Menswear in the Post-war era

After WWII, the styling of men’s suit led to simplified designs with the lapel size minimized and a straighter cut for the coat. In the mid 1930s, there had already been a total change in terms of men’s fashion – the fit of men’s suits started to get looser, men’s trousers were increasingly tapered towards the bottom, jackets had tapered arms.

By the 1940s, the “loose” look had gained immense popularity as contemporary men’s clothing. One result was that wearing a waistcoat was relatively uncomfortable, and contemporary men’s fashion magazines started complaining about the way the waistcoat moved upwards whenever the wearer made an effort to bend or sit down.

The double-breasted suit came into vogue in the 1940s and remained fashionable for the next couple of decades. The post-war period also saw the replacement of the morning dress by the daytime semi-formal wear called a “stroller” in America.

All through the 1940s and the 1950s, suit styles became more simplified in various ways. By the 1960s, the lapel were noticeably much smaller in size; men’s jackets were cut as straight as possible without any indication of the waistline.

By the 1980s, suits started to loosen once again, putting people in a comfortable frame. In the late 1980s, three-piece double-breasted suits and two-piece single-breasted suits became quite popular.