What Happened to Men's Clothing?

If you’ve ever seen videos of street corners in the late 19th or early 20th century, if you have a soul, you may notice how beauty is exemplified in so much of what is captured there; from the architecture, to the carriages, to the dress of the people. And, if you have a brain, it may have left you wondering, what changed? What happened to our culture that caused us to go from sensibilities that would inspire men to aim at a vision of masculinity like this to something more like this?

The first reason for the shift in our cultural sensibilities that I’d want to highlight is that as the influence of the Church and Christianity has waned over the years, we’ve been more easily persuaded to believe that external appearances do not convey anything necessary about internal realities.
We say things like, don’t judge a book by its cover. By that, we mean, there is some internal value that you can’t see when judging an object or a person by their external appearance.

Whereas Christianity has, predominantly, insisted that human beings are body-soul composites and that the material world expresses the spiritual reality of God’s creation.

All of which is to say, the external does tell us something about the internal or incorporeal. Just as a person’s words tell us something about the content of their thoughts, so too, does our appearance, tell others something about our mind and our soul.

For example, St. Francis de Sales said, “External cleanliness is a sort of indication of inward good order.”

But as we’ve slowly embraced this dualistic idea that external and internal are distinct and irrelevant to each other, we’ve, in theory, become more accepting of unconventional appearances.

[shirakou]

I hear ya, I've been getting into classic menswear, and wearing suits and ties more often. Thankfully, I've been getting a lot of good remarks and support on the move. It's interesting how dressing how normal people did not too many generations ago is now the new rebellion.

[kcc]

Haven’t worn jeans for twelve months. I now live in the far north QLD and will continue to dress in feminine dresses or maxi dresses for modesty. It makes sense. I remember one bloke at uni that always dressed in a Victorian gentleman way, he was a real man with a real Victorian style tash. Great video.

[brigid]

I’ve wondered this myself! We have gone so far away from that and now men and women wear clothes that are rarely beautiful or cultured.

[brianhurley]

Started wearing my suit to church at least every Sunday. Really does make the experience feel more important.

[sarareimold]

I sew all of my clothes and mostly wear historically inspired styles that are much dressier than most people consider appropriate. But I love beautiful fabric so that's what I do. My husband also joins me in dressing this way on the weekends when he's not working with IT clients. We get crazy looks!

[johncox]

What he is talking about is evident in architecture, transport and how.we dress. All we have to do is look around any city now and notice the novostroiki looking buildings passing for everything from.government offices to condos and apartments. The loss of a desire to make monumental architecture has turned out once beautiful cities into wastelands.
The same thing goes for personal style. I remember when service station attendants wore uniforms. Bus drivers and transit operators wore uniforms with a cap and a badge that gave them authority. People had a sense of looking as good and proper as possible. We dressed up to go to the movies and travel! Since the 1960s we have all dumbed down into polo shirts and earth tones with most people slouching along in baggy jeans and t shirts.

[dillpixel]

I thought I was the only one who wondered this. I wear the "workman's" uniform everyday. I have a closet full of very nice clothing that I never wear because it's too 'dressy'.

[dean]

I watched the new CS Lewis movie " the most reluctant convert". I noticed how well dressed and how well spoken people were in the pre 1960s west. My parents generation in WW2, everyone was so well dressed, polite, the music was so classy. It is interesting that those who now attend the traditional Latin Mass, are very well dressed, as in we realize we are walking into the house if God, and show respect by presenting the best of ourselves.

[Veniaization]

This was beautifully stated! I've been trying to say things like this for years now, and have been wearing more "formal" looking clothes, especially for church, for years, but I could never come up with anything more like a good reason for doing so. But this makes me all the more excited to do what I already do, which is to wear something that reflects the values that I hold, and to learn to respect the image of God which I bear.

[cynthiax]

And what has happened to women's clothes??? Once upon a time women loved to look beautiful. Now they want to look"hot" wearing trashy clothing. I went into a store and asked where the skirts were, and instead of answering me, the sales lady just stared at me like I had 2 heads and FINALLY told me after staring at me forever, they haven't carried skirts for years and that women don't buy skirts.

[carlcurtis]

I agree with almost all of what you say (which is why, as a college professor, I always wore a coat and tie), but I must say that Rebel Without a Cause strikes me as a very perceptive picture of the disappearance of fatherhood. But, as I said, your argument strikes a chord with me.

[CatholicK]

I had never heard that theory before, but it certainly seems plausible.

One thing I would mention though is that fashion can become immodest in more than one way, and a balance has to be found. Dressing only for comfort and self pursuit is the more obvious one for our times. However, immodesty in dress can also come from caring too much about being decorated. Certain times in the history of Christendom have brought out a sort of ridiculous excess in fashion of the nobility; so much so that the stiff neck pieces used to make men and women stand out like peacocks were sometimes of one time use.

The Dinner Dress/Tuxedo offered a good balance for the upper classes. It allowed for a good looking masculine outfit that wasn't too uncomfortable and prevented people from dressing too individualistically and showing off. It allowed for slight individual features, such as the lapel and at times a different colour bowtie.

Likewise, the men's suit and/or combination piece for day wear.

I started to wear a tie more often a few years ago. At first I went a bit over the top. Now, I try to wear a collared shirt with a tie along with a waistcoat. And on occasion I will wear a sports jacket. I try to stick to neutral colours to prevent myself from standing out too much. I found that dressing better actually brings out a certain positive element - it effects how you feel somewhat and lifts your spirits.

[MsBrigitte]

One Saturday afternoon this past summer after visiting my son and his family, I was in the area of my former Parish and wanted to make it to Confession before I went home for the evening. I lamented that I wasn't dressed properly to stay for Holy Mass. I prayed about it as I was driving and heard interiorly, "come as you are." It was a joyful exception to my preference for dressing my best for Sunday Mass.

[Jkp]

It's not just men but the entirity of Western culture that has degraded. People just want to wear what is "most comfortable", and I think any rejection of a religious understanding of modesty will lead to a preference of near nakedness over being well clothed in glory.

[mmthomas]

Before and after ww2, the middle classes strove to emulate the upper classes. They dressed well and with a sense of decorum. They entertained, insisted the family eat dinner together around a table, and raised their children with a sense of etiquette. You know those middle and high school dances and formals? They were originally held as training for when the students were adults and would attend such events.
Around the late 60s, the middle classes started living more like the lower classes did previous to that time. Very little household rules, little decorum (after all, that's no fun!), eating in front of the television, and not having a structured social life that would involve a dress code. After all, caring how ones looks is considered shallow.
My daughter got a scholarship to a college that attracts "old money." Guess what? Her fellow students didn't curse very often, they dressed for the occasion and were expected to know how to dress at what type of event, and how to arrange receptions for visiting dignitaries (visiting professors, authors, prize winning scientists....) It occurred to us that the middle class was segregating itself from the upper class and that what was once common etiquette is now becoming the secret handshake by which the upperclasses can recognize each other.

[maniwyatt]

I dress up everyday no matter what. It is a show of good manners and a show of self respect.

[dimek]

I would propose that today formal clothing is more comfortable than ever in the past, with more elastic, lighter weight, performance fabrics available. And if you get the fit right, you can wear them all day and still be quite comfortable.

[ToniCroX]

As a Christian Slav I agree. Somewhat... ( I love my Adidas ) Edit: I would add as well here in Europe's big cities we still like to dress nice, just not wear full on suits. Depends on the season too.

[blakemoon]

I mostly agree with this thesis, but I think we should acknowledge that some developments in clothing have been good. Modern clothing is better suited to actual weather conditions, for example. As an Australian, I see old footage of people dressed in European style suits and ties and long dresses in the hot Aussie summer and can only wonder at the impracticality of such attire. Function and elegance should go hand in hand.

[rumrunner]

There is a much simpler explanation for the decline in men's formal wear in the US and Canada: WWII. More men than ever before were sent out for years to live, work, and fight in harsh conditions and they did so while wearing simple, comfortable clothing. If one spent two years fighting the Japanese in the jungles of South East Asia and then come home to the South Carolina, would one *really* want to wear a three piece suit in that kind of heat? Or would one want to wear the comfortable, simple clothing they'd grown accustomed to during the war?
Also, men's formal wear is multi-layered for warmth. Central heat became widespread starting in the 50s, so there was no more of a need for men to wear jackets inside and hence the jackets fell out of favor.

And a note on blue jeans: in the USSR, jeans were actually pretty rare as the Soviet factories didn't make them and they had to be imported clandestinely from the West. A person wearing blue jeans was making a statement of having privileges and connections, as a pair of Levis costed about a month's salary on the black market.