Men's Fashion

[Michael]

Men's fashions have changed quite a bit over the years... how they settled on the bland and mediocre uniformity of the modern day is beyond me.

Check out the suit on the guy at the table - now that's a showstopper! Or check out the hat that the fellow on the left is holding.

Compare that with the boring and uniform crap the guys in the bottom photo are proudly wearing!

http://blog.prospect.org/blog/weblog/LouisianaPurchase.jpg

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3592/3463363892_f5c7672f78.jpg

Curious and odd trend that one is.

[Donkey]

In fairness, the impracticality of the modern suit pales in comparison to the ridiculousness of 18th century nonsense.

[Michael]

In fairness, the impracticality of the modern suit pales in comparison to the ridiculousness of 18th century nonsense.

In this particular case, that would be 19th century nonsense, albeit early 19th. The 50/50 presence of wigs is the dead giveaway for 19th century period. ;)

That particular painting is entitled 'Signing of the Louisiana Purchase' - which would be dated for very early 19th century.

Anyway, I'm not so sure about practicality - those fancy outfits don't look much more/less practical/comfortable than modern banker's suits. At the very least, the modern look is quite mediocre and drab in neutral colors. :shrug:

[dilettante]

I think part of the appeal of the "mediocre and drab" suit is that is has a leveling effect. The lowly cubicle dweller wears a suit to work and so does the president of the United States. Even the part-time McDonald's burger-flipper might have a suit to wear for weddings, funerals or other formal occasions. The cut, fabric, and manufacture may differ from suit to suit, but in general the ubiquity and commonness of the suit makes it relatively more difficult to accurately gauge a man's social status from the way he dresses.

The fancy dress of the painting unquestionably marks the subjects as members of the social elite. Based only on their clothing, I can't tell whether the figures in the photograph are Rutgers professors, members of the Board of Trustees, lowly business school students, or some combination thereof.

I haven't looked into the history of clothing, but I'd predict that the elaborateness of dress tends to be inversely proportional to how much a society values social equality among its (male? white?) members.

[Greendruid]

I haven't looked into the history of clothing, but I'd predict that the elaborateness of dress tends to be inversely proportional to how much a society values social equality among its (male? white?) members.

Nice qualifiers on the end statement there! :thumbsup: