The triumphant return of the suit – and why dressing down is no longer ‘cool’
“Putting on a beautiful suit elevates my spirit, extols my sense of self and helps define me as a man to whom details matter,” said Gay Talese, the beautifully articulate (and beautifully dressed) 92-year-old New York writer who famously dresses in immaculate tailoring each day, if only to write at his desk at home. For Talese, it’s a matter of having a sense of pride in his appearance.
It’s a pity that so many men haven’t followed suit with their suits in recent years. The lingering effect of the pandemic’s work from home mandates combined with the rising tide of casualisation in men’s wardrobes has meant that a dress down approach is the norm for most British men these days, but change is afoot.
Marks & Spencer this week reported a steady rise in sales of suits, emphasising that it’s Gen Zers especially who are happily suiting up. “So far this year we’ve sold over a million suits and ties,” says Mitch Hughes, the retailer’s Menswear Director. “We are now delivering more innovation in tailoring. A great suit can be the hardest working piece in a man’s wardrobe.”
Perhaps it was inevitable that the faithful old suit would make a comeback given they have been a stalwart in men’s wardrobes for centuries; reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated in the past. It’s a particular volte face for M&S; back in 2021 the trusty British stalwart announced that it was stopping selling suits across half of its 245 stores, citing the need to “be more relevant to customers’ rapidly changing needs”. Sales of formalwear had dropped by 72 per cent thanks to men no longer requiring it for the office; out went the suit, in came the slouch.
But it seems an encouraging fightback is taking place across the board, from high street retailers to the rarefied environs of Savile Row and beyond. “There’s a return to the power of tailoring and a sense of refined classicism” Dunhill’s creative director Simon Holloway told me after the label’s most recent show. “It’s about elevating how men dress and enjoying dressing up.” Holloway has made it his mission as steward of the historic house to emphasise the power and finesse of proper British tailoring, from splendid morning suits to sumptuous evening wear.
It’s encouraging, because a suit can be a thing of quiet majesty; the gentle crest of a peak shoulder, the precise angularity of a lapel. I’m always astounded by its architectural ability to change a man’s physicality too; shoulders stronger, back upright, imbuing a sense of confidence and purpose. A man who’s put on a suit has made an active choice to do so; it’s a statement of sartorial intent. Not to mention what a good tailor can do to the frame, manipulating your shape to work to your advantage.
There’s an excellent storyline in hit US series The Bear in which one character, the scrappy Ritchie, steps up to take on more responsibility in the restaurant that the show’s centred around. And it’s tailoring that helps him find his way and finesse his new sense of himself; “I wear suits now,” he says definitively.
There’s a transformative effect to slipping on a suit. Of course, this wasn’t news to our fathers and grandfathers; time was when a man would never dream of stepping out without a pristine suit, usually three piece and worn with the full accoutrement of cufflinks, collar stays and properly polished shoes (Sunday night was shoe polishing night in my grandparents’ house). It was a mark of respect and masculine appropriateness.
Of course, suits have changed their stance over the decades since, expanding and contracting to the whims of fashion; the Cary Grants and Fred Astaires in their soft-fit grey flannel, the skinnier cuts of the 70s, the blousy 90s and more recently, a swing between two different forms of suiting. In one corner, the relaxed and informal easy tailoring from the likes of Italian titans like Giorgio Armani and Zegna, and in the other the rather more everyday (and rather cheap looking) iterations in spray-on tight proportions, as evident on much of the British high street.
The suit’s return among young men in particular is notable and the reasons are myriad. Part of it is the rise in casual attire amongst Gen X; their dads are the ones in trainers, jeans and hoodies and so the dress down approach is no longer “cool” – no one wants to wear the same cult T-shirt from one of the cool skater brands like Palace or Aries that their grey-around-the-temples father is also wearing. The other element is pop culture; see the popularity of Peaky Blinders and its 1930s tailoring – a masculine “in” for guys who might previously have been put off by the fussiness of a suit; David Beckham in sharp, biscuit-hued tailoring still influences how the British man dresses. Madonna’s son Rocco Ritchie is a prime example, too; at 24 he dresses in splendid, traditional suiting – tweeds, waistcoats and Eldridge knots. He’s a fan of The Rake magazine, which is a champion of old school sartorialism.
The other element, as much as the everyman might decry the influence of the catwalks, is fashion. As a counterpoint to the streetwear effect that dominated for over a decade, it made sense that the needle would shift to something more refined and elevated after years of giant trainers and saggy cargo trousers. See the princely suits that Ralph Lauren has always done with such flair in his pursuit of all things preppy, or the move towards serious suits – structured shoulders, sharp waists – worn with shirts and ties (actual ties!) at Saint Laurent and Dolce & Gabbana. This has created a trickle effect which has now reached the everyman.
There have also been seismic shifts in how men wear suits today. Of course, there’s a pleasing sense of ceremony to the full stately affair, but today suits are worn in a much more fluid and dynamic way. Men no longer sit behind a mahogany desk smoking cigars; suits need to be more agile and versatile. Paul Smith was a pioneer in this respect, crafting suits in technical materials designed for cycling (one of the marvellous Sir Paul’s passions). “The perception of suits has changed,” says tailor Kathryn Sargent. “It’s no longer an item for bankers or guys in the City, it’s men seeing guys like George Clooney wear one with an undone collar and choosing to dress up for a dinner. It’s opting to wear one for the pleasure it brings, rather than having to wear one for work. Plus a man just looks better in a suit,” says Sargent, who notes that her young nephew is a fan of tailoring over sportswear. “Suits are no longer worn as a way of conforming as they were in the past,” says Paul Walker, co-founder of Walker Slater. “And I think it’s become more widely acceptable to wear in less formal settings.”
As it happens, I write this very article wearing a bespoke suit with a T-shirt – it takes the uprightness out of it, I find – and today you’re as likely to see a man with a sleek polo neck underneath as you are with the traditional shirt and tie. The particularly rakish, debonair stylist William Gilchrist wears a suit with just an evening scarf underneath
Of course, Savile Row is the peerless bench mark in suiting; the street is a byword for sartorial excellence and generations of tailoring expertise have been trained within its hallowed halls. But it’s also worth exploring new, innovative names in tailoring; Saman Amel is a Swedish tailor making soft-fit suiting with a Scandi, minimalist touch; see also P Johnson, an Australian designer with a knack for lightly structured suits in subtle colours. The high street’s also evolved in this respect, not just at M&S but at places such as Arket and Suit Supply, which offers a tailoring service if you ask in store.
The suit, coincidentally, is also one of the most sustainable items of clothing around, if you opt for one in proper British or Italian wool and think of the cost per wear, having it mended here and there over the years, as King Charles does with his regal Anderson & Sheppard suits. It’s time to put your best foot – and your best suit – forward.
