Western as in “Western Hemisphere”, not as in “Cowboys & Indians”, of course.
I was watching BBC News today and they were covering a story in one of the Middle Eastern countries which involved an assembly of people, and nearly all the men (Middle Eastern) were wearing Western suits and ties. And I found myself thinking: Why are people in this country wearing a suit and tie, something completely not appropriate for wearing in the desert or the tropics?
There was another piece about the Japanese Diet, and again everyone was wearing a suit. The Minister for Something Or Other in a South American country? Suit. Greek Economist? Suit. Chinese Building Developer? Suit.
Which got me wondering: How is it that Western clothing became the “default” for businesswear all over the world? There’s got to be some reason that people in Japan don’t generally wear Kimonos to work these days, for example.
I know that in some places they’ve combined Western dress with traditional dress (a number of the Pacific Islands, for example), but the point seems to be that a shirt, tie, and maybe suit jacket seems to be the international standard for business or government wear… So how did this come to be? I imagine some of it’s a legacy of Imperialism, but there’s got to be more to it than that…
Definitely imperialism, and a response to the general dominance of Western nations over international economics and politics, at least in the past. If people around the world want to be respected by Westerners, they need to wear suits. By this point the suit has “gone native” in most cultures, and even if the West fades, my guess is that it will still be worn.
I have another WAG - the modern western business suit is one of the few upscale male ensembles in history that is relatively low-key, focusing more on cut and fabric than on bright colors, embroidery and accessories. Late-19th Century Western Europe, where the midern suit first developed, was probably the first time in history rich men didn’t dress up like peacocks (there are exceptions, like 17th-Century Holland or Puritans in general, but the trend was limited). I think people assume they’ll be taken more seriously in a suit than in more extravagent traditional attire.
I agree with this. Imperialism had a huge impact – if you want to get on in your colonised country and not be dismissed as parochial and ill educated by your imperial overlords, then dressing like them is a good start. That then extended to even non-colonised but emerging countries - if you want to be taken seriously on the world stage, then better dress like the movers and shakers (i.e. The West). Of course it’s now the default - I don’t imagine for a moment that a Japanese businessman makes a conscious decision to ‘dress western’, but back in the day, certainly.
The sober coloured suit came a little earlier than that – a regency fashionista in London called Beau Brummel is credited with promoting sober colours for men, and his day wear and evening wear influenced both the modern business suit and the tuxedo – he pioneered dark jackets, white shirts, long trousers and ties. Consequently this style appealed to conservative Victorian society, the empire spreads across the globe and hey presto – the dark suit lives on.