Suit: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Western business attire of matching jacket and trousers}}

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{{About|the clothing}}

{{Redirect|Suit and tie|the song by Justin Timberlake|Suit & Tie}} }}

[[File:Matt Smith on "Christopher And His Kind" set.jpg|thumb|Actor [[Matt Smith]] wearing a traditional English suit.]]

 

 

Suits are offered in different designs and constructions. Cut and cloth, whether two- or three-piece, single- or double-breasted, vary, in addition to various [[Fashion accessory|accessories]]. A two-piece suit has a jacket and trousers; a three-piece suit adds a waistcoat.<ref>Flusser (2002). p. 146</ref> Hats were almost always worn outdoors (and sometimes indoors) with all men's clothes until the [[counterculture of the 1960s]] in [[Western culture]]. Informal suits have been traditionally worn with a [[fedora]], a [[trilby]], or a [[flat cap]]. Other accessories include handkerchief, [[suspenders]] or belt, watch, and jewelry.

 

===Trousers===

 

Trouser width has varied considerably throughout the decades. In the 1920s, trousers were straight-legged and wide-legged, with a standard width at the cuff of {{convert|23|in|cm}}. After 1935, trousers began to be tapered in at the bottom half of the leg. Trousers remained wide at the top of the leg throughout the 1940s. By the 1950s and 1960s, a more slim look had become popular. In the 1970s, suit makers offered a variety of styles of trousers, including flared, bell bottomed, wide-legged, and more traditional tapered trousers. In the 1980s, these styles disappeared in favor of tapered, slim-legged trousers.

 

== Etiquette ==

{{Further|Informal wear}}

 

===Buttoning the suit jacket===

|image2=Australian Football Awards (6210387037).jpg

|caption2=The bottom button of a single-breasted suit coat is left unfastened.}}

The buttoning of the jacket is primarily determined by the ''button stance'', a measure of how high the buttons are in relation to the natural waist. In some (now unusual) styles where the buttons are placed high, the tailor would have intended the suit to be buttoned differently from the more common lower stance. Nevertheless, some general guidelines are given here.

 

 

===Women===

{{See also|Pantsuit}}

Suit-wearing etiquette for women generally follows the same guidelines used by men, with a few differences and more flexibility.

 

 

Women's suits come in a larger variety of colours, such as darks, pastels, and gem colours.

For many men who do not wear suits for work, particularly in Western society, wearing a suit is reserved for special occasions, such as weddings, funerals, court appearances, and other more formal social events. Hence, because they are not a daily outfit for most men, they are often viewed as being "stuffy" and uncomfortable. The combination of a tie, belt and waistcoat can be tight and restrictive compared to contemporary casual wear, especially when these are purchased at minimal cost and quality for rare occasions, rather than being made to be worn comfortably. This tendency became prevalent enough that the [[Christian Science Monitor]] reported that a heavy jacket combined with a necktie and flimsy slacks was "a design that guarantees that its wearer will be uncomfortable" at any temperature.<ref>[http://features.csmonitor.com/environment/2009/09/05/to-save-power-bangladesh-bans-suits-and-ties/ To save power, Bangladesh bans suits and ties], ''The Christian Science Monitor'', September 5, 2009</ref> During the late 1960s and early 1970s, men's suits became less commonly worn, in much the same way that skirts and dresses were dropped by many women in favour of trousers. This was seen as a liberation from the conformity of earlier periods and occurred concurrently with the [[women's liberation movement]].

 

 

===East and South Asia===

** [[Business casual]]

 

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==External links==

{{Commons category|Suits}}

* {{Cite web |work=Fashion, Jewellery & Accessories

|publisher= [[Victoria and Albert Museum]]

|title= Introduction to 18th-century fashion

|access-date= 2008-08-06}}

 

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