Haven’t had a chance to read the first part of the history of the suit? Check out HERE to see how it all began. If you have, here’s the continuation!
In the 1940s, the idea of rationing due to the war was reflected in fashion as well. With fabric in short supply, men’s suits became minimalist. To save material, only single-breasted suits with narrow lapels and slim trousers, without cuffs, were made (similar to what we recognize today). For the same reason, coats and overcoats fell out of favor. The only exception at the time was the zoot suit, with its excessive use of fabric, emerging as a statement in African American and Mexican communities in the United States.
In the 1950s, men’s suits returned to the familiar pre-war look, free from any austerity. However, the waistcoat in the three-piece suit began to lose popularity. At the same time, the younger segment of society started to rebel against the older generation, wearing T-shirts, jeans, and leather jackets instead of suits. For similar reasons, the Ivy League style emerged, synonymous with the sack suit. Defining features of the suit were: wide, single-breasted jackets (with three buttons), a back vent, flap pockets, no shoulder padding, and flat-front trousers. Brooks Brothers played a major role in popularizing the Ivy League style, epitomizing relaxed men’s suiting. By the late 1950s, a countercurrent arose in the form of the mod suit, characterized by slim-fit lines (see below an American sack-style jacket versus an Italian-influenced jacket).
In the 1960s, men’s suits largely continued the trends of the previous decade. Artificial fibers started to appear in fabrics, and separating the jacket fabric from the trousers gave rise to the idea of the sport jacket.
The 1970s marked a general decline in the suit. Bold fabrics and disproportionate cuts detached the suit from the notion of elegance. The waistcoat returned, but in a casual, relaxed manner (think John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever).
The 1980s, on the other hand, brought a dramatic improvement in suits with the so-called power suit. Key figures of this style included Richard Gere, as the standard image of an American gigolo, and Giorgio Armani, who widened lapels and lowered the jacket closure point. Another example of the power suit was Michael Douglas (as Gordon Gekko in Wall Street, with wardrobe by the legendary Alan Flusser). Aside from Armani’s simplified style, the richness of the power suit should be seen as a celebration of Western capitalism’s victory.
The 1990s saw a new decline in men’s suits, when fashion emphasized all the negative aspects of the previous decade, turning the suit into a clownish garment: shiny, baggy, disproportionate, and in bright colors.
The 2000s reconsidered the minimalist style of the suit, giving it the slim lines we know today (for example, innovations by Tom Ford).
Today, constantly changing fashion trends and rapidly renewed collections chosen by youth, along with the rediscovery of craftsmanship values—as a reaction against fast fashion and favored by nostalgic audiences—keep the theme alive more than ever in collective consciousness. Exploiting century-long obsessions, such as the eco-friendly trend, has led to innovations in environmentally friendly materials, gaining even more followers.
It is precisely this rediscovery of craftsmanship values that made the b project possible. Don’t know us yet, but want to see what we do? Take a look HERE.
Are you passionate about fashion and want to dive deeper into the topic? The following books will definitely be useful:
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Adina Nanu. 2007. Artă, stil, costum. Bucharest: Editura Noi Media Print.
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Adina Nanu, Ovidiu Buta. 2009. Bărbatul și moda. Iași: Editura Polirom.
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Adriana Babeți. 2004. Dandysmul: o istorie. Iași: Editura Polirom.
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Adrian-Silvan Ionescu. 2006. Modă și societate urbană în România epocii moderne. Bucharest: Editura Paideia.
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Bernhard Roetzel. 2009. Gentleman: ghidul etern al modei masculine. Bucharest: Noi Distribuție. Konigswinter: Tandem Verlag.
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Doina Berchină. 1998. Mic dicționar subiectiv de modă contemporană. Bucharest: Editura Nemira.
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László Nagy. 2015. Stil Masculin: cum să te îmbraci bine și să plătești mai puțin. Cluj-Napoca: Editura Mega.
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Nicolas Schiffer. 2018. Stilul vestimentar masculin contemporan. Oradea: Editura Casa.
