When Gigi Hadid hosted the Much Music Video Awards in June — a ceremony that garnered more headlines for its red carpet than for any of its prizes — the 21-year-old model managed to turn heads away from the starlets dressed in peekaboo dresses and bandage skirts. Instead, she opted for a fit-and-flare, fire-engine-red pantsuit, accompanied by a diamond choker — but no shirt.

Hadid is not the only high-profile lady to rock a pantsuit lately. In June, Gwyneth Paltrow stepped out in rainy London in a similarly crimson outfit, while Beyoncé was spotted sitting courtside at the NBA Finals in a royal-blue version that same month. And at last week’s Democratic National Convention, presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton sported an array of her signature suits, including a gleaming white version on Thursday. Businesses have seen pantsuits’ popularity surge, too, with US retailers increasing their women’s suit shipments by 33 percent from last year, according to retail- analytics company Edited.

“The wonderful thing about a pantsuit is that anybody can wear it,” says Patricia Mears, deputy director at the Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology, pointing out that many other trends, like cutouts, ruffles and crop tops, can seem intimidating to shoppers. “You have Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel, whose styles are more mature, but then you also can have a young model like Gigi Hadid wearing the most cutting-edge runway version and sharing it on Instagram.”

Unlike the shoulder-padded monstrosities of the 1980s or the bland corporate workwear of more recent times, today’s two-pieces come in a host of sleek cuts and colors that not only flatter a variety of ages and sizes, but also let women remix, reimagine and remake the suit in their own way. Mears, for one, has spotted many young women pairing their suits with cute sneakers, logoed T-shirts and even funky nail art.

“It’s a powerful way to stand out in the crowd,” says bespoke tailor Amber Doyle, who notes that about 40 percent of the clients who come to her Lower East Side shop are women, compared with almost none when she first started selling her suitseight years ago.

When 31-year-old director Remy Bennett wanted to create a stir for the debut of her first film last year, she turned to Doyle.

“I really love dresses, but I felt like it was the last thing I would wear to a show or film premiere,” says the Lower East Side resident. “You see all these grown women on the red carpet decked out like debutantes, and it doesn’t feel modern.”
Bennett ended up settling on a Bianca Jagger-inspired white raw-silk pantsuit, with a dash of 1940s femme fatale mixed in.

“I felt confident and relaxed and just so much like myself,” she says. “And I can mix and match the pieces and wear it to dinner or work.”

Part of the pantsuit’s resurgence has to do with the revival of 1970s styles, says Mears, including Yves Saint Laurent’s controversial Le Smoking ensemble — a lady’s tuxedo that debuted in 1966 but reached peak popularity in the ensuing decade.

Yet designers haven’t stopped at ’70s references. “You’re seeing a lot of suits with a shorter trouser that hits right above the ankle with a little flare,” says Sara DiMedio, co-founder of styling consultancy Le Curate. “It’s a really nice proportion.”

DiMedio says that women are making the standard power uniform their own by going for rich brocades, embroideries and even patches. But whichever flair they choose, the fit and proportion are key. “It’s all about tailoring: a nip in the waist, a nice neckline,” she says.

“We’ve finally gotten away from thinking of the suit as a men’s piece just translated for women,” she continues. “Now, we’re thinking of it as these amazing, fashionable separates that women will actually want to wear.”