The suit was created based on an unknown individual’s rational desire to be more comfortable in their armor. Possibly with a direct intent not to be injured by their armor before they reach the battlefield. Medieval armor required a padded garment to protect and support the heavy armor. In order to work, it had to be fitted; easy to put on and follow the natural lines of body.
This probably ended up being a basic wool padded suit made up of ‘pant, vest and jacket’. This basic suit soon fell to the mercy of status and fashion. People have always been obsessed with the powerful and popular. Imagine the romanticism of knighthood and the glory of wealth and courage. Those
privileged enough to carry the knighthood would want a way to show it off and gain status and acceptance.
At some point a trend of knights wearing padded suits without the armor on their ‘days-off’; so that people would know who they were. Probably centuries ago, some lazy knight broke the fashion laws of the age and didn’t change after knightly duties before heading to the pub. This lucky guy must have picked up the hottest barmaid in the land that night. And the next night all his friends tried their luck and from their it expanded to the full-out frilly glory of the Sun King decades later. Suddenly the knights’ simple trend of wearing their padded suits regularly, set off a change reaction of all men wanting to wear these decorated suits as well. These simple woolen padded suits evolved into the seventeenth century’s Louis XIV’s wildly ‘fauvistic’ bright floral frock coats accompanied by yards of ribbons, laces and jewels. Tailoring was an art in this age because of the skin tight fashion of wearing these suits. Louis XIV had decreed that in his court men had to wear not only a long jacket, vest and trouser, but a wig, cravat and hat. Too bad most men don’t realize these days, the impression of sexy a well-pressed cravat has on quite a few females. Something about an era that’s been romanticized our entire lives that has us programmed to instinctually want men whom are able to wear cravats well.
Our more ‘modern’ form of the suit originated from the nineteenth century ‘sack-suit’. The sack suit was the causal wear of the upper class and the sunday best of the lower class. It can be described as a sac suit because of it’s loose fit in comparison to the frock coats (painted on if they could), tailoring is expensive and a loose fitting version allowed the suits to be pasted down to fit the generations.
Although the image of being picked up for prom with my date in a skin-tight blue orchid silk brocade frock coat would have shown off some of his finer features. I think that my father would have had something to say about the codpiece (which was needed to tie the pants closed and is basically a nob of fabric attached at the crotch area). And my mother might have been worried about my dress being able to keep up with the pictorial demands of standing beside a man in an elaborate suit. Frankly, I’d pray that his lace cuffs were replaced with leather. Thus, hopefully allowing some type of masculine edge to his floral stylings. Although his distractingly perfect posture demanded by the suit could cause driving issues just trying to get to prom, lift your arms much? Thank the gods, that after World War I someone had the sense to design a formal version of the sac suit: the tuxedo.
So is the business suit the armor worn for the glory of the day?
Does it protect us and empower us?
Suits do give some types of power, generally woman are an easy mark for their lovers when they’re propositioned in well fitted suits. Sure, it could be because the suit brings out the colour of their eyes. But I’m leaning towards the damsel & knight socialized desires for beauty, power and status... certainly not over-looking the passionate possibilities of those who live without fear and are bathed in the glory of courage...
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