How the Suit Got Started

Did you know pants are named from a saint? Did you know monks started a fashion trend? Did you know LBJ influenced the modern fashion world? Do you know what coats have to do with firearms? 

I’m pretty much an average guy. I work in a cubical. I get up everyday and pick out my shirt and tie. It can be a pain sometimes but for the most part I’ve always liked wearing them. I even used a shirt and tie as the cover of my novel. I used to sell suits for a department store when I was in college. The older gentleman who worked with me was as classy as they come and taught me a lot of the basics.

I’m not about to give out fashion advice on this blog. Mainly because I’m no authority. I wanted to take a quick look at the dress clothes and figure out how they came to be. Why does my dress jacket have buttons on the sleeve? What function does a tie serve? Why do I have to wear dress slacks while some women in the workplace feel free to wear sweat pants and a sweater with kitten on it?

Here’s some interesting history I found and a few rules of thumb sprinkled among the list.

• White dress shirt– Ninjas wear black. Brides wear white dresses. Men wear a white dress shirt. It’s the staple in any men’s closet and makes an appearance in every scene of Mad Men. Men started wearing this one long ago as it was meant to portray credibility, integrity, cleanliness, simplicity, and honesty. Some might think they are all basically the same, but they come in several different varieties. Cloth, collar, and cuff can all be changed to meet any occasion. Learn more here. A good rule of thumb is an Oxford button-down collar is more casual, but can be worn with most anything.
• Dress pants– Unless you’re Jim Harbough, chances are you have a pair of nice dress pants. The word pants comes from the Saint Panteleone. I promise I’m not making this up. Story goes that the was a Christian doctor who was executed seven times before the Romans got the job done. During his canonization, he was renamed “all lion” and became the patron saint of doctors. Centuries later you would insult someone you thought to be a fool but calling him “all lion” and dressing him in tights that ended in ruffles above the knee, dubbed Pantaloons. Years go by again and American’s shortened the word to “pants” and conquer the world. The end … not quite. Before denim became everyday attire, there were trousers. You work in trousers, but you wear pants. There are recorded conversation of  Lyndon Johnson making specific demands about his dress pants in the Nixon tapes to a now well-known tailor Joe Haggar, Jr. of Haggar pants.  A good rule of thumb is pleats and cuffs are traditional and seen as more formal. No pleats usually include no cuffs and are a little more casual and modern. Just ask Mrs. Harbaugh.
• Dress shoes– For most guys, they own the basic run of the mill Oxford dress shoe, also referred to as Balmoral. These shoes first appeared in Scotland & Ireland and got the name from the Queen’s castle in Scotland, Balmoral, and of course from Oxford University where the shoes gained popularity among students rebelling from the knee-high boots of the 1800s. The Derby, also known as the Blucher, is popular and got is name after the 18th century Prussian general Gebhard Leberecht von Blücher. He ordered a boot with side pieces lapped over the front in an effort to provide his troops with improved footwear. This design was adopted by armies across Europe. It became the Derby among the English who wore it in hunting and sporting and eventually for everyday wear. The Monk originated, as you might have guessed, from monks, Alpine monks in the 1400s. Check out the other basic men’s shoes here. A good rule of thumb is start with a black lace-up and go from there.
• Dress jacket– The term coat and jacket are now used interchangeably but in the Middle Ages the term coat was originally used when referring to a coat of mail, a chain-linked armor tunic. The term firearms actually is derived from a coat of arms. In the past families would have to register their right to “bear” their family’s coat of arms. So was the same with guns. Men argued for their right to “bear arms”. Over the centuries the term coat was divided into two categories, overcoat and undercoat, with jacket being used for the later. What we now wear as a jacket was traditionally called a lounge coat or a sack coat. The men’s blazer, usually navy or black, can be worn with most anything. It got it’s origins in 1825 from the Lady Margaret Boat Club of St. John’s College of the University of Cambridge.  I’ve always heard that buttons where sewn on jackets to keep men from wiping their noses on their sleeves. A more practical use is that working buttons allow you to roll up the sleeves without removing the jacket. Read more here. A good rule of thumb is that a jacket is like a good insurance policy and should cover your butt. 
• Tie– Men’s neckwear have long been a symbol to associate the wearer with certain groups. Red pieces of cloth were worn around the necks of the Scottish who refused to accept the Church of England as the official church of the state. It was later used in the early 1920s by coal miners on strike in West Virginia. Both were referred to as “rednecks.” The modern necktie made its way across Europe in the Thirty Years’ War by Croatian mercenaries. The look caught the eye of Louis XIV who started wearing it and set the trend for French nobility. Every guy should know how to tie a tie. The easiest to learn is the simple hand-over-hand method, but my experience is a Windsor knot works best. A good rule of thumb is your tie should just reach your waistband. 
• Pocket square– Of course the pocket square came from the practice of using handkerchiefs. The term kerchief was also used alone and originates from the French words “couvrir” and “chef”, meaning cover and head. There are several different types of folds for a pocket square including the Presidential, the Westo Four Point, the TV fold, and the Cagney. A good rule of thumb is your pocket square should be a different fabric and pattern than your tie.

There’s a few history lessons with some basic rules of thumb. For more basics check out this article on BuzzFeed or subscribe to Art of Manliness. As for the ladies and kitten sweaters I think we are on our own.

These thoughts ran through his mind as he tied the red tie in his preferred half-Windsor knot and ran his hands over his crisp white shirt.   -from Gather Sticks Along the Way: A Novel

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You can also learn more here – http://www.cloggs.co.uk/page/mens-formal-shoe-guide.