For a while now suits have been falling out of favour. Indeed, over the last year or two, in common with most men, I found myself reaching less often for a suit. The acceptance of casual looks at work, dress-down Fridays, fewer ties, the rising popularity for comfortable 'athleisure' clothes and now covid lockdowns, are causes and symptoms of this change.
I would say at this point that this is a revision of a feature I posted in February 2020 just before the covid lockdown added to the suit's woes. Working from home, furloughed workers and the closure of offices meant that most suits have remained unworn for months, adding to doubts over its future.
But my view now is the same one I expressed a year ago: the suit isn't yet dead. For the right sort of suit there is a future post-covid.
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| Suits informal or casual and formal (image on right The Sartorialist) |
The decline of the suit
Well before covid many menswear brands offered high-priced trainers and 'athletic' leisure wear - such as cashmere tracksuits - to an audience that no longer sees the suit as a symbol of competence and power. Fashion is no longer just about marketing high status clothes, but transposing the humble to high end. Trainers, sportswear and jeans, with the right label, judicious marketing and a high price tag, become objects of status and desire.
In my former life as a lawyer I wouldn't have dreamed of seeing a client without wearing a suit. But the expectations of clients and customers changed and the uniform of the professional and tech giant boss alike has become more casual: jeans and roll neck will do.
As ever consumers are heavily influenced by what others wear, particularly public figures. The former US President was hardly an encouragement to suit wearing and few celebrities are seen in them. When they do wear a suit, it's generally been styled by a professional stylist, giving a contrived and awkward look.
As consumers have turned from suits they've lost the art of feeling comfortable in tailored and structured clothing. Our grandfathers looked comfortable in suits and hats because they wore them every day. Nowadays men seem cowed by the formality and have forgotten how to relax in tailored clothing - and the events of the last year have only accelerated this change.
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| "A man looks best in a suit when he feels relaxed wearing it" - see below |
Personal stylist, Sarah Gilfillan of SartoriaLab advises men on their wardrobes, styling and clothing choices. She tells me that:
"The suit is becoming something men choose to wear instead of having to. They may not need to wear one for work any more but enjoy choosing one for other occasions, like a wedding. I’m often shopping with clients where we take a side step from a business suit, and try out something just a little different in terms of the cloth, colour and accessories."
Eric Musgrave, author of Sharp Suits (below), a book that should be in every sartorialist's library, says:
"Sales of suits have been declining since the late 1950s and will continue to do so. For most men today, the suit is unknown, an irrelevance to their lifestyle. Conversely, to a much smaller group, the suit is a very important choice and a carefully considered purchase, hence the rise in interest in made-to-measure options and, for those who can afford it, bespoke. Suit wearers are becoming almost like a secret society or a private club. And they are ready to try new (or, more accurately, revived) options of this reliable style option".
Last year Chris Modoo, founder of Kit Blake which sells its tailored trousers and coats through The Rake, told me,
"The suit, and by that I mean the matching lounge suit, has become formal wear with only limited use. We will see more mixing up of styles with casual elements blended into tailored looks. I would like to see a return to proper clothing: proper trousers, real shoes and quality shirts & knitwear - real clothing for grown-ups".
Despite these views I believe that, as a classic menswear staple, the suit will survive - as it has done for several centuries. Popularity will wax and wane and the challenge for those whose job it is to sell suits is to find how to weather the present storm.
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| Sharp Suits by Eric Musgrave |
Can the suit be saved by the 'casual suit'?
I believe that the answer for those selling suits lies in the problem. As Eric Musgrave suggests above, men are ready for a new form of the suit. I suggest that, if men are looking for more relaxed garments, the 'casual suit', as I call it, provides an answer. Men seldom have to wear a suit now, so the traditional dark and possibly rather boring business suit can now transform into something more exciting, sexy and fun to wear. Men will become tired of post-covid casual wear and many are already looking forward to slipping into sharp tailoring again. Already men are appearing on Instagram wearing their dusted-off suits to show that there is life after Zoom call informal.
Tailoring the suit in an unstructured way gives a looser feel and outline and will make it very comfortable to wear - as much so as jeans and knitwear. Suits don't have to be constructed from crisp highly formal cloths like flannel and mohair. Colour and pattern were frowned on in the business suit, but we are now free to use them in softer, comfortable fabrics with unstructured shapes. A man looks best in a suit when he feels relaxed wearing it and having the freedom to select comfort and style opens up many possibilities.
"James Bond is happy saving the world in a corduroy suit, rather than a track suit, and this should be an example to us all"
The very structured English suit, with its padded shoulders and chest, exaggerates the formal and less relaxed nature of the suit. Many of us are turning to a more Italian, softer and less structured garment. Suits can be made to feel less restricting and lighter to wear.
James Bond is happy saving the world in a corduroy suit, rather than a track suit, and this should be an example to us all. Bond's softly tailored, unlined, sand-coloured Massimo Alba suit in the long, long awaited No Time To Die is a fine example of the new casual suit.
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| Daniel Craig in an unstructured narrow wale corduroy suit from Massimo Alba in No Time To Die |
Corduroy, cotton, linen and tweeds are cloths which don't take a sharply ironed crease, but which relax around the wearer so that s/he doesn't have to worry about the suit losing shape and structure. You may have read about my Cordings of Piccadilly corduroy suit (see here). Its soft and unstructured shape allows me to wear it while lying on the sofa to read a book without my worrying I'm ruining its look.
"One way to sell the suit is as separates; sell a man a comfortable smart-casual jacket and he's... in the market for matching trousers.Without thinking about it he has a suit that is three things in one"
If consumers can be persuaded that suits aren't just for formal wear and that they can be garments to be worn casually, a new market opens up for them. This style will be attractive to men looking for smarter yet comfortable looks as an antidote to covid lockdown sloppiness. One way to sell the suit is as separates; sell a man a comfortable smart-casual jacket and he's likely to be in the market for matching trousers. Without thinking about it he has a suit that is three things in one.
I'd say that the demise of the suit is exaggerated. Sales have dropped and indeed disappeared over the last year, but the move to the the informal or casual suit will save the day. Speaking to tailors I hear that men (and women) are beating on tailor's doors again looking for a new kind of suit. Encouraged by the move to high quality, sustainable clothing, we look for the longevity of skilfully made tailoring rather than the more ephemeral quality of off-the-peg affordability.
Please join the discussion by emailing me or by messaging me through Instagram.
Note: This is a revision of a feature I first posted in February 2020.
