The Rise and Fall of the Suit

Of all the non-traditional portraits, my hands down favorite is the shoe portrait. Who knew that feet can be so expressive and quirky! I love the electric blue stilettos, the sparkly Toms, the bright yellow rain boots! But today we'll talk about the men; I've noticed something recently: male casual wear. I had chalked up the occasional converse sneakers as a style outlier, but the trend began to creep upwards. Here was the bride is a big beautiful wedding gown, and dude, where's your suit jacket?

I admit I was a bit peeved at first. I think guys are adorable all gussied up and I was terrified that some day it would be the norm for the women to show up in formal gowns and the men to show up in T-shirts and ripped jeans. Is the suit and the tux going extinct?

That's what I thought until I did a little research and learned that as long as the suit has existed, men's fashion seems to have moved in an increasingly casual direction.

The business suit of today emerged in the early 19th century when British dandy Beau Brummel adapted and popularized this style. Suddenly, right and left, men were discarding their brightly colored knee breeches and wigs and wearing long trousers, shirts, and elaborately knotted neck cloths in muted colors.
The Victorians made it even more somber by adding dark colors into the mix. The longer frock coat and tail coat was used for formal and business occasions. Back then, the morning coat, which is the same length as a suit jacket, was seen as informal! But in a move that probably scandalized the older generation, the morning jacket gradually gained popularity and towards the end of the 19th century, had become the new formalwear. At the same time, the dinner jacket aka the tuxedo jacket also evolved.

If your man wants to be a rebel, the best way to do it is by dressing up, not down.
Posted by Natalie T.

Photo Credit: The Loveliest Day