All for one

Jumpsuits, playsuits, bodysuits: fashion designers have been trying to make onesies "happen" for several seasons now, bless their souls. Since around 2006 actually. They're still floating around the collections, and set to continue into summer, appearing in new season collections from Deborah Sweeney, Nom*D, Juliette Hogan and Kate Sylvester.

But just like Gretchen Wieners trying to make "fetch" happen in Mean Girls, all-in-ones just haven't really taken off. And despite the unrelenting efforts of some of our favourite designers and the proclamations of genius from fashion magazines, they probably never will.

Why is this? Are they just too goddamn fashion forward for us non-designer types to grasp? Well, the obvious and somewhat crude must be pointed out here: it's hard to do your business in an all in one, something that designer Stella McCartney discovered when she wore a lace jumpsuit to the Met gala earlier this year. "I had to have a girlfriend take me in and out of it every time I had to go to the bathroom," said the designer who has long been a fan of the jumpsuit, featuring them in almost all of her recent collections. "I love them because they're just so effortless. I think that pretty much sums up my brand." Of course, the idea of having to have a girlfriend help you get in and out of your clothes every time you want to do a wee doesn't exactly scream "effortless".

The other problem with onesies is that they can border terrifyingly into "paedo-chic" material, especially the romper or playsuit styles. All-in-ones and rompers sound like the outfit of choice for babies and toddlers, not mature, intelligent women. Suri Cruise would look adorable in one, but Katie Holmes' recent white silk strapless jumpsuit looked, well, stupid.

Of course, despite all of this - time-consuming, infantile, the high possibility of camel toe - jumpsuits, bodysuits and playsuits can actually look pretty cool, in that casual and nonchalant kind of way. Bodysuits look fantastic worn under jeans or high-waisted skirts; American Apparel does a great backless one, and cult Australian label Lover have offered several including a stand-out sheer lace number with bodice detailing. Twentysevennames has also done a lace bodysuit for summer that would look great layered. But do not simply wear a bodysuit under a jacket a la Marc Jacobs pictured here, unless you are a) a model or b) Lady Gaga. Playsuits or rompers can look cute when worn casually with sneakers on a summer's day, although I'd move forward tentatively with these. Jumpsuits are another breed altogether, made to be worn bold and by themselves like the pictured yellow Etro number, like a visitor to Studio 54 in the 1970s (heels are a must). Stella McCartney's casual jumpsuits are especially alluring; several appear in her recent resort collection, from the aforementioned lace jumpsuit to more flowing, disco-style suits to tailored and cropped suits. I can see the appeal in simply stepping into something, zipping it up and, ta da, you're ready. And while they certainly don't deserve to be described as "effortless", there is a reason why all in ones have been described as being "as easy to wear as a dress".