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Why Do We Wear Suits?

From royal coronations to criminal trials, the suit is men’s go-to uniform. Why?

From royal coronations to criminal trials, the suit is men’s go-to uniform. But why?

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson reveal the suit’s origins in the court of Charles II, how the original dandy Beau Brummell shaped men’s style to this day, and how sporty Victorians forged the modern suit.

But with the rise of working from home, are the suit’s days numbered?

Key sources:
The Suit: Form, Function and Style, Christopher Breward
Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen’s Men of Fashion, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ Radio 4
A Stitch in Time, Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ FOUR
This 19th-century London dandy caused a style revolution, National Geographic, 2019
Suitably Dressed, The Economist, 2010

Release date:

Available now

33 minutes

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Watch the visualised podcast on Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ iPlayer

Watch the visualised podcast on Ä¢¹½¶ÌÊÓÆµ iPlayer

Alice Loxton and Ben Henderson reveal the historical roots of everyday life.

Podcast