Bonfire of The Business Suits

An old-fashioned American icon gets a makeover

The sack, as suit, is fading fast, just as the sack, as fate, is becoming more common. All the brooding talk of recession and employment cutbacks has hit the men's fashion industry where it has hit the economy: right in the middle. The staple of the business -- the standard two- or three-piece suit that fits around the average frame as trimly as a swath of burlap around 50 lbs. of Pillsbury -- has lost its allure: too drab, too ordinary and, in an approaching crunch, too superfluous. What's already in the closet is good enough for now, and if it's...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!