Why did men’s suit change noticeably between the 70s, 80s, 90s, but since the early to mid 00s they have remained effectively the same?

r/

You could rock a 2005 suit today and no one would notice. But a 1995 suit today or in 2005…

Comments

  1. horrorshowjack Avatar

    At a guess because so few people wear suits now in comparison.

  2. No-Marionberry-3402 Avatar

    The american style change to the european one (more fitting)

  3. prhodiann Avatar

    Fashion decades stopped with the millennium – not just suits, but there was a 60s look, a 70s look etc. Then it ended. Something to do with the internet, probably.

  4. Lazy_Lettuce1220 Avatar

    I disagree. 90’s pants, and later maybe?, had pleated fronts and straight legs. The current trend is flat front and skinny fit legs. Lapels are narrower now than they used to be, and ties too. The top button of a jacket is slightly lower too.
    Then there is colour and fabric choice too. You couldn’t get a blue suit back in the 90’s and early 2000’s, not a serious suit anyway (maybe something that would be hired for a graduation formal). Jacket pockets were always with a flap over, and now they are often just a slit.

  5. snowwarrior Avatar

    A 2005 suit today? Go look at the suit LeBron James wore when he got drafted.

    2015-today? Sure.

  6. all_about_that_ace Avatar

    If you look at pre-20th century trends they changed relatively slowly because information travelled slowly. They changed quickly in the 20th century because the radio and TV communicated with virtually everyone and there were only a few stations/channels and that unified everyone. With the internet everyone is now siloed into their own little spaces and communities and communication is more varied slowing it down again.

    Also the pace of technological change peaked in the 20th century and has been declining since, this brought many new fabrics and situations requiring new clothing solutions.

  7. jackfaire Avatar

    A lot of us men have no interest in wearing suits for day to day wear.

  8. sexyxo_Lady Avatar

    Working at a dry cleaner’s since 99 I’ve seen this firsthand. The variety of suits coming in has definitely decreased. Back then guys would bring in everything from powder blue to pinstripes. Now it’s mostly just navy and charcoal.

  9. Deckthe9 Avatar

    todays suit mostly stems from post WWII minimalistic approach. The 70s and 80s had some discoveries in fabric, and that’s mostly it. lots of synthetics. 90s were wider and then it’s mostly unchanged and similar to the 50s, although slimmer. but you can notice that we are moving towards looser cuts.