We are gathered here today to mourn the suit – at least, according to a recent YouGov survey. Pollsters report that only 7% of workers say they wear business attire in the office, and a quarter say that they only ever wear casual clothes to work. So, is it time to put away the Moss Bros and tidy away the tie-pins? Not exactly.
The suit is undergoing a bit of a style rebirth. Witness band of the moment Boygenius opting for suit and tie for their recent Saturday Night Live performance, the Euphoria actor Jacob Elordi wearing a sublime Burberry three-piece at the Saltburn premiere or GQ dressing Kim Kardashian for its Men of the Year cover in a blazer from The Row. Meanwhile, almost every woman I know has acquired a pair of Wasp-y loafers that wouldn’t have looked out of place on Wall Street in the 80s.
Why is the suit and its accoutrements suddenly in vogue? These days, the rich and powerful wear athleisure (see: Mark Zuckerberg or Rishi Sunak’s much-maligned collection of hoodies). It’s a way of signalling that they are still in touch with us commoners or, conversely, to communicate that typical clothing norms simply don’t apply to them. So dressing up in their former uniform of choice feels subversive; cheeky, even – just look up Janelle Monáe’s comically oversized Thom Browne suit at this year’s Met Gala. In a world ruled by dressed-down elites, maybe one way to rebel is to fix up and look sharp.
• Zing Tsjeng is an author and freelance journalist
