The decline of American formal dress throughout the decades
If you ever looked at photos from the early 1900s, you’ll see that practically everyone is wearing a suit in public. But if you look at photos today, almost nobody is wearing a suit. So why did people stop wearing suits? To find out, we’ll first have to analyze the suit’s evolution.
Before WWI, having a black or grey three-piece suit, striped trousers, a tie, and a bowler hat was essential for a man’s dress. After WWI, the style remained, as it symbolized a secure, nice life that so many soldiers daydreamed about during the war:
After WWII, millions of returning soldiers wore the “demob” clothing, which consisted of the following: underwear, jacket, trousers, shirt, overcoat, hat, socks, and shoes:
Generally, these suits were very high quality, made from Scotch tweed suits. These suits also coincided with the post-war era’s culture of conservatism, with many working men wearing two-piece suits daily in cities and towns.
This conservative look radically changed during the 1960s. The 1960’s counter-culture saw the “peaco*ck” revolution, which gave designers many ways to experiment with suits’ colors, textures, and patterns:
These colorful suits appear to signal the end of formal dress in western countries. But this isn’t necessarily the case. Western men began dressing “casually” years ago, dating back to the 1910s. The 1910s saw the introduction of the Norfolk suit, a distinctive coat with deep pleats front and back:
