Are sharkskin suits popular again?

I bought a blue/teal sharkskin suit a few years ago -- a good, but not great suit. Sharkskin can still work for a suit, provided it does not have a shiny luster to it. The rat pack sharkskin suits of the 1960's would look dated today. Mine has gotten relegated to informal wear -- not something that would be appropriate for the boardroom or an interview. At best, sharkskin would make a fourth or fifth suit fabric choice.

Never went out of style for me, but I don't follow trends so what do I know?

Here's mine anyway:

man, i sure hope they're not out of style.  just placed an order for the navy sharkskin from indochino (it doesn't look too shiny to me)

That suit looks very good, imho. Where did you get it?

In Sydney (where I live)

A hand-finished made-to-measure from P Johnson Tailors.

Fabric is Loro Piana Navy Sharkskin (from their All Seasons Book).

I never knew it went out of style. Not all sharkskin fabric have a high sheen to them. It's very durable though.

+1 on both counts

 

I think a general current interest in suits with something of a sheen was sparked by Cruise's blue MI4 suit earlier this year. I don't think it specifically was sharkskin but nonetheless I think it's resulted in a few people wanting to wear slightly shiny suits again. This sort of popularity comes and goes.

 

In and of itself, sharkskin can be a nice fabric if it's made of natural fabrics (eg mohair/wool blend). It's been around for ages and won't be going anywhere I suspect, regardless of peaks & troughs of wider popularity. Personally, I not massively keen on it - if I want a very slight sheen, a little silk in the blend but without a typical sharkskin weave would be my preference - but still, I can see the appeal.

I think it is a good use of the sharks besides just making soup out of the fins and throwing the rest away.

Isn't sharkskin just a type of weave (AKA Pick n' Pick) and doesn't have to be shiny at all?

It is among people who would be inclined to know that sort of thing.

I imagine John Q. Public would associate it with shine since most (recognizable) examples are shiny.

Exactly. I have a light grey sharkskin and it has no shine but texturally it is very smooth, the other end of the spectrum from donegal or something similar.

I never knew there was anything untoward about sharkskin (aka pick and pick). I had Chan make me up a suit from a VBC 110 gray sharkskin a couple of years ago. Truth be told, I didn't even know it was sharkskin until Patrick Chu told me it was. That suit will always have a special place in my heart because one day, while I was wearing it, a lady--a complete stranger, I might add--volunteered that I looked just like Cary Grant! I had never fancied there was a resemblance, so I think it must have been the gray suit!