Men's Style Blog
Section: Essential Men's Suit Guide - Blog
The power suit, a style icon of the 80s whose name is only uttered in hushed tones of nostalgic fever (or perhaps shame). There’s no doubt that the power suit with its fabled wide shoulders died a slow death many moons ago. In fact, The Wall Street Journal seemingly hammered the final nail in its coffin in 2012 declaring that it was DOA. But with custom tailored suit sales increasing every year and gents becoming more clued in sartorially speaking, could it be making a comeback?
We’re sure you all agree that over the last decade ‘dress down Fridays’ have brought a more casual look into the office. This increase in a more relaxed attitude towards how we dress at work was epitomized by Mark Zuckerberg wearing a hoodie at Facebook’s IPO presentation in 2012. It also coincided with The Wall Street Journal’s hammer blow to power suits. But like a phoenix rising from the ashes of those over-sized shoulder pads, the power suit has once again ascended to its rightful place as the mainstay of business wear.
Gone are the wide cut lapels and the American football-esque shoulder pads, with there now being an emphasis on slim fitting tailored suits that fit the wearer perfectly. Thankfully, it’s no longer necessary to look like a ten-year-old in his dad’s suit when signing million dollar contracts. These days it’s more important to cut a fine, sleek, and decidedly dapper silhouette. And while the colours and patterns have changed very little, you’ll probably have noticed that this slim fit approach to tailoring has extended to both ties and business shirts.
That’s not to say that that an ultra skinny fit suit will work in the boardroom, we’re of the mind that less is more and yes we are aware that it’s a bit of a paradox but bear with us on this. There’s a fine balance to be found when choosing slim fitting business wear that’s suitable for the office. If you go too slim you may feel a little uncomfortable. The best thing to do is have an experienced tailor decide the best fit for your body.
Cutting a fine figure in the boardroom has its many advantages but the most notable are the psychological effects. Research has proven that those who dress well in the office are most likely to be given more responsibility and trusted with power. So from a career and business standpoint it makes good sense to have a custom tailored business suit that fits to a T. Would you trust a man in an ill-fitting off the rack hatchet job and scuffed shoes with your company’s millions?
It might sound a little superficial, but the fact remains that impressions count and never more so than in the world of business. So do yourself and your career a favour, check out our range of business attire and find yourself a modern day power suit minus the super-sized shoulders.
