<\/p>\n
An 1886 depiction of Regency-era dandy Beau Brummell.<\/span> Pictorial Press Ltd\/ Alamy<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
The suit, as we know it, came from King Charles II’s announcement in 1666 to the elite of the English court that he would teach them to be fashionable, starting with the vest. (A long coat, a petticoat, a cravat, a wig, knee breeches and a hat were all optional extras.) According to a 1928 New York Times article, in the early 19th century, Beau Brummell, a British dandy and friend of Prince George of Wales, “took the epitome of elegance from frills and brocade and put it into starched neckwear and sober coats of immaculate cut.” Alessandro Sartori, 59, Zegna’s Italian artistic director, says Brummell “introduced the idea of \u200b\u200bbeing chic and elegant.” “Before him, everything was decorative, with many more elements per costume. Brummell wore a top hat, but he was starting to clean up the silhouette into what we have today. He used darker colors for jackets and many of the elements we’re still working with, like light-colored pants with boots or lace-up shoes.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
2. Lounge Suite<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Australian boxer Peter Jackson, photographed in 1889.<\/span> London Stereoscopic Company\/Hulton Archive\/Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
In the late 19th century, the lounge suit, an alternative to formal Victorian dress, consisting of long trousers, a waistcoat or vest (often elaborately decorated) and a short coat, became popular. “It was more or less a modern silhouette,” says Sartori. “A regular-length jacket with matching pants and top.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
3. Zoot Suit <\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Cab Calloway in “Stormy Weather” (1943).<\/span> Pictorial Press Ltd\/ Alamy<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
The 1940s saw the dominance of the zoot suit, characterized by a long, loose jacket with padded shoulders and high-waisted skinny trousers. “Artist Cab Calloway (who appeared in a white zoot suit in the 1943 film ‘Stormy Weather’) popularized this look, which began with Harlem drape-suit tailors and was adopted by Mexican American tailors in Los Angeles,” says New York-based designer Willie Chavarria, 58. Strong, strong shoulders, a slim waist and loose pants with a slight taper at the ankle and a cuff that accentuates your shoes. It represents people who were being terribly attacked and abused during the racist tragedy that was and still is in America. The zoot suit eventually translated into Chicano culture, then Latin culture, then skate culture, and then into baggier clothing and then several decades later it was translated into (Demna) Balenciaga.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
4. ‘American Gigolo’<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Richard Gere in “American Gigolo” (1980).<\/span> Collection Christoffel \/ Alamy<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
In 1980, Italian designer Giorgio Armani dressed American actor Richard Gere in soft, unstructured suits for his role in “American Gigolo.” “I remember seeing the movie and being blown away,” says Todd Snyder, a 58-year-old New York-based designer. “Who is this person? I want to be a designer like him someday.” Snyder says Armani already understood how to use the power of Hollywood to change fashion. “Now you have the Tom Fords of the world. But he was the first.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
5. Fractured shoulder<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
A scene from Giorgio Armani’s spring 1989 advertising campaign.<\/span> Courtesy of Giorgio Armani. Photo by Aldo Falli<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
Then, in the 1990s, Armani dressed everyone else. “He created a completely different aesthetic,” says Sartori. “He rebuilt the shoulder, making it rounder, lighter and more natural\u2014not thick and padded. His jackets were longer, and he introduced a new color palette with beige and gray.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
6. Style Suit<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Gianni Agnelli, photographed in the 1970s.<\/span> Crollalanza\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
Around the same time, Italian industrialist Gianni Agnelli and American designer Ralph Lauren encouraged men to experiment. “There was Agnelli, with his checked blazers and trousers of a different pattern, and Ralph, with his ripped jeans and British-inspired blazers,” says Italian designer Brunello Cucinelli, 72. He had a beautiful, tailored suit, but he introduced a taste for mixing and matching.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
7. Shrunken Suit<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Thom Browne photographed wearing one of his 2003-style suits.<\/span> Courtesy Thom Browne<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
In 2003, American designer Thom Browne presented his first ready-to-wear collection during New York Fashion Week, which included his signature shrunken gray suits. “He’s a master of what he does and deserves a lot of credit, but it was already happening,” says Snyder, especially at Comme des Gar\u00e7ons Homme Plus, where in the 1990s the brand’s founder, Rie Kawakubo, introduced crinkled boiled-wool suits with raw edges. But even if Brown didn’t invent slimmer suiting, he “definitely pioneered the moment.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
8. Slim suit<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n
<\/p>\n
Jon Hamm as a 1960s advertising executive in “Mad Men” (2007\u201315).<\/span> amc<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/figure>\n
<\/p>\n
With the success of the TV show “Mad Men” (2007\u201315), slimmer suiting made a comeback. \u201cI was the head of menswear at J.Crew at the time,\u201d says Snyder. “In 2008, I designed the Ludlow (the suit, with a lightly padded jacket over the shoulders) to embody the ‘Mad Men’ era. Don Draper’s character was cool and confident with swagger. The suit became slimmer \u2013 the armholes went higher and the chest, lapel and tie all got narrower.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
These interviews have been edited and condensed.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n\nMore in Fashion<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n see the rest of the issue<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
How to do be cultured menu outfit 1. dandy An 1886 depiction of Regency-era dandy Beau Brummell. Pictorial Press Ltd\/ Alamy The suit, as we know it, came from King Charles II’s announcement in 1666 to the elite of the English court that he would teach them to be fashionable, starting with the vest. (A<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":74952,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[22719,22718,22720,4562],"class_list":["post-74945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-daily-bread","tag-armani","tag-dandies","tag-reinvented","tag-suit"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=74945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":74953,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/74945\/revisions\/74953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/74952"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=74945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=74945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/christiancorner.us\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=74945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}