Essentials: Suits
Learn about the history and types of suits.
Written By: Logan
30 August 2023
History:
The suit can trace its origin to the French word suivre, “to follow”, where a jacket and pants are made from the same fabric. The man who brought about the very first renditions of what would become the suit is Beau Brummel (1778-1840). He established a simpler style with long pants and a coat.
The Victorian Era (1837-1901) saw the long frock coat, similar to today's overcoat. Throughout the era, the frock coat would become the morning coat, formal day wear, and the lounge suit (1850-1860), worn at home or in the country.
Moving into the Edwardian era (1902-1919), the lounge suit became more popular. The lounge suit grew into two forms, the city suit and the country suit. The city suit was traditionally darker and more formal. The country suit was traditionally earth toned and less formal.
Over the course of the 1900s and into the 2000s, we can see the evolution of the suit and how it would become what we know and love today.
How to Wear:
Today the suit is an essential item in every man's wardrobe. As nothing can beat a well made and better fitting suit. Below we will look at different ways to wear a suit.
The Everyday Man-
If you wear a suit everyday to work or once in a while, you can’t go wrong with a crisp charcoal or navy suit, white collared shirt, and an eggplant or hunter tie.
Expansion Pack-
You have your base with charcoal and navy, so what's next? Well, a nice light grey suit or a navy plaid suit is a great way to expand your wardrobe
The Summer Suit-
As the weather begins to get hotter, it is time to think about a light weight suit option. A chino suit is a lightweight and breathable option that can give a cool way to suit up in the summer heat.
The Power Suit-
Made popular by Gordon Gekko from Wall Street, the power suit consists of a bold pinstripe navy suit or windowpane charcoal suit, blue shirt with a white contrast collar, suspenders, medallion tie, and tie bar.
The Country Suit-
With its roots in the lounge suit of the 1850s-1900s a nice brown and black houndstooth suit or dark brown with black speckle suit can give you a country gentleman look.
