The Classic Suit: Revived, revamped and renewed

BY LATIFA PINNOCK

“I wear the pants in this house,” a phrase often used to describe the person in charge of the household. The phrase stems from the time of patriarchy when men went out and worked to provide for their families, while women tended the home. Men wore pants, while women were more likely to wear dresses.

When we think of distinguished gentlemen, the first image we have in our heads is a handsome man in a well-tailored suit, a business tycoon, certainly a man that gives new meaning to the word “gentle-man.” In recent years it seems that the suit has taken a plunge. The dress code for men was no longer corporate or white collar. Men started to lose their jackets for a button-down shirt and pants. The suit was placed on the back burner, making appearances only at weddings, funerals and special occasions.

Women have long been wearing suits in corporate settings as well, and to be more politically correct, men wear suits and women wear pantsuits. For decades women have been slaying in pantsuits, whether it is at the office or a casual outing. The pantsuit represented style, class, strength, and grace, not to mention good fashion sense.

Some of my favourite actresses and entertainers graced the cover of popular magazines wearing corporate style pantsuits, and back then we didn’t differentiate the pantsuit from the suit. Women were wearing the same suits that men wore.

Are these high-fashion corporate styles making a major comeback in 2022? You better believe they are. They are bolder, brighter, embracing many different tones, fabrics and fit. Men and women are stepping out in different shades, adding a casual touch to the suit trend. What I’ve also noticed is that men’s suits have transformed into a more fitted look, while women’s pantsuits are worn very loose and baggy. Years ago, it was quite the opposite. I must say that I love the transparency of the suit.

Rather than taking a fall from grace, the suit got revived, revamped and renewed, cat walking its way down the runways, and we are seeing a more sports driven way of styling the suit. Men are losing the button-down shirts, replacing them with a simple white tee, and depending on the occasion, styling them with a pair of runners, while women are adding a lot of sexiness to those loose-fitting pantsuits. Tanks tops, t-shirts, and one of my favourite looks; the pantsuits paired with a tube top.

Suits were meant to be a timeless creation, and I personally do not think that they took that big of a plunge, they simply went under the radar for a little while, preparing for their ultimate comeback. Well, they are back, and making a major statement in 2022, for both men and women. I am even more impressed to see men stepping out of their comfort zone, experimenting with different colours, mix-matching and taking the suit trend to a whole new level.