Prada
How to Dress Down Your Tailoring
FEATURE: QUICK READ
Words by Toby Standing
It’s been a minute, but with pandemic dressing a thing of distant memory, the menswear pendulum has swung firmly back to the suited-and-booted end of the spectrum. Tailoring has returned – but not as you once knew it. Occasion dress codes are looser, ‘rulebooks’ have been found wanting, and the era of quiet luxury has ousted logomania. Here’s how to tackle this new landscape in three easy ways.
Introduce Knitwear
Swapping out the typical blazer for something textural is a great way of immediately bringing tailoring into a comfort zone. Cardigans, sweater vests and knitted polos are all great options thanks to their adjacency and familiarity to smarter clothing – think a long-sleeved polo in place of a formal shirt and tie. There’s still a collar to sit nicely under lapels, but you’ll have all the comfort of a softer knit.
“Swapping out the typical blazer for something textural is a great way of immediately bringing tailoring into a comfort zone”
Loosen Up
Traditional suiting is associated with structure – meaning the easiest way to dress this down is by loosening things up.
Unbutton that shirt, roll up your sleeves, remove that suit jacket and leave your waistcoat open with a “just finished work, time for a cold one” kind of attitude. When dealing with something as established as tailoring, small changes can have a surprisingly big impact on your look.
ON YOUR FEET
“Sneakers with suits aren’t a rare sight these days. Opting for a minimal, pared-back style in a simple, neutral colour can enhance that feeling of classic sophistication, while making everything more comfortable”
Smart Separates
It’s a simple idea to take two halves of separate suits to make one new whole, but by doing so you give both a new lease of life. This mix-and-match approach removes the ‘uniform’ trope of suiting and sits somewhere in that hard-to-define territory of smart-casual. You can also swap out a shirt for a refined top that matches the tone of your trousers – it feels purposeful and polished, but satisfyingly unexpected.
“It’s a simple idea to take two halves of separate suits to make one new whole, but by doing so you give both a new lease of life”
Tailoring 101
Suiting is a cornerstone of every man’s wardrobe, so it pays to approach your tailoring collection and care regime with confidence. Consider this an education in sophistication.
Discover the Tailoring Guide