A History Of The Final Dying Days Of The Power Suit

Douglas Heye wears suits. Like a lot of men, he gives a fair amount of consideration to the way those suits are styled. Unlike a lot of men, he is willing and able to break down those considerations into specifics. “I like a pocket square, but I generally don’t wear one with a tie,” says Heye, a former Republican strategist, now a CNN contributor. “If I’m wearing a tie, three out of four times it’s blue. I like blue and I’ve been told it works for me. . . . If I’m wearing a jacket and no tie, I always like a pocket square. I think it’s a little bit more dressy. It shows a little bit of effort.” Effort is important. The whole reason for wearing the suit, he says, is to set a tone. He recently attended a meeting where he knew everyone else would be casual. But he couldn’t bring himself to show up in khakis and a golf shirt. A suit, he reasoned, signaled a certain seriousness. “But I don’t know,” he says. “Maybe it means something to me and not the viewer.” “What exactly does the business suit mean today? For many men, it is formality and propriety. When cut with skill, it celebrates the beauty of a well-proportioned physique and camouflages the imperfections of a decidedly human one. A suit announces that a man has grown-up intentions — even if he is wholly immature. It’s an expression of personal aesthetics. Read more at The Washington Post.