Jumpsuits are the best. Wear them to work and feel like you’re still in your PJs. Wear them at the weekend and waft effortlessly from park to pub to party. Wear them to a wedding and have your best night guaranteed: you’ll stand out from the sea of flowery dresses, can eat as much as the roomier waistband allows, and when the cheese (musical and/or edible) arrives, you’re ready for the floor.
But, and it’s a big butt, the catch comes when it’s time to go to the loo – a trip that becomes the world’s worst balancing act as you strip semi-naked just to pull your trousers down – but not so far down they trail on a very possibly dirty floor. This is made more perilous if you’re wearing other clothing (such as a jumper or jacket) and a bag: all of it needs to come off before you can pull your pants down. And don’t get me started on festival portaloos.
The dreaded “hover and hold” manoeuvre is what led Hetty Lawrence, 29, from London, to design a new, loo-friendly jumpsuit that addresses this issue. “I love jumpsuits,” she says. “But it infuriates me that I have to take everything off when I need the loo. The toilet at my work is freezing. I also don’t want to be out for drinks in a toilet cubicle that doesn’t lock holding my jumpsuit in one hand and the door shut with the other. All whilst squatting and trying to relax enough to pee.”
The idea of a jumpsuit with an unbuttonable, rezippable bum section came to Lawrence on a “boiling hot day”, as a stranger peered at her semi-naked form over the top of a toilet cubicle at an event. “There is no way the jumpsuit was designed with the female body in mind,” she writes on her website. “Well, maybe your body – who doesn’t look amazing in a jumpsuit? – but definitely not real, biological functions.”
Described as “a game changer for anyone who wears jumpsuits but hates how impractical they are”, Leim’s ezp jumpsuit comes in two styles, both with the bum function that involves buttons and a zip – for access and security.
The ‘Sisterhood’ style is named after the 2005 movie, The Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants (starring a pre-Gossip Girl Blake Lively). This sleeveless suit has cross-straps you can wear one of two ways. It comes in a choice of auburn or black brushed denim from India, and ivory or paprika-coloured linen from Eastern Europe, and can be worn with or without a top underneath, says Lawrence – her aim being that it’s multi-seasonal “like dungarees”.
Then there’s ‘Bringing Sexy Back’ (a nod to Justin Timberlake, who else?), which combines longer sleeves with an adjustable tie-back. This style comes in rose or navy Lyocell – a fabric made from tree bark.
Sustainability is key to the brand, which is proud of its “transparent supply chain”. Lawrence has a day job in marketing – and it shows – but a background in fashion: first at boutique denim brand MIH Jeans, then at a maternity lingerie company. This means she knows about cut but also about production lines.
The jumpsuits are made on home turf in Sheffield. “I could have used a factory in Europe, but I don’t want to be shipping them to the UK, only to send them all over the world again,” says Lawrence. “I can visit the factory – jump on the train in a day and go see them. That was really important to me. Some of the factories I saw were genuinely terrible. I was worried for the staff in those environments.”
Doing things differently doesn’t come cheap. The jumpsuits will retail between £219 and £245 in sizes ranging from UK 6 to 18. But for those who find this steep, a crowdfunder is running until 26 July – giving you the chance to pledge from as little as £1. Those who pledge more can get as much as 35% off the full price, making them £153.10 and £171.50, respectively.
The testing Lawrence did herself (“as a maker, I know what to look for”) but also roped in her friends. “I’m really lucky because they are really open. The first time I got the samples back we were going to a friend’s house for a birthday party and I literally got every girl in the room to try them in the toilet.”
Everyone looked great, she insists. But do jumpsuits really suit all shapes and sizes? I’ve heard many women saying they’re just not for them. “It’s about finding the right fit for you,” advises Lawrence, who credits adjustable straps, back-facing pockets and strategically-placed darts for making the difference.
“Normally with jumpsuits, they’ll either fit you in top half or bottom half,” she says. With Leim: “You’ve got room to breathe and freedom of movement.”
Plus no dreaded camel toe, she adds. We’re sure Fleabag would approve.