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Writer's pictureTom Goedhart

How Men’s Bodies Have Influenced 50 Years of Suit Design

Suits, regardless of the fabric, craftsmanship, or price, have always been designed with a single goal: to enhance the male physique. Traditionally, the suit amplifies masculinity, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, giving the wearer a commanding presence. But fashion never stands still. Over the past five decades, designers have been pushing boundaries, reinventing how suits interact with the male body.


One of the most groundbreaking figures in this transformation was Giorgio Armani. Before he became a fashion legend, Armani was a medical student, giving him a deep understanding of anatomy. He broke away from the rigid, structured suits of the past by softening the design. By altering key elements like the lapel gorge and button stance, Armani introduced a new look: suits that draped naturally over the body, rather than being stiff and heavily padded.

Giorgio Armani in 1992.

By eliminating padding and excess structure, Armani's suits let the body speak for itself. Instead of traditional bulky shoulders, his designs followed the body's natural lines, showcasing the wearer’s physique.

Founded in 1975, Armani’s label quickly became a household name. His big break came with the 1980 film American Gigolo, where Richard Gere sported Armani’s fluid, unstructured suits. The lightweight materials and relaxed cuts created a second-skin effect, shifting the focus from the suit to the man inside it. This movement towards a softer, more body-conscious suit sparked a fitness boom in the 1980s, as men sought to enhance the bodies they now had to "fill out" in these sleeker suits.

Gucci in 1995.

When Tom Ford took the reins at Gucci in 1994, he brought the male form to center stage, blending sex appeal with sophistication.

In the mid-90s, no one captured the “sexy” aesthetic quite like Tom Ford. His vision for Gucci included sharp shoulders, cinched waists, and flared trousers that hugged the body. Ford's suits demanded attention, reshaping the slim Armani silhouette into something more sensual and bold. Men were encouraged to embrace their physiques, with Ford often leading by example, wearing his own designs with shirts unbuttoned down to the chest.

Dior Homme in 2007..

Hedi Slimane’s arrival at Dior Homme marked a dramatic shift. While others celebrated broad shoulders and strong builds, Slimane went in the opposite direction - he shrank the suit.

Slimane's suits were razor-thin, often compared to wetsuits due to their body-hugging fit. Dior’s black skinny suits became a phenomenon, but they weren’t for the muscular man. Slimane’s aesthetic favored slim, almost skeletal frames, leading to a wave of men aiming to lose weight just to fit into these suits. Even fashion heavyweight Karl Lagerfeld famously shed 40 kg to wear Dior Homme.


"Dior suits under Hedi Slimane were designed for the super skinny. The message was clear: Want to wear them? Get bone-thin first! So I went on a strict diet and workout regime to lose weight. I dropped 40kg just to fit into Hedi Slimane's clothes." - Karl Lagerfeld

Thom Browne in 2018. In the early 2000s, Thom Browne reimagined the suit with unconventional proportions, sparking a new kind of rebellion..

Browne’s suits were intentionally "wrong" by traditional standards: cropped trousers, narrow shoulders, and high armholes were his signatures. His designs challenged everything about the classic suit, and yet, they found success. Browne’s eccentric vision went beyond just tailoring - he introduced muscular models in skirts and fused high-heeled brogues with wedding dresses, blurring the lines between conventional masculinity and avant-garde fashion.

Gucci in 2019–2020.

Alessandro Michele, influenced by Thom Browne’s gender-fluid approach, took Gucci in a new direction.

Under Michele, Gucci suits became a canvas for gender fluidity. From padded shoulders to exaggerated flares, his designs mixed traditionally masculine and feminine elements. Worn by style icons like Harry Styles and Jared Leto, these suits played with proportions and created a new space for self-expression, where the body became a platform for bold cuts and creative experimentation.

Ermenegildo Zegna x Fear of God in 2020. In 2020, as the world adapted to life during a pandemic, Jerry Lorenzo and Alessandro Sartori introduced a new suit design for the socially distanced era.

Their collaboration merged classic tailoring with modern comfort, crafting suits that felt as relaxed as sportswear. Collars were swapped for sleek, collarless designs inspired by baseball jackets, and the structure of the suit was pared down to prioritize ease and relaxation. In a world where physical presence was limited, these suits celebrated mood and attitude over muscle or physique, perfectly capturing the spirit of the times.


From Armani’s relaxed elegance to Slimane’s skeletal suits and Browne’s boundary-pushing proportions, the suit has continually evolved to reflect changing ideals of the male body. Whether embracing strength, slimness, or fluidity, these designers have reshaped how the suit frames the male physique over the past 50 years.


By GQ.




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