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Formals be it men or women are eye-catching for both they not only speak volumes about one’s character when one wears them, but also increase the sex appeal of the person wearing them. In the modern world when we speak of formal wear the first thing that comes to mind is a function one may be attending as with the passage of time formal wear has been restricted to that mostly. Recently this was the topic of discussion in JD Institute where they discussed the evolution which also helped me know about the same, now let’s quickly delve into the history of formal wear in order to understand their evolution to the present date.

History of formal wear

The real origin of what we call formal wear for men a suit had started much before the 1600s but till that time it was between the french and British only, as they colonized more countries they took their fashion sense there as well and it became to gain traction, however, the french had marquee the coat trousers and a shirt beneath it which made the Englishmen think of something different, it so happened that in that century the ruler, King Charles II in order to help the English wool trade and break away from the french style decided to add another piece of clothing inside that became popular as the vest, that’s how the three-piece suit was born, however, it was a tight-fitting and knee-length cloth back in the day unlike now.

The evolution in the 1700s

Then came the late 1700s when a trendsetter Beau Burmell came and decided to change the fashion scenario completely he designed his own jacket, ditched the stockings that were worn by everyone at that time, and stitched trousers, with a simple dark jacket with tails and an elegant waistcoat. Everyone who saw him was stunned by his fashion statement and immediately the whole town followed and got their pants stitched, it is amazing how one person changed the entire fashion sense just by quitting stockings.

The evolution in the 1800s

In the mid-1800s the world saw the introduction of yet new element to men’s fashion – the frock coat, it was something that men used to wear on a regular basis and would change to a morning coat for their formal wear. Around this time the dinner jacket came into fashion, it was something which was available only to the novelty and they wore it on the most formal occasions they went to, the dinner jacket today is famous by another name – Tuxedo. 

The evolution of the 1900s

The frock coat which was so magically worn by almost everyone regularly every day started becoming out of fashion by the next century, to the people it no longer looked appealing and in some years it was all but gone, no one remembered it and it has been long gone now. Since the frock coat was no longer an option for the daily wear people changed to wearing the morning coat for business attire and suits became the most common attire for almost everyone at the beginning of this century, but it was an expensive attire and difficult to maintain, the commoners who were not so well off were quick enough to shift to short jackets as they were light, affordable and looked similar to the fashion sense followed by the novelty, It was then that the paradigm shift had started towards industrialization. 

In the 1930s when the suits for men were becoming baggier and loose fittings with the onset of world war and the need for change, the fashion statements changed people were facing the great economic depression and couldn’t afford to spend much on clothes, more and more members of the family would try to earn to keep the household running and suffice for their needs this is the period when there was an influx in the number of factory workers and they had one major problem – their clothes getting dirty during the work and they had to clean it daily which was a tedious task to do after the days work, hence that was when someone had to step up to solve this burning problem.

It was then that the great Levi Strauss, Levis as we know today was born, they created a baggy pant which was made up of denim a material which can easily soak dirt and dust in it also it was a rough and tough material hence won’t tear down easily, this could be worn by the factory workers for many days without washing them and gave them a very suitable option over trousers, this was the advent of how denim jeans were born.

The Evolution of the 2000s

Fast forward to the 2000s, the fashion sense has changed down for the daily wear the denim jeans are still a go-to but are no longer limited to any particular segment of the society and everyone likes to wear them because of the comfort they provide, however, they are no longer baggy. The suits have geared up a lot they have different types of collars, waistcoats are as trendy as ever and are matched with trousers, however, they are now slim or skin fit unlike the baggy ones worn back in the day. This has shown that fashion is an ever-evolving pervasive process and maybe in the next decade what we are wearing now will be out of fashion who knows, the only thing constant in the fashion industry is change.

The fashion industry has seen ever-changing phenomena from men wearing stockings in the 1600s to the men wearing waistcoats that were knee-length it has only evolved further, people get bored of the previous trends and some trendsetters wear something which breaks the shackles of wearing anything like the rest are wearing, fashion is a language which understands the needs of everyone can be seen by how denim became a household item with the onset of industrialization, it is imperative that irrespective of so many changes we still can’t know what will be the next trend and how will it differ from the current one or what will trigger the next big change. To stay ahead with such things about fashion one may enroll in the various fashion design courses at JD Institute where they will not only be ahead of the rest regarding the changes in fashion but can also become the future trendsetters when they design something of their own.