Mens Suits:
The Classics of the 1920s

Classic mens suits in the 1920s set the stage of mens fashion in the 20th Century

Modern Classic: The Double-Breasted Suit

. . . whether men purchased their suits in the United States or had one custom made in a small tailor's shop in Rome (like Al Capone) men's fashion in the 1920s was classic.

Men's fashion hasn't changed a whole lot between The Roaring Twenties and today.

The numbers of quality suit cutters and tailors has significantly decreased, while many suit makers workmanship is spotty at best.

Today the styles and look of suits remains classic and timeless.

Like those of the 1920s.

The industrial developments, perfected after World War I, contributed to the death of the quality neighborhood tailor.

The ready-to-wear clothing movement due to the rise of the department store catalog were booming - bringing the popular styles of modern men's suits to the major cities to the rural areas of the country.

Thousands of young people were following "the American Dream" and moving into the city.

No longer was it the dream to own a few acres, raise a few kids, and live a little life of "quiet desperation" on a farm somewhere. . .

Fine Mens Suits and The Birth of "the American Dream"

The Roaring Twenties made it clear that it was a new age where anyone's dreams could come true if you had the guts to chase them.

Duke Ellington - The Well-Dressed Jazz Legend

You just had to look at Carnegie or Rockefeller for proof. . . the look of success had changed.

Wall Street was charging ahead, inventions were a dime a dozen, the "Silver Screen" and Broadway Shows were alive with beautiful talented stars.

This was the "golden age" of business, movies, music, and fashion. The 1920's were an exciting time to be alive. . .

Fashion became a booming business!

Even though Rockefeller’s Standard oil had been broken up in 1911, and Andrew Carnegie died in 1919, huge corporations were thriving and there was a immediate need in the major American cities for talented advertising, accounting, and media people.

A "Classic" Look - Suit with Overcoat

Business culture was born in cities all over the U.S.

New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles all saw huge spikes in their populations after the war. . .

Mens suits and business-wear came into vogue shortly thereafter.

As an added bonus of all this commerce, the mail order catalogs from Sears, Roebuck and Montgomery Ward exposed the country kids to mens fashion.

With the bright lights and excitement of city life - do you blame them for leaving the hard work of the farm behind?

Classic Style of Mens Suits

In the early part of the 1920's the "conservative suit", as it's known today, was the most popular mens suit style.

Marked by it's tightly fitted jacket, high "pinched" waist and narrow shoulders, the conservative suit cut a thin silhouette - hardly the look of the American businessman as we've come to know him.

Fashion was soon to change.

In about 1924, the style of mens suits shifted away from the thin cut and pinched waist look of what was then known as the "Jazz suit".

It was during this time that fine American suit makers like Brooks Brothers clothing came into it's own as the leader in American mens fashion.

Brooks Brothers and other fine men's clothing houses defined the look of the business suit that has been in style for nearly 80 years. . .

These high end mens suits are the ones you will often see well dressed men sporting in the pages of the latest men's fashion magazines, in the movies and on television.

Fashion History For Men

Men dressed in the "old style" suit marked by it's high, narrow waist

With the birth of urban business wear the suit made a huge transformation during the Twenties.

In the previous era, a suit came in three separate parts: the jacket, vest, and trousers.

In recent years the vest has become an anomaly. But, up until the end of the Victorian era, men wore a "suit" of clothes made from the same materials and of the same color only to informal occasions.

Back then, formal menswear was a tuxedo with all the elements, the jacket (with tails), vest, and pants all made from different types of materials.

Follow the links on this page to get more perspective on the great history of mens suits and how the classical styles of the past are still reflected in today's fashion.

So there you have it the 10 minute recap of suits and style through history, please read more about each suit by clicking the links above. . .

Or read much more about the Beautiful Fashions of the 1920's