THE SKINNY ON THE SUIT

By Vivian Vassos

Images, courtesy of Hugo Boss Canada

SKINNY INDEED. The suit for fall is just that—pared down, slim and streamlined. The two-button suit, which began its upward trajectory into the closets of modish hipsters this past spring, has successfully jockeyed for position as a wardrobe staple for the well-dressed man of any age. “Young men are driving the suit market today,” says Jeff Farbstein, VP, general merchandise, at Harry Rosen. “After starting out in the casual business environment of the ’90s, they’re discovering suits, especially the fit of a modern two-button style with plain-front trousers, and realizing it’s not their father’s suit anymore.”

Vintage has been a women’s fashion buzzword for nearly a decade, and the movement has finally taken hold on the menswear front as well. With retro-inspired cuts and fabrics making a big impact on the ready-to-wear runways, as well as celebrity style makers such as George Clooney’s throwback to the Rat Pack days and André 3000’s eclectic mix of “golf gear circa 1940 meets inimitable hip-hop esthetic,” the what’s-old-is-new adage rings true for fall ‘05.

Take the pinstripe suit, for example. Tailored, classic, yet always of the moment, this enduring symbol of status and style mixes easily with fall’s penchant for personalizing your look. A simple twist on the tie—try a subtle diamond pattern—and a striped shirt, and the look is very here and now. Take it up a notch with a hit of colour. A fine-knit V-neck sweater as an additional layer under your jacket not only gives your daytime look a new life, it allows you to lose the jacket and still give the impression that you’re all dressed up.

Fabrics, too, take a trip down memory lane. Manor-born tweeds, hunting houndstooths and Grandpa’s herringbones are adding texture without bulk. It’s key to understand that although these fabrics may have a history, the way in which they are cut is what makes them newsworthy now. Look for the tweed overcoat in a slimmer fit through the torso. Meanwhile, the sports jacket, now enjoying newfound popularity, particularly in English country heathers, glen-check plaids and camel hair, mixes as perfectly with slouchy slacks for casual business as it does with a frayed pair of jeans and trainers on the weekend. Another mix master this season is the black velvet jacket, as seen at Gucci. It works as a formal alternative to the aforementioned sports jacket when a tuxedo may be just a bit too much. On the other hand, worn with a crisp white shirt and a faded pair of jeans, it may just be the coolest look you can work this season.

Let’s get back to the suit. Everything about it is narrow—the cut, the lapels, even the pant legs. And any guy under five foot ten will tell you that the rebirth of the two-button—which somehow manages to trick the eye into believing that he’s more like six feet—is the best thing since sliced bread. (For the smaller of frame, try giving your tie a slightly smaller knot to balance your proportions even more. Note: this does not work on regular or larger-size guys, so stick to a classic half Windsor.) Designers such as Hugo Boss are carrying over spring’s favourite new suit, as are Armani, Versace and Z Zegna. (You might remember a few seasons back, when Z Zegna’s ad campaign featured the slimmer-than-slim actor Adrian Brody, who may have been the inspiration for the current slighter silhouette.)

But don’t mistake pared-down for plain. At Perry Ellis, designers have added a second pocket flap to the label’s pinstripe suit, and bespoke tailoring has shown up in the suits of many Italian couturiers. At Dolce & Gabbana, pinstripes help shape the double-breasted suit, which also takes the straight and narrow this season. That label’s designers showed nipped-in waists balanced with still-wide lapels, giving their suits a little bit of a gangsta edge (also seen at Gucci, Givenchy and Prada, a favourite of hockey icon Wayne Gretzky). At Valentino, the streamlined fit and higher, narrower lapels offer a mod effect, while at Armani, the slim two-button has morphed into the double-breasted variety.

Sharply dressed men the world over can appreciate the clean, no-nonsense approach to dressing that a trim, tapered suit allows. Case in point: just as the British actor—and skinny-suit-wearing—Jason Statham, in his upcoming film Transporter 2, readies to kick some serious bad-guy butt, he pauses. “Hold on,” Statham says to the tough guys, as he carefully removes his sleek black jacket. “It’s just come out of the dry cleaners.” So go ahead, slip on a suit. After all, slim is in.