It seems superfluous to include single breasted suits in a trend article given they are never out of fashion. But despite being the default style, they're also the dominant, on-trend suit cut for 2011 and 2012. This sits in contrast to the double breasted suit being the on-trend cut during 2009 and 2010.
The cut of the single breasted suit has evolved for 2011 / 2012 to have two dominant styles:
The sleek cut
The first of the two dominant single-breasted suit styles for 2011 is what I term a sleek cut. This is the suit for the slick chap who wears his suits in something of a toned down way. They're still impeccably made and they're never casual, but when it comes time to tick the masculinity box I referred to earlier, this suit is for the chap who does so with restraint.
To give you an instant mental picture of the sleek cut suit in 2011 and 2012, think of it as inspired by the continuing popularity of all things 1960s, a suit very akin to what the likes of Mad Men's Don Draper wears into the office though one cut with a trimmer waist.
Men's suits: modern suit styles for 2011
Written by Daniel P Dykes
Men's fashion trends are greatly different to women's. They exist, yes. But their cycle moves much slower. Nowhere is that truer then of men's suit trends. While there are distinct styles of suits that feature amongst 2011's fashion trends I should note from the get-go that they're not unique to the year - in fact, many of the key looks you'll find in this guide will still be in-fashion come 2012 and beyond. Which is a great thing - it means you can afford to spend more on a suit thus buying a quality piece of workmanship that you'll still be able to wear for many a year to come. The same can't be said of most fashion trends.
But what styles, cuts and cloths should you be looking for? Read on to find out.
2011 suit
Read more on men's suit trends
* Modern suit styles
* Double breasted suits
* Three piece suits
* On trend suit fabrics and patterns
* Buying the perfect suit
While suiting and formal-wear trends for men aren't seasonal (unless, of course, you're talking about the weight of the cloth) and play out over several years, 2011 and 2012 continue the dominance of two qualities that any modern suit you invest in should aspire to have:
1. classicism
2. masculinity
Let's deal with them both.
The classic part is the easy part. A good suit for this decade will take the best elements from the peak eras of men's suiting (think the formality of the Victorian era, the savoir faire of the 1930s and, for some cuts, the skinny detailing of the 1960s) and apply them to a modern silhouette.
The masculinity of a suit is less easy to define; one can't simply enter a tailors and say you want a suit infused with masculinity. Sadly, it doesn't work that way. Instead, suits for 2011 and 2012 are all about a cut that compliments the male physique, a suit that broadens the shoulders and trims the waist highlighting (or at least implying) an exercised body. In short, it's about a cut of a suit that makes you, the wearer, feel more masculine and more confident. And feeling really is key. To some the masculine element will be a suit that is clean cut, with few flourishes, to others it's means a suit full of extra details that it takes a certain attitude to pull off well (I'd say that Tom Ford's suits fall into the latter camp - they're highly masculine, but are made for a gent with a certain kind of attitude to life).
So knowing the fact that you're looking for something both masculine and classic, what are the technical elements you're looking for?
Suit cuts: on-trend styles and designs
You'll find terms such as skinny and slim peppered throughout this tailoring trends guide, but fear not: I'm not referring to the 'skinny boy' suit popular into 2008 / 2009; with proponents of that style having themselves moved on to other styles, the skinny boy suit has had it's day. But, despite this, the terms of skinny and slim remain simply because unstructured, boxy suit cuts are out of fashion. So there, from the get go, as we describe the suit cuts you should be looking for in 2011 and beyond we have to say it: you're looking for a slim cut; and I use slim as opposed to skinny to describe the on-trend cut as your investment in a good suit should be in something that is neither overly-skinny nor overly boxy, but instead a suit cut that would appeal to a military officer, one that accents a sense of the masculine through three key silhouette elements:
1. broad shoulders
2. a slim waist
3. slim trousers
With those three attributes in mind, let's look at the actual cuts that are in fashion:
Single breasted suits
It seems superfluous to include single breasted suits in a trend article given they are never out of fashion. But despite being the default style, they're also the dominant, on-trend suit cut for 2011 and 2012. This sits in contrast to the double breasted suit being the on-trend cut during 2009 and 2010.
The cut of the single breasted suit has evolved for 2011 / 2012 to have two dominant styles:
The sleek cut
The first of the two dominant single-breasted suit styles for 2011 is what I term a sleek cut. This is the suit for the slick chap who wears his suits in something of a toned down way. They're still impeccably made and they're never casual, but when it comes time to tick the masculinity box I referred to earlier, this suit is for the chap who does so with restraint.
To give you an instant mental picture of the sleek cut suit in 2011 and 2012, think of it as inspired by the continuing popularity of all things 1960s, a suit very akin to what the likes of Mad Men's Don Draper wears into the office though one cut with a trimmer waist.
don draper suit
If a sleek cut, single breasted suit is what you want to add to your wardrobe then you're after the following details:
* slhm to medium sized notched lapels or a shawl
* the upper button should be positioned around your navel
* a breast pocket that accommodates nothing more than a pocket square (as opposed to a elegantly folded pocket handkerchief) - contrast Don Draper's pocket square to the pocket handkerchief's featured in the Tom Ford pictures below if the difference is not immediately obvious to you
The cut of the single breasted suit has evolved for 2011 / 2012 to have two dominant styles:
The sleek cut
The first of the two dominant single-breasted suit styles for 2011 is what I term a sleek cut. This is the suit for the slick chap who wears his suits in something of a toned down way. They're still impeccably made and they're never casual, but when it comes time to tick the masculinity box I referred to earlier, this suit is for the chap who does so with restraint.
To give you an instant mental picture of the sleek cut suit in 2011 and 2012, think of it as inspired by the continuing popularity of all things 1960s, a suit very akin to what the likes of Mad Men's Don Draper wears into the office though one cut with a trimmer waist.
Written by Daniel P Dykes
Men's fashion trends are greatly different to women's. They exist, yes. But their cycle moves much slower. Nowhere is that truer then of men's suit trends. While there are distinct styles of suits that feature amongst 2011's fashion trends I should note from the get-go that they're not unique to the year - in fact, many of the key looks you'll find in this guide will still be in-fashion come 2012 and beyond. Which is a great thing - it means you can afford to spend more on a suit thus buying a quality piece of workmanship that you'll still be able to wear for many a year to come. The same can't be said of most fashion trends.
But what styles, cuts and cloths should you be looking for? Read on to find out.
2011 suit
Read more on men's suit trends
* Modern suit styles
* Double breasted suits
* Three piece suits
* On trend suit fabrics and patterns
* Buying the perfect suit
While suiting and formal-wear trends for men aren't seasonal (unless, of course, you're talking about the weight of the cloth) and play out over several years, 2011 and 2012 continue the dominance of two qualities that any modern suit you invest in should aspire to have:
1. classicism
2. masculinity
Let's deal with them both.
The classic part is the easy part. A good suit for this decade will take the best elements from the peak eras of men's suiting (think the formality of the Victorian era, the savoir faire of the 1930s and, for some cuts, the skinny detailing of the 1960s) and apply them to a modern silhouette.
The masculinity of a suit is less easy to define; one can't simply enter a tailors and say you want a suit infused with masculinity. Sadly, it doesn't work that way. Instead, suits for 2011 and 2012 are all about a cut that compliments the male physique, a suit that broadens the shoulders and trims the waist highlighting (or at least implying) an exercised body. In short, it's about a cut of a suit that makes you, the wearer, feel more masculine and more confident. And feeling really is key. To some the masculine element will be a suit that is clean cut, with few flourishes, to others it's means a suit full of extra details that it takes a certain attitude to pull off well (I'd say that Tom Ford's suits fall into the latter camp - they're highly masculine, but are made for a gent with a certain kind of attitude to life).
So knowing the fact that you're looking for something both masculine and classic, what are the technical elements you're looking for?
Suit cuts: on-trend styles and designs
You'll find terms such as skinny and slim peppered throughout this tailoring trends guide, but fear not: I'm not referring to the 'skinny boy' suit popular into 2008 / 2009; with proponents of that style having themselves moved on to other styles, the skinny boy suit has had it's day. But, despite this, the terms of skinny and slim remain simply because unstructured, boxy suit cuts are out of fashion. So there, from the get go, as we describe the suit cuts you should be looking for in 2011 and beyond we have to say it: you're looking for a slim cut; and I use slim as opposed to skinny to describe the on-trend cut as your investment in a good suit should be in something that is neither overly-skinny nor overly boxy, but instead a suit cut that would appeal to a military officer, one that accents a sense of the masculine through three key silhouette elements:
1. broad shoulders
2. a slim waist
3. slim trousers
With those three attributes in mind, let's look at the actual cuts that are in fashion:
Single breasted suits
It seems superfluous to include single breasted suits in a trend article given they are never out of fashion. But despite being the default style, they're also the dominant, on-trend suit cut for 2011 and 2012. This sits in contrast to the double breasted suit being the on-trend cut during 2009 and 2010.
The cut of the single breasted suit has evolved for 2011 / 2012 to have two dominant styles:
The sleek cut
The first of the two dominant single-breasted suit styles for 2011 is what I term a sleek cut. This is the suit for the slick chap who wears his suits in something of a toned down way. They're still impeccably made and they're never casual, but when it comes time to tick the masculinity box I referred to earlier, this suit is for the chap who does so with restraint.
To give you an instant mental picture of the sleek cut suit in 2011 and 2012, think of it as inspired by the continuing popularity of all things 1960s, a suit very akin to what the likes of Mad Men's Don Draper wears into the office though one cut with a trimmer waist.
don draper suit
If a sleek cut, single breasted suit is what you want to add to your wardrobe then you're after the following details:
* slhm to medium sized notched lapels or a shawl
* the upper button should be positioned around your navel
* a breast pocket that accommodates nothing more than a pocket square (as opposed to a elegantly folded pocket handkerchief) - contrast Don Draper's pocket square to the pocket handkerchief's featured in the Tom Ford pictures below if the difference is not immediately obvious to you