A GUIDE TO SUITS FOR MEN
Why ZODIAC Makes The Best Suits
What To Look For When You’re Buying A Men’s Suit
ZODIAC uses only the finest pure wool fabrics in Super 160’s and 140’s count to craft our men’s suits. Our Italian inspired men’s suits and jackets are perfectly balanced, thereby ensuring that they do not weigh heavy on the shoulders of the wearer.
ZODIAC’s men’s formal jackets are meticulously constructed with half canvas lining made from genuine horsehair used only by high-end suit makers. This ensures an unmatched drape. Moreover, the arm hole joints are hand-stitched, making our suits for men easier to move in. We use only the finest Cupro fibre, sourced from Bemberg for the lining in our ready-to-wear and made-to-measure men’s suits. This ensures that your ZODIAC suit is breathable offers comfort and gives a confident fall and drape.
We use Corozo buttons on our ready-to-wear and made-to-measure
men’s suit jackets and trousers. These buttons are crafted from the nut of a tropical palm grown only in the Ecuadorian rain forests and are the epitome of a luxury men’s formal jacket.
Why Is A Men’s Suit Called A Suit?
The word “suits” is derived from the French term “suivre” which means “to follow.” To explain this clearly, in suits for men, the suit jacket follows the pant or the other way around. So, men’s formal suits were initially meant to be a jacket and a pair of pants in a matching fabric and color.
The History of Men’s Suits
The 19th Century: The French Revolution & Beau Brummell’s Suit
Many aspects of classic suits for men are traced back to Beau Brummell, a 19th century English gent who was heavily influenced by the French royalty prior to the French revolution. Post the revolution and its negativity, many English gentlemen started wearing long men’s trousers and men’s coats that were less adorned and in basic, muted tones unlike what was seen amongst French royalty. While the top and the bottom of Brummell’s men’s suit ensemble were not matching, it apparently paved the way for men’s suits as we know them today.
Early Victorian Era 1837 to 1901: The Frock Coat For Men
This was a black, knee length men’s coat with a single vent in the back styled with single or double-breasted designs. In terms of length, it reached down all the way to the knees, worn either with matching or contrasting dark trousers for men.
Late Victorian Era 1850s to the 1860s: The Men’s Lounge Suit
This originated in Scotland as casual wear men’s suits for outdoor occasions and today is surprisingly seen as dress code on many invitations to formal events. Back then, men’s lounge suits were characterized by a short men’s coat, waistcoat and long trousers for men.
The 20th Century & Suits For Men
From here on, men’s suits were shaped pretty much as we know them today. Only styling for men’s jackets kept evolving – the lapel width, jacket length, and the buttoning point of the jacket changed over time.
The Edwardian Era 1910s
The men’s lounge suit persisted in shades of black, dark navy and grey and fabrics that were extremely heavy and coarse, reflecting the weather and lack of heating in homes and workplaces. We also saw the advent of country suits for men – they had more patterns in the weaves like checks and houndstooth designs and were in earthy brown and rust tones given the wet weather and the muddy countryside with no paved roads.
The Roaring ‘20s
Men’s suits went from pencil slim fits to fuller silhouettes primarily under influence of World War I. By the of turn of the decade, men’s suits styling saw a generous amount of fabric and drape in the chest and wider cut men’s trousers. An interesting addition was the double-breasted waistcoat worn under single breasted men’s jackets, a style epitomized by Art Deco design style and the legendary “The Great Gatsby”.
The Golden Age of Classic Men’s Suits (1930s)
This era saw men’s suits with a heavy drape cut with broader shoulders and narrow waists and men’s trousers that were worn high on the navel. This trend swept formal menswear across USA, UK & Europe.
World War II: The 1940s
This period saw tremendous change in men’s suits. Due to the war, there was rationing and scarcity. Simple grey flannel fabric cut in a single breast style with narrow lapels and slim cut trousers without roll up cuffs at the bottom (to save fabric), became the order of the day. Waistcoats went off the racks. The rebellious Zoot men’s suit was the anti-thesis to this trend with oversized men’s trousers and men’s jackets.
Post World War II: The 1950s
The end of austerity saw a return to men’s suits that have men’s jackets with wider lapels & a baggier fit coupled with pleated men’s trousers.
Man On The Moon: The 1960s
Men’s suits did not go through much of a change at the turn of the decade. However, the 1960s saw some development in formal suiting at the workplace through newer, higher quality fabrics in different counts of wool and blends. As seen on screen, characters like Don Draper from Mad Men espoused the impeccable formal dressing that advertising executives on NYC’s Madison Avenue carried in the ‘60s through their sharp suits.
Flower Power: The 1970s
Men’s suits became slimmer, and men’s jackets were styled with wide lapels, coupled with wide bottom or flared pants. A trend that become known as the Disco Culture emerged with synthetic fabrics being used for men’s suits.
Advent Of The Power Suit: The 1980s
The Power Suit was an Italian-styled, men’s jacket with soft, yet broad shoulders and wide lapels in shades of navy & grey with pinstripes. This era also marked the return of men’s jackets in double breasted styles.
The 1990s
The ‘90s were not a particularly great decade for men’s suits interms of style. This period saw single breasted men’s jackets with three or even four buttons and double-breasted men’s jackets with as much as six buttons. These were paired with box-fit trousers to give an overall square-like form.
The Millennium: 2000s Till Date
The turn of the millennium marked a return to minimalist styling in men’s suits. Black become the chosen colour. Men’s jackets were styled shorter with a higher buttoning point and fashion-forward men started wearing trousers that ended at the ankle.
The Men’s Suit Today
The art of men’s suiting has evolved into bespoke tailored men’s suits crafted for especially for you. Customization of men’s jacket lapels, fits and styling has been made possible through technology. Fabric options for men’s suits across pure wool, cotton and linen are seeing a little “stretch” added to make wearing suits for men easier. All in all, the focus in men’s suits has broadened from only style, to form and function, to keep the modern man both comfortable and stylish at all times.
Staying with the philosophy of “suivre”, ZODIAC presents an eclectic range of men’s formal jackets and men’s trousers that can be worn as matching formal suits or contrast jackets and formal trousers.
