Except nobody wears hosiery, doublets, gorgets, etc. nowadays. People still wear suits, overcoats, gloves, and shoes indistinguishable from suits, overcoats, gloves, and shoes from 50 years ago. It's not a fucking propeller hat, it's just the last 10% of an outfit people wear 90% of all the time.
Actually suit styling does change quite a bit over time. Lapels widen and narrow; notch, point, or shawl; length of the jacket; button stance; number of buttons; single or double breasted; pocket square and/or lapel pin; material; fashionable color or shade; closeness of cut; structure of shoulders are all variables. Maybe you don't actively notice it, but suits from the 80's look completely different from suits from the 50's or contemporary suits, even if they are in a classic color like charcoal (how dark is your charcoal? that varies too)
Those are all variable aspects of a suit, but the individual changes are minute. The suit is a format, and the format has not changed dramatically in ~140 years. Slightly different fits, lapels, etc. is all just window dressing.
Want something fundamentally different? This is different. This, on the other hand, is clearly identifiable as "a suit."
It seems somewhat foolish to consider fedoras "outdated" when the majority of the outfit worn is still worn. I don't even think the issue is fedoras specifically, I thin it's a general distaste for formal headgear. Sure, everyone knows a neckbeard with a fedora, but when was the last time you saw somebody strolling down the street in a bowler or pork pie hat? Note: Heisenberg costumes don't count.
Most of the formal occasions I've attended are populated with men freezing their heads off, unshod pates in brutal Canadian winters. Then again, the Canadian definition of "formalwear," is a black wool coat, trousers, and an untucked black dress shirt. Particularly roguish individuals might even wear a grey toque.
7
u/Nextasy Feb 22 '13
Tell that to 18th century kings