The death of the suit and the rise of ‘smart separates’
AA suit and tie is now officially old hat – for today’s man about town, the casual, country club look is where it’s at, says little while back, I Of course, sometimes we ring the caught sight of my changes: jeans, not chinos (very bold); reflection at Heathrow Oxfords or brogues rather than and thought: “Oh my loafers. But with these minor god, you look like the adjustments for mood, company or kind of idiot who setting, you can spot the Uniform dresses up to go to the airport.” I everywhere from breakfast at don’t, of course – dress for the airport, industry canteens like Ceccone’s or that is. I was dressed to go straight to the Wolseley, to evenings at smart meetings in Milan. But there I was, clubs like 5 Hertford Street (which looking for all the world like one half recently tweaked its notoriously strict of the Speedy Boarding couple. You dress codes to accommodate precisely know the type: perched on stools at this trend). Or, further afield, at a the seafood bar, or at the front of the Cartier lunch at Goodwood, or a easyJet queue. They’re tanned and luxury conference in China – because sporting ‘‘smart caj’’ – white jeans and the Uniform is a global menswear an expensive tote bag for her, while phenomenon, as evident in upmarket he’s in chinos and loafers, navy blazer Shanghai as it is in London, Milan or and a nice watch… as was I. New York.
My younger self – jeans, T-shirt, bit The Uniform’s appeal is that it’s of a Lefty – wouldn’t know what to luxury, not fashion. Fashion is all bold make of me. But this weekend statements, new seasonal collections country club look is now my Mondayto-Friday and change. Luxury menswear is workwear – as it is for most about variations on traditional men who work, as I do, around themes. luxury, around wealth, or around Mayfair, not to mention fancier provincial environs like Bath or Cheltenham or Henley. Let’s call it the New Luxury Uniform – and increasingly, it is displacing the suit as the smartest attire for the successful man about town.
The hegemony of the suit has something like 150 years under its belt (or, more properly, braces).
But today, apart from certain obvious suity moments – weddings being one – the lounge suit is starting to look as old-hat as white tie and tails, at least when worn conventionally with a tie. (In fact, ties are another casualty of the shift to casual, with pocket-squares now deployed to give that splash of colour amidst the charcoal, beige and navy of our ‘‘smart separates’’.)
Certainly, in some luxury environments, suits no longer signal high status – almost the opposite, as it is most likely the barmen, security guards or drivers who are wearing them. (Although if you’re in Milan, all of the above look infinitely better than most Englishmen in attendance, as we tend to look like schoolboys by the end of the evening.)
Crucially, the Uniform can be fun for men who care about clothes but have wearied of fashion, the key factor being that it isn’t, actually, entirely uniform. And that rather more than a suit, it brings all kinds of choices into play – geeky choices, which we enjoy. Because the truth is that men who are into luxury – whether it’s cars or tech, watches or clothes – tend to be geeky about those luxuries.
With clothes this is all about cut, fabric and provenance. Which obscure, ancient but innovative Italian/English/Scottish mill does that grey flannel come from? Or perhaps there’s a historical backstory to a brand, eg the Duke of Windsor popularised this shoe, or your shirts are made by this family of Florentine artisans who made shirts for Gianni Agnelli…
For many men, this is infinitely more cool than anything that’s coming down a runway. So is your lightweight jacket by Gieves & Hawkes or Caraceni of Milan – and if so, which Caraceni, for there are several? What’s best, a bespoke shirt by Charvet or by Budd? And are those chinos by Loro Piana? Mmm, actually, they might just be Uniqlo, because the other good thing about separates is that we get to do a boys’ version of the woman fashionista’s high-low mix, teaming a bit of Uniqlo with our Berluti shoes.
Talking of provenance, just what are the roots of the Uniform spreading its hegemony throughout the luxury world?
Well, a lot of the codes of men’s style have their roots in English and Italian tailoring – and the back and