The demoralising decline in the office dress code is long established. Nowadays, stockbrokers and estate agents are the only workers reliably in a suit and tie. For everyone else it’s chinos and knitwear – on a good day. But welcome news is afoot: among a growing legion of men, especially young men, there’s a revival of interest in dressing smartly.
Inevitably, the driving force is social media. Instagram accounts such as @askokeyig, @ignoreatyourperil, @tfchamberlin and many others are extolling the virtues of a sharp silhouette and the perils of collar gap. Most famously, ‘the menswear guy’ (@dieworkwear) has become something of an international name on X by blasting the (usually dire) sartorial standards of politicians and others.
He has plenty of targets. In the UK we went from Boris Johnson’s (deliberate) shambolic chic to Rishi Sunak’s appallingly tight suits, skinny ties and too-short trousers. Keir Starmer’s dour suits are often too long at the sleeve as if he’s ashamed of his cuff. The world of A-listers is no better. The inability of celebs to pull off a suit or dinner jacket never fails to astound me given looking the part is basically their job. Compared with our predecessors, we live in a sartorial wasteland.
But, online, the aesthetic is slowly shifting. It draws inspiration from Mad Men, or City bankers of yesteryear. Politicians too are illustrative of the vibe shift: Donald Trump and Nigel Farage are evidence that the public don’t want their political leaders dressing down. Power-dressing is back in vogue.
What drives the new trend? Sean Dixon of Savile Row’s Richard James told me: ‘Younger men see wearing a suit as a statement of intent. With a weak economy and a highly competitive working environment they are looking to impress and impart confidence.’ The proprietors of Thom Sweeney point out that dressing up ‘feels special again’. They’re cutting their jackets a touch longer and trousers have gone a little higher on the rise. At Dege & Skinner, William Skinner told me that younger customers, educated through Instagram videos, are surprisingly discerning. Navy, wool worsted, two-piece, single-breasted suits are in strong demand.
It’s not all about work, of course. Some Gen Z and millennials have concluded that a well-cut lounge suit is more likely to get them a girlfriend than parading about in bucket hats and tracksuit bottoms worn somewhere around their knees.
Younger customers, educated through Instagram videos, are surprisingly discerning. Navy, wool worsted, two-piece, single-breasted suits are in strong demand
Finding a partner aside, there are good reasons to encourage dressing smartly. G. Bruce Boyer, the great authority on men’s fashion, lamented that we have lost a sense of occasion in how we dress. Dressing suitably is a sign of respect – at weddings, at funerals – but can also elevate the banality of everyday life.
It is also one of the surest ways to acquire that elusive thing, ‘charisma’. Make a habit of sporting a bowtie – veteran thinktanker Dr Madsen Pirie is one well-known devotee in Westminster – and suddenly you’re both recognisable and thought a maverick. Neckties are coming back. Pocket squares too – and, done right, they are perhaps the most affordable way of elevating one’s suited appearance (even if the FT has decided they’re a sure sign you’re dangerously right-wing). The understated details are often the best, to show a little flair without being showy: Sir Christopher Meyer, our late ambassador in Washington, famously wore red socks to stand out (having decided a bright scarf was too uncomfortable in summer and his head too big for a hat).
It was Tom Ford who said that dressing well is a kind of good manners. If so, perhaps this quiet revolution among young men rediscovering the joy of dressing the part could have impact beyond the sartorial world. Might it lead my generation to pay corresponding attention to elegance of speech and etiquette as we once again see distinction in adopting the ways of an English gentleman? In The Englishman’s Suit, Sir Hardy Amies said: ‘The man’s suit – an English invention, I must add – is still worn by men at all times when respect for tradition and hope for an ordered future prevails.’ Some men have decided that an ordered future would be rather nice.
If nothing else, dressing up can make us feel better about ourselves. There’s much chatter nowadays about ‘dopamine dressing’, that is, wearing outfits that enhance our mood. It’s become a cliché of motivational talks by hot-shot entrepreneurs that making your bed in the morning is a good start on the path to professional success. I think putting on an ironed shirt has the same disciplining effect. As Karl Lagerfeld said, sweatpants are a sign of defeat: ‘You lost control of your life so you bought some sweatpants.’ Take back control. Don a suit.
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