Pump up the volume

The origins of the modern suit may lie in military tunics and the various innovations of the “original dandy”, Beau Brummel, but the origins of the modern suit wearer are rather more recent. This goes back to the big bang of Sixties style culture, when “modernists”, rebelling against the more voluminous uniform of the previous era, adopted the Rat Pack uniform of sharkskin, stiletto-lapelled Italian tailoring.

In more recent times men commonly opt for a linen suit in summer and a thicker fabric suit such as tweed for winter, however, for the last two decades, suits have generally followed the same sparse pattern. But things are changing, as men turn to the era before that big bang for inspiration. Last seen in the Fifties, an approach that espouses the manly style of Cary Grant and Gary Cooper is transfiguring the skinny-fit rules of contemporary dressing with elegantly draping suits and just-so accessories that talk to the timeless appeal of classical comportment and masculine style. Think of it as clothes for men, not boys.

Apart from the obvious fact that trends by their very nature change, indicative of a much wider dissatisfaction with the way the slimming down of the suit’s silhouette has hindered our ability to stand apart from the sartorial “crowd”. The clearest indication of this can be found on the various social media feeds of today’s style mavens and bold-face fashion leaders – the most attuned of whom have long moved on from the skinny look to define the mood for a more expansive, elegant mindset.

Follow journalist and stylist Tom Stubbs, for instance, and you’ll see a regularly updated account for his current passion: high-waisted, pleated trousers, often worn as-casually-as-you-like with a chest-baring shirt or his trademark vest. “What was natty a few years ago, is ‘meh’ now,” says Stubbs of the Noughties’ obsession with slick tailoring. In contrast, Stubbs favours a less austere approach. “Flat fronted trousers look dated,” he says baldly. “And anyway, pleats are easier to wear.” And if you look like a gangster? “Then your suit’s too big.”

If you’re searching for a seminal look to define the new exuberance in tailoring, then consider the “Hollywood Top”, a trouser style last seen in the Forties and Fifties but recently re-introduced by Edward Sexton, the master tailor who is the progenitor of much of what represents classically stylish suiting today. By dropping the belt loops two inches from the top of the waistline and adding two generous pleats, the tailor has created perhaps the breakout piece in the new era of suave menswear (and the good news is that this will shortly go into production as a ready-to-wear item). Sexton trained as a cutter on Savile Row before joining up with celebrity tailor Tommy Nutter to dress the likes of Bryan Ferry and Lennon and McCartney – stylish bon vivants who shared Sexton’s love of the high-glamour heyday of Hollywood in the Thirties and Forties – decades that, then as now, sum up a sartorial high-water mark for menswear.

“People don’t look good when they’re uptight,” counsels Sexton, who prefers his signature double-breasted, broad-lapelled suits in traditional (yet often strikingly patterned) fabrics cut and proportioned in a style he refers to as “long, low and leafy”. This means a stronger, squarer shoulder-line, teamed with a high armhole (“to lengthen the body”) and a low “button stance” designed to accentuate the contours of the ideal figure. Accessorise, as Sexton does, with a tab- or pin-collared shirt, or dress up (and down) with a single-ply cashmere roll-neck, and you can be assured of being about the smartest man about town – or country, come to that.

Revival Fashion presented by Mastercard at Goodwood Revival (Sept 7-9, 2018) will host specially curated fashion shows every day and our daily Best Dressed Competition presented by Mastercard.

This article is taken from the Goodwood magazine, Autumn 2017 issue