Be as in love with your jeans, sweatpants, or flannels as you want, it's hard to
refute the sumptuous feel of a finely tailored suit—as well as the statement of
power that comes with it. For over a century the suit has dominated wardrobes,
its simple form making it the go-to attire for boardrooms, churches, or cocktail
bars—anywhere one wants to make an impression. But this ubiquity has allowed us
to take the suit's history for granted, and its complex construction, symbolic
power, and many shifting meanings have been lost to all but the most devout
sartorialists.
In The Suit, Christopher Breward unstitches the story of our