On a one-button jacket, the button is sewn directly below the bust. Determine the length of the jacket; it can hit directly at the pant waist or a few inches above the hip. Trendier business suits for women may feature cropped jackets where the length of the jacket is slightly below the bustline.

5. Add additional details like pinstripes, extra buttons, slits and feminine embellishments. You can design a suit that is simple, or you can add distinguishing features like a line of buttons on the sleeves, an embroidered design on the back of the jacket, lace trim on the lapel or a slit on the back of the skirt. The possibilities are endless, and this is where you can put your imagination to use. Finish sketching your final design.