fashion history - the suit

A suit for every occasion

Since arriving in men’s wardrobes 400 years ago, the suit has become an unbeatable staple. Although styles have come and gone according to new tastes and fashions, the basic combination of coat/jacket, waistcoat and trousers/breeches has changed very little.

Coats went from knee-length in the 1670s to hip-length jackets of the 20th century; waistcoats, also long at first, rose up to the waistline by the late 18th century; and breeches got replaced by long trousers by the early 19th century. Cuts alternated between slim fit and loose, and materials went from rich and heavy silks to plain woollen cloths. But through all these variations, you can still find men around the world wearing a three-piece suit.

In the first half of the 19th century, it was fashionable to wear mismatched coats, trousers and waistcoats, both in colour and material. Fashionable men could be seen wearing checked or striped trousers with dark, plain coats. Also during this period, fine woollen cloth became the number one choice for materials. It is more pliable than silk and so easier to achieve the perfect fit.

As the century progressed, daywear became ever more sombre, with strict sartorial rules dictating how men dressed for every occasion. For formal daywear men wore black, dark grey or dark blue plain cloth, while brown or green tweeds were kept to country clothes. Brown was a big no-no in the city. Eveningwear was always dark blue or black, while brighter patterns were restricted to an informal lounge suit. This comprised a long single-breasted jacket and four pockets – two flap ones at the hips, an outside breast pocket and an inside ticket pocket.

As we have already seen, the frock coat, popularised by Prince Albert in the mid-19th century, epitomised the Victorian idea of respectability for the upper, middle and professional classes. Combined with a top hat, it was seen in most formal occasions, from the theatre to the Law Courts. By the 1890s, its supremacy started to fade, rivalled by the morning coat. In 1897 the magazine The Tailor and Cutter noted, ‘Despite the popularity of the Lounge and the dressiness of the Frock, there are a very large section who desire a garment between the two, something that shall be dressy without being formal; stylish without being stiff. These features are found in the Morning Coat.’

The morning coat was single-breasted (unlike the double-breasted frock coat) with the front edges curving back from the waist to a slightly longer back. It could be worn either with matching trousers and waistcoat, or with patterned trousers and contrasting waistcoat, but still only for morning or business wear. At the end of the working day elite men were still required to change into evening wear.

With the start of the new century, menswear reached the high point of its modern history. The Edwardian period in general was a time of great opulence, gaiety and frivolity both for men and women, inspired by King Edward VII (1901-10) and his consort Queen Alexandra. Both were very stylish and loved beautiful clothes. Prince Albert once remarked about his son that ‘he took no interest in anything but clothes, even out shooting he was more concerned with his trousers than with the game’. He was always perfectly dressed for every occasion he attended, changing a dozen times in a single day if necessary. He used to get annoyed if others did not follow his sartorial dedication and would reproach anybody that was incorrectly dressed.

After the First World War, society had changed dramatically and so did fashion. Menswear became more informal, influenced in part by the increasing interest in sports. Formal clothes were just too stiff and impractical. Alternatives were introduced for different activities: flannel shirt with soft collar for cricket or cycling and the reefer jacket for yachting.

Soon, even the most formal outfits became softer and looser. The frock coat was confined to ceremonial events, the races and weddings, while the morning coat replaced it for formal day or business wear. The lounge suit was upgraded to most day activities, and the combination of sports jackets and flannel trousers was worn for informal occasions.

This new phase of informality in menswear was championed by the young Prince of Wales (later Edward VIII (abdicated 1936) and finally Duke of Windsor). Like his grandfather, Edward VII, the Prince of Wales was passionate about clothes and through his life popularised many new fashions. He is credited for helping to introduce sports clothing to the city and for bringing tartan back to the forefront of fashion in the 1950s.

He was also extremely particular about how he wanted his clothes to be made. All were bespoke. He worked closely with his tailors to get all of the details just the way he wanted them. Coats were usually made by the London tailor Scholte, while the trousers were cut in America. He explained ‘I never had a pair of trousers made by Scholte, I disliked the cut of them; they were made, as English trousers usually are, to be worn with braces high above the waist. So preferring as I did to wear a belt rather than braces with trousers, in the American style, I invariably had them made by another tailor.’

As the 20th century came to close, menswear had become increasingly informal, with sports clothes and the popularised jeans being worn for most day and informal occasions. Still, the suit continues to hold its spot in men’s wardrobes across the world.

The Duke of Windsor

The Duke of Windsor began life as the heir to the throne and Prince of Wales. He became King Edward VIII in 1936 before abdicating to marry the divorcee Wallis Simpson.

At the time monarchs were forbidden from marrying divorcees, and so his abdication caused quite a scandal. After his time as king, he was given the title of Duke of Windsor and remained a royal prince until his death in 1972.He's perhaps the most famous stylish royal dresser of the 20th century. his fashions show the relaxation of men's fashion that was happening in the 1920s through the 1930s and into the 1940s. And the Prince of Wales, Duke of Windsor, was a key part in that. Many people saw him as a fashion leader and as an innovator. He sometimes questioned whether he himself was an innovator and was quite modest about his status as a fashion leader. But, definitely, he was interested in fashion. And, definitely, a lot of people took notice of him, as well. He was widely photographed and what he wore was talked about and copied and imitated.

there's a story, that he invented the Windsor knot  he was aware that it was a legend associated with him. But he himself put the record straight and stated that he didn't, in fact, invent it. But what's interesting is it's a very wide knot it's a way of making quite the slim tie look quite full. And he didn't wear a Windsor knot. What he did, instead, was he wore a four-in-hand. And if you've ever been to a British school, you'll know how to do a four-in-hand because it's the basic tie knot. it gives a slightly more relaxed, asymmetric knot. But he did like quite a wide knot at his neckline.

he was very specific with the cut of his trousers, as well. So Scholte's trousers were in the English style. They were worn high-waisted with braces. The Duke of Windsor didn't really like that style. He found braces uncomfortable. He preferred American-style trousers, which were held up with a belt. And you can see the belt loops here. So the Duke, when he was Prince of Wales, had these trousers made by a different London tailor, Forster & Son. And he took this to real extremes later in his life, post-war, where he discovers a tailor in New York who cuts trousers really beautifully in the American style.so the Duke has his trousers made in New York and his coats made in London. So his suits are transatlantic. You can see on the trousers, as well, other details which show that the Duke really wanted to get his clothes just right. So the turn ups, for instance. We know his father, George V, hated turn ups. And when he saw his son coming in wearing turn ups, he said, oh, is it raining today? So it's another way that the Prince of Wales is asserting, really, his own identity. A little bit of rebellion. And when you start looking in detail at his clothing, you see all the little features that would have made him always look his absolute best. So if you look, the trousers and the plus fours both have a little button at the front here, a mother-of-pearl button. The button on the trousers would have attached to this little tab on the shirt. I also like, with these plus fours-- because they're designed for sporting-- where you have a detachable lining.  he was trying to make clothing more relaxed. So partly, that's through wearing these very comfortable country fabrics. But it's also seen in his shirts, as well, with a soft, fold-down collar rather than starched, separate collar. He absolutely hates starched fronts on dinner suits and tries to change that, as well, and have soft fronts on his shirts, instead.

 In his personal wardrobe, there's a lot of continuity between the clothes he was wearing as Prince of Wales and the clothes he was wearing after his abdication as Duke of Windsor. The clothes he was wearing as Prince of Wales in the 1930s were still hanging in his wardrobe in the 1970s, and he wore them across his life. But what people noticed was that his style and his household appeared very formal later in his life. Winston Churchill, who visited him in Paris, says, you could barely get him to put on a black coat when he was Prince of Wales. And now, it's all formal liveries in his household.