Men had the suit for about a century and a half, and I'd like to thank them for keeping it in reasonable condition. The shoulders needed work. Otherwise, fine.
People still call it power dressing, as if the power came with the jacket and you had to borrow it for the afternoon. It doesn't. A suit is a set of instructions for how long people should look at you, and where. The shoulder says where you start. The lapel says where to look. The trouser says you are not running for anything, least of all the bus.
What it doesn't do is apologise, which is why it still makes people nervous on a woman. Nobody asks a man whether his jacket is flattering. I get asked weekly.
So I wear it cut to the shape I have, not the one it was drafted for. Sleeves pushed up, because the ink isn't a secret. Short palette, because a suit is one sentence and it should end. One pinstripe, one tuxedo, for when the room deserves it.
You don't have to give it back. Nobody's coming for it.
Dahlia
