Suit (clothing)

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The man's suit of clothes is a garment, originating in England, that is crafted from the same cloth. The English word suit derives from the French suivre, "to follow", i.e. trousers and waistcoat follow the coat's cloth and colour. The suit is made up of matching lounge coat, trousers, and occasionally a waistcoat.

Its variants, lounge suit, business suit, three-piece suit, and two-piece suit denote garments the design, cut, and cloth of which determine their social and work suitability. Generally, the man's suit is worn with a collared shirt, necktie, and a hat. Yet, throughout the 20th century, the hat fell from the mainstream of men's fashion, to the purview of the dandy.

Originally, as with most all clothes, a tailor crafted the suit from his client's selected cloth, i.e. "bespoke". The said suit was custom made to the measure, taste, and style of the man. Yet, since the Industrial Revolution, most suits are produced en masse, and, as such, are sold as "off-the-peg", "off-the-rack", garments. Currently, there are two modes for a man to be suited, the original, crafted, bespoke mode, and the made to measure mode. The former is best for proper fit and function, involving, as it does, the creation of a garment from scratch entirely for the client; the latter variant features an off-the-peg design manufactured to match the individual's measurements.

Contents 1 History 1.1 The Man’s suit 1.2 Women's suits 1.3 Influence of casual dress 1.4 Styles 1.4.1 Extreme suits 2 Parts of a suit 2.1 The silhouette 2.2 Number of pieces 2.3 Cutting pattern 2.4 Number of main (front) buttons 2.5 Lapels 2.6 Canvas 2.7 Pockets 2.8 Vents 2.9 Pants 3 Perceptions 4 Suit etiquette for men 4.1 Buttoning the suit coat 4.2 Suit colors 4.2.1 Pattern 4.3 Ties with suits 4.4 Shirts with suits 4.5 Socks with suits 4.6 Accessories with suits 5 Suit etiquette for women 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 External links

[edit] History

[edit] The Man’s suit

The suit is the traditional form of men’s formal clothes in the Western world. The modern suit appeared in the early 19th century, but the coat’s origins trace to the simplified, sartorial standard of dress established by the British king Charles II in the 17th century, and redefined, adapted, and popularised in the early 19th century, by the British dandy Beau Brummell.

In 1666, the restored monarch, Charles II, per the example of King Louis XIV’s court at Versailles, decreed that in the English Court men would wear a long coat, a waistcoat (then called "petticoat"), a cravat (a precursor of the necktie), a wig, and knee breeches (trousers), and a hat.

In the early 1800s, Brummell’s style led European men to wearing understated, well-cut, tailored suits, adorned with elaborately knotted neckties. Brummell's influence introduced the fashion of the modern suit and necktie. Moreover, he popularised regular (daily) bathing as part of a man's toilet. (Johnson, Birth of the Modern)

For some four hundred years, suits of matching coat, trousers, and waistcoat have been in and out of fashion. The modern lounge suit’s derivation is visible in the outline of the brightly-coloured, elaborately-crafted royal court dress of the 17th century (suit, wig, knee breeches) shed consequent to the French Revolution, British tailoring’s use of steam and padding in moulding wool cloth, the necktie, and the gradual disuse of waistcoats and hats in the last fifty years.

The modern suit originally was a 19th century English innovation in men's dress, usually referring to a lounge suit that was only worn in the country and at seaside. At the time morning dress and the frock coat garments were not suits, because they were worn with odd striped trousers; a matching waistcoat and trousers were considered informal, clothes described as such in the short-lived term "ditto suit".^[1][2]

In North America, the "sack suit" derives from the lounge suit, because, except for the shoulders, it is unfitted, loose, and informal, as it has no darts. In the 19th century, for informal occasions, men wore morning dress in place of the formal frock coat suit then the proper business and day time formal clothes. Thus, the lounge suit was informal dress reserved for recreation.

The lounge suit became popular in the later 19th century as informal clothes to wear in town, until becoming the accepted alternative to the morning coat in the early 20th century. As the lounge suit became popular, all men would have at least one suit to wear to church; rich Victorian men still wore a frock coat to church.

Before 1940 (and again in the 1970s) men preferred snugly-tailored coats and waistcoats, however, since then, the mainstream trend has been for looseness. The waistcoat (vest) was worn until World War II when it disappeared because of cloth rationing, returning in the post-war time.

In the 1970s, a tight-fitting version of this suit style became associated with disco music and its culture, specifically popularised by the film Saturday Night Fever, wherein the tight waistcoat was basic to that fashion. The tight three-piece suit was equated with the discothèque culture. The socially conservative backlash against disco music culture ended the popularity of tight-fitting three piece suits, which were criticised as effeminate by proletarian men of the middle and working classes. However, more conservative styles of three-piece suits were popular in the early 1980s, but by 1985-86, three-piece suits were on the way out and making way for cut double-breasted suits and standard two piece single-breasted.

At the end of the 19th century, an informal evening version of the lounge suit emerged in England, known as a dinner jacket in British English, in a dress code referred to as black tie. When it was imported to the United States, it became known as as the tuxedo or the penguin. The dinner jacket was originally called a 'dress lounge' in England to indicate that it was a lounge suit for evening wear. The 'dress lounge' was originally worn only for small private gatherings and white tie ('White tie and tails') was worn for large formal events. The 'dress lounge' slowly became more popular for larger events as an alternative to full evening dress in white tie. As black tie grew in popularity, it has become increasingly acceptable as formal wear and today has all but replaced white tie, which today is only seen at ultra-formal occasions. The daytime formal equivalent to white tie is morning dress, but in the United States this too has become uncommon and the daytime semi-formal dress called the stroller is more common. The stroller is itself a form of 'dress lounge' - a day time semi-formal lounge suit version of morning dress.

[edit] Women's suits

The earliest women's suits were riding habits, which consisted of a tailored coat or jacket and matching skirt from the 1660s. Practical and sturdy, riding habits were worn not only on horseback, but also for travel and other daytime pursuits. Suits not intended for riding appeared in the later 19th century. Both riding habits and walking suits reflected the skirt and sleeve styles of the day.

In the first half of the 20th century, the skirted suit became the common daytime city costume for women, in the workplace and out; dressmaker suits featured softer fabrics and "feminine" details, and cocktail suits were worn for semi-formal occasions in mid-century.

Under the influence of Dress for Success, a working woman's uniform of skirted suit, tailored shirt, and floppy tie evolved in the 1970s and 1980s. Pantsuits (women's suits with trousers) were introduced by designer André Courrèges in 1964 but were only gradually accepted as formal business attire.

[edit] Influence of casual dress

Over the past half-century, the wearing of suits has become far less common than it once was and is now restricted almost entirely to formal and business activities. During the 1990s, many businesses in North America adopted casual dress codes, beginning with "casual Fridays" and then extending to the entire business week. The abandonment of a uniform dress code has led to considerable confusion over what is considered appropriate business wear. More recently, some businesses have reinforced the wearing of suits, although they may never again be as common as they once were.

According to Anne Hollander's book Sex and Suits (ISBN 1-56836-101-7), the origin of the suit was in European medieval armour, which "replaced the naked human frame with another one that made a close three-dimensional, line-for-line commentary on it in another medium." Furthermore, "plate armour required an undergarment made by a linen-armourer, a close-fitting padded suit that outlined the whole man".

[edit] Styles

The majority of men's suits can be classified into one of five styles. Double-breasted suits have two parallel rows of buttons; this style is considered very conservative. All other styles are single-breasted and may have various numbers of buttons, most commonly two or three. British suits are characterised by moderately tapered sides, minimal shoulder padding, and two vents. Italian suits are characterised by strongly padded shoulders, strongly tapered sides, and no vent. American suits are considered more casual than the preceding styles, and are characterised by moderate shoulder padding, minimally tapered sides, and a single vent. Contemporary is a term that includes a variety of recently designed garments that do not fit into the preceding categories.

Suit jackets in all styles typically have three or four buttons on each cuff, which are often purely decorative (the sleeve is sewn closed and cannot be unbuttoned to open). Functional cuff buttons may be found on high-end or bespoke suits; this feature is called a Surgeon's Cuff.

[edit] Extreme suits

Although the man's tailored suit is commonly perceived as the ultimate conservative costume of Western culture (see below), extravagant variations on the tailored suit have been adopted by many subcultures over the last century as a matter of fashion or social identity. As early as 1922, Emily Post addressed what she termed the "freak American suit" in her influential guide Etiquette:

You will see it everywhere, on Broadway of every city and Main Street of every town, on the boardwalks and beaches of coast resorts, and even in remote farming villages. It comes up to hit you in the face year after year in all its amazing variations: waist-line under the arm pits, "trick" little belts, what-nots in the cuffs; trousers so narrow you fear they will burst before your eyes, pockets placed in every position, buttons clustered together in a tight little row or reduced to one. Such progressive styles may not reflect the international tastes or etiquette.

Some of the non-traditional tailored suit styles of the past century include:

• The Zoot suit of the 1930s and 1940s.
• The Western suit, a form of western wear featuring a tailored jacket with "western" details such as pointed yokes or arrowhead pockets.
• The Nudie suit, a highly decorated form of western wear.
• The double-breasted suit, made popular from the mid 1930s- circa late 50s and again from the mid 1980s until the mid 1990s.
• The Beatle suit, inspired by Pierre Cardin's collarless jackets, derived from Edwardian suits.
• The Mod suit, a fashion of the 1960s. Characteristics include a very slim cut, narrow lapels, three or four buttons and a strongly tapered waist. Usually single-breasted. The cloth generally consists in part of mohair.
• The Safari suit, a fashion of the 1970s. Patterned after military dress uniforms worn in hot climates, it consisted of (long, but sometimes short) trousers and short-sleeved jacket with patch pockets of a light suiting fabric, typically of beige or pastel shades of blue and green. It was worn with a short-sleeved shirt, mostly of open neck design, but occasionally with a tie. Another style associated with this was the leisure suit, which had a long-sleeved shirt-like jacket.
• The Disco suit, a fashion of the 1970s with exaggerated lapels and flared trousers and usually necktie omitting, often in white or brightly-coloured polyester fabric, the jacket was based on the jackets popular in the 1930s.

[edit] Parts of a suit

There are many possible variations in the choice of the style, the garments and the details of a suit.

[edit] The silhouette

In the clothing industry vocabulary, the "silhouette" of a suit is its cut or shape. Among the currently common silhouettes for men's suits, there are: the sack suit, the European-cut suit, and the "updated American-style suit". The sack suit is very loose, the European-cut is tight fitted, and the American-style is a mix of the two.^[3]

[edit] Number of pieces

A two-piece suit means a jacket plus the trousers. A three piece suit includes an additional waistcoat. A "one-piece" suit would be the jacket only, although this terminology is unusual, as suits by definition include at least the jacket and trousers.

[edit] Cutting pattern

The cutting pattern is a draw on paper of a set of points, lines and measurements, to be later used to sew the fabric. A bespoke suit is usually cut on the basis of a unique cutting pattern hand-drafted by tailor for the individual customer. Among the main pattern-drafting methods there are Pattern Manipulation, Drafting Formula, "Rock Of Eye".^[4]

[edit] Number of main (front) buttons

Most suits have two, three, or even four buttons. Tuxedos have either one or two buttons.^[5] It is rare to find a suit with more than four buttons, although zoot suits can have as many as 6 or more due to their longer length than the ordinary suit. Some buttons also had sizes. Some suits (mostly tuxedos) in the early 1970s for the Disco style had smaller shaped buttons and stitched a few inches closer unlike the ordinary. Usually they were four buttons. This version is rare today but can be found on various Zoot suits.

The custom that a man's coat should button "left side over right", originates in the use of the sword, where such cut avoided catching the top of the weapon in the opening of the cloth (since the sword was usually drawn right-handed).^[6]

[edit] Lapels

Main suit detail - peak lapel

Main suit detail - notch lapel

The jacket front lapels may be notch, peaked, shawl, or "trick" (which includes Mandarin and other non-conventional styles). Some stylers maintain that the lapel "should extend to just a fraction less than the halfway mark between the collar and shoulder line."^[3] The lapel, along with the overall silhouette, is one of the most variable aspects of the suit with changing fashions: the 1930s and 1970s featured an exceptionally wide lapel width, and the 1980s saw mid-size lapels with a low gorge (the point on the jacket that forms the "notch" or "peak" between the collar and front lapel). Current (mid-2000s) trends are towards a narrower lapel and higher gorge.

It is rare to find a double breasted suit with notch lapels. There was a Mod Breed suit like this however in the 1960s resembling the collar found on Pea coats. This suit was only available tailor made and such style was usually tailored in Hong Kong. Some say Brian Jones made this style popular. [6] In the 1980s, double breasted suits with notch lapels became a fashion as for another look towards the Power suit unlike the traditional double breasted suit which has peak lapels. This style went away by 2000.

The ability to properly cut peak lapels on a single-breasted suit is one of the most challenging tailoring tasks, even for very experienced tailors.^[7]

[edit] Canvas

Inside the coat/jacket of a suit, between the outer fabric and the inner lining, there is a layer of cloth that has the purpose of letting the coat keep its shape; this layer of cloth is called the canvas. The finest jackets have a "floating" canvas, the cheapest models have a "fused" or glued canvas.^{[8][9][10][11][12]}

[edit] Pockets

Among the types of pockets there are: patch pockets (for a more sporty style), flap pockets, and jetted pockets.^{[3][13][14][15]} The most typical style for a suit is the flap pocket; jetted pockets are most common on tuxedos. On young boys suits under size 10, jetted pockets are the most common.

[edit] Vents

A vent is a slit in the bottom rear (the "tail") of the jacket.^[13] Originally, a single vent at the center was introduced for militars riding a horse, allowing the jacket or the coat to naturally fall on each side of the horse. This is the single-vented style (with one vent at the center), the other two vent styles are the no-vent style and the double vented style. The no-vent style is Italian. In the double-vented the two vents are at the sides of the bottom rear of the jacket. The double-vented style is typically English.^[3]

[edit] Pants

The pants always match the suit, if worn a different style pants, the suit could be resembled as a Sports Jacket. In the 1800s to late 1950s, pleated pants were the most common with suits. Around 1962, most pants were flat-front. This style lasted until about 1978. And by 1983, almost all the pants that came with suits were pleated once again. Suits with flat-front pants couldn't be bought with a readymade suit. Although the pleated pants have stayed for over a decade, around 2004, flat-front pants made a comeback. This style can only be tailored though, seeing that off the rack suits still come with pleated pants if bought from stores such as Burlington Coat Factory. However some places sell seperates, with the price of the suit at one price and the matching pants at the other. Often, those are flat front pants because many younger men tend to buy that type.

[edit] Perceptions

This section may contain original research or unverified claims. Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (March 2007)

The uniform impression of a suit, often appearing in standard configurations such as pinstripe suit or suit and tie, can carry numerous connotations. In business settings it can communicate respectability and taste. In different milieus, the connotations of corporate life that the suit represents conveys unadventurous conformism. Extreme variations on the suit can convey the opposite (for example, many pimps, or men wanting to be perceived as such, wear exaggerated versions of suits containing various hues, patterns, etc.).

Used as a synecdoche, by referring to management staff in corporations as "suits", the term "suit" can express contempt for the perceived absence of autonomy imposed on members in a uniform elitist bureaucracy. It may also be a comment on the perceived amorality of those who work for corporations.

In modern society, men's suits have gone out of favour as an outfit of daily wear, and are now worn rarely on a daily basis by most men, except for some sectors in the trades of business and finance and in law. For other men, particularly in Western society, a suit is an ensemble of clothing reserved for special occasions, such as weddings, funerals, 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, mostly because they limit freedom of movement. The combination of a tie, belt and vest can be tight and restrictive compared to contemporary casual wear. Therefore, in nearly all classes of society, suits are no longer a required part of daily work or leisure attire, except in higher-level business circles. During the late 1960s and early 1970s, men's suits became less commonly worn in much the same way as 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 declined concurrently with the women's liberation movement. For professions which still call for a dressier approach to clothing (sometimes referred to in the US as white collar jobs), an acceptable alternative to a suit may be a button-down shirt with a tie, worn with belted or braced trousers and leather dress shoes.

The political and social dominance of the West in the world during the last century has led to the adoption of the suit as appropriate business and formal wear in almost every part of the globe. Refusing to wear a suit, therefore, can be a symbolic rejection of Western culture.^{[original research?]} For instance, some political leaders reject wearing business suits in order to send a message that they do not conform to Western patterns. The most notable example was probably the late Chinese leader Mao Zedong and former North Korean president Kim Il-sung, who usually appeared in public wearing what was nicknamed the Mao suit in English. This suit was originally designed under the direction of Sun Yat-sen for the Chinese Republic, reflecting the need to create a uniquely Chinese dress for the new era. The "Mao suit" was worn by most Chinese political leaders (including Chiang Kai-shek), until the mid-to-late 20th century, and is known in Chinese as the "Zhongshan (Sun Yat-sen) suit" (after its creator). Other alternatives to the western suit include national or tribal dress for African and Middle Eastern leaders (notably Colonel Gaddafi) or military fatigues like Cuba's Fidel Castro. In more recent years, however, Castro has taken to wearing business suits in public appearances in lieu of his iconic revolutionary fatigues.

[edit] Suit etiquette for men

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[edit] Buttoning the suit coat

Double-breasted suit coats are almost always kept buttoned. When there is more than one to fasten (as in a traditional six-on-two arrangement), only the top one need be fastened; in some configurations, the wearer may elect to fasten only the bottom button, in order to present a longer line (a style popularised by the Prince George, Duke of Kent).

Single breasted suits' coats may be either fastened or unfastened. In two-button suits the bottom button is generally left unfastened. The current fashion trend for three-button suits is to leave the bottom button unfastened (although this was not always the case in the past), to sometimes button the top button (on suits where the lapel permits it), and always (if any) button the middle button. If one is wearing a four button suit, he may choose to wear the suit with all of its buttons fastened, two buttons fastened (usually the middle two), or all of the top three.

It is also proper etiquette (especially with a fitted suit) to have the buttons unfastened while sitting down. This being so that the suit wouldn't have a pulled out look to it on the lower area.

When a bespoke jacket has working buttons on the cuff, some men like to leave some of these undone to demonstrate that they can afford to wear a bespoke suit, but it is more proper to fasten all the buttons, as a bespoke suit should be understated. Modern bespoke styles and high end off-the-rack suits have the last two buttons stitched off center to promote a cleaner sleeve for this purpose.

[edit] Suit colors

In the past (especially in the 1920s and 1970s), suits were made in a wide array of colours. Today, business-suits are usually made in navy blue, grey, and charcoal. Browns and darker shades of green have returned to fashion (these colours had previously been popular in the 1970s and also prior to 1935) although these colours are still not widely accepted by more conservative men. In the US, black is traditionally a colour reserved for dinner jackets (tuxedos)^{[citation needed]}, but may be worn in religious contexts such as to a funeral or religious function. This restriction does not exist in other countries.

[edit] Pattern

Traditional suits are generally solid colours or pinstripes, with refined plaids such as the traditional Glen plaid sometimes qualifying. The colour of the patterned element (stripes, plaid checks) varies by gender. Navy blue and charcoal are considered smart staples of the suitwearer's wardrobe. A pinstriped suit is conventionally associated with conservative businessmen but many designers have made sharp pinstriped suits more fashionable and cutting edge.

[edit] Ties with suits

Main article: Necktie

Working with neckties is very much a matter of personal taste, but in conservative terms there are some basic guidelines. Ties should always be darker than the wearer's shirt. The background colour of the tie should not be the same as that of the shirt, while the foreground of the tie should contain the colour of the shirt and thereby "pick up" on the colour of the shirt. Ideally, the tie should also integrate the colour of the suit in the same way. Generally, simple or subdued patterns are preferred for conservative dress, though these are terms with a wide range of interpretation. In recent times however, it has become popular to match the necktie colour with the shirt or even wearing a lighter coloured tie with a darker shirt, usually during formal occasions. Some of the most common knots are the Four-in-hand, the Half-Windsor, the Windsor (or Full-Windsor), and the Shelby or Pratt. A Four-in-hand, Half-Windsor, or Windsor is generally the most appropriate with a suit, particularly by contemporary guidelines. Once properly knotted and arranged, the bottom of the tie can extend anywhere from the wearer's navel level, to slightly below the waistband. The thin end should never extend below the wide end. In the 1960s, it was fashionable for men as well as women to wear scarves with a suit in a tied knot either inside a shirt as an ascot or under the collar as a would be worn like a tie. This style was more common towards anyone in the Art departments such as Film directors or more commonly Musicians. This style began to fade by the mid 1970s and came back in the 1990s mainly for women. It did however make a small comeback by 2005 and some famous stars wear them. Although some wore scarves back in the 1960s, ties were still preferred among business workers.

It has become fashionable to wear a suit without a tie and with an open necked shirt among young men.

[edit] Shirts with suits

Main article: Dress shirt

The type of shirt worn by men with a suit is a top made of woven cloth, with long sleeves, a full-length buttoned opening down the front, and a collar; this type of garment is known in American English as a dress shirt or Oxford shirt but simply as a shirt in other English dialects. It is ironed, neatly tucked into its wearer's trousers, and otherwise worn according to the etiquette described in the article Dress shirt.

The classic shirt colours are light blue or white, with white edging out as most conservative. The most formal type of dress shirt worn with a standard suit is a shirt with linked cuffs, but not French, using cuff links or silk knots instead of buttons to close the sleeves, but this type of shirt is optional, and essentially up to the preferences of the wearer and the vagaries of fashion.

The most traditional collar is a spread collar. This is frequently the default collar type for French cuff shirts, though they can sometimes be found with point collars. Normally button-down collars are reserved for casual use with a sportcoat or without a coat at all. The button-down collar is not seeing as much wear today, particularly with the resurgence of more formal shirts with spread collars and French cuffs, even in business casual wear.

[edit] Socks with suits

In the United States it is common for socks to match the trouser leg. This makes the leg appear longer and minimises the attention drawn by a trouser leg tailored to be too short. A more general rule is for socks to be darker than the shade of trousers, but potentially a different colour.^[16] With patterned socks, ideally the background colour of the sock should match the primary/background colour of the suit. If it is not possible to match the trouser leg, socks may match one's shoes.

Comedians like Jerry Lewis (in the past) and then-Supreme Court Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall have been known to wear white socks with their suits. Though it may have been fashionable to wear them in the 1950s, black or other dark dress socks are much preferred to white socks for most occasions.

[edit] Accessories with suits

Acceptable colours for belts (if worn) and shoes are black and burgundy/cordovan, though since the 1980s various shades of darker browns (particularly mahogany) have started to gain acceptance. Light browns such as saddle tan should be reserved for use with business casual wear. The belt and shoes must match one another, at the very least in colour category if not almost exactly in shade. The belt's buckle should be silver or gold.

Other metallic objects worn with the suit (such as cuff links, tie bar or tie tack, watch) should match the belt buckle. Where watches are concerned: the more formal the occasion, the thinner the watch. Analog watches are more formal than digital watches. In the most formal situations, a pocket watch, or no watch at all, should be worn. The pocket watch should also match the other metal objects in size and colour. Leather-soled shoes are traditional and traditionally have a more "dressy" appearance. Some companies also make dress shoes with wooden soles^{[citation needed]}.

Handkerchiefs and pocket squares/silks in the upper welt (chest) pocket are not especially common in today's formal dress. Originally, handkerchiefs were worn partially protruding from the left jacket sleeve. Over time, they migrated to the breast pocket. When silk was still a rare and expensive commodity, they were considered a flamboyant extravagance by conservative commentators. By the end of the 19th century, however, they had become a standard accoutrement for gentlemen.

[edit] Suit etiquette for women

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

For women, a blouse (usually white) takes the place of a shirt. Blue and pink blouses are also seen. Women have more leeway in selecting their top than men have in selecting their shirt. Sometimes a high-quality knit top replaces the blouse; this is not universally accepted but is common, particularly if the top is made of a luxurious material.

Women generally do not wear neckties with their suit. Fancy silk scarves that resemble a floppy ascot tie were popular in North America in the 1970s, worn with pant suits. At that time women entered the white-collar workforce in large numbers and their dress fashions imitated men's business wear. The scarves are not popular in contemporary usage; most women pair their suit with either a subdued necklace or no neckwear at all.

[edit] References

1. ^ Benjamin Franklin's ditto suit on display at the National Museum of American History
2. ^ Reference to ditto suits from a modern maker of 19th century reproduction clothing
3. ^ ^{a b c d} Alan Flusser (1985) Clothes and the Man: The Principles of Fine Men's Dress. Villard. ISBN 0-394-54623-7. chapter 2.
4. ^ how to draft a pattern (2005) at EnglishCut.com
5. ^ An Ongoing Critique of Men's Fashion: Suits by Austen McDonald
6. ^ Suits and Jackets at BenSilver.com
7. ^ single breasted, peaked lapel (2005) at englishcut.com
8. ^ How to pick a "bespoke" tailor (2005) at EnglishCut.com
9. ^ fused vs floating
10. ^ For Floating chest plate, Welted breast pocket, Woven chest canvas with horsehair, Slanted double-jetted pocket flaps, “kissing” cuff buttons, Woven forepart canvas and Bemberg taffeta lining, see the lengend and picture at [1]
11. ^ What is Canvas?
12. ^ Bemberg Cupro canvas: [2] [3] [4]
13. ^ ^{a b} See examples of types of vents: Bespoke options at tweed-jacket.com
14. ^ Lesson 33—The Tailored Pocket at vintagesewing.info
15. ^ [5]
16. ^ The Sartorialist

[edit] Bibliography

• Boyer, G. Bruce (writer); Tony Kokinos (illustrator). (1990) Eminently Suitable: The Elements of Style in Business Attire. W. W. Norton & Company, September 1990. ISBN-10: 0393028771 ISBN-13: 978-0393028775
• Keers, Paul (writer); A Gentleman's Wardrobe: Classic Clothes and the Modern Man. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, October 1987. ISBN-10: 0297791915 ISBN-13: 978-0297791911
• Twenty Great Clothing Books at Will Boehlke's A Suitable Wardrobe
• Preventing Puckered Satin Stitches by Serena Smith
• Suit assessment guide
• Woven Fabric Types
• Glossary of fabrics and at Dress King

[edit] External links

• Emily Post's Etiquette: The Clothes of a Gentleman, 1922
• GQ Style Guy on men.style.com - Suits and Blazers
• The Basic Business Wardrobe on Sartorish.com