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Is the men's suit a vestige of colonialism?

Pantisocrat

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I used to spend a ton of money on Western products such as wingtip shoes, accessories, and suiting goods, not realizing that I am supporting western imperialism. I'm going back to traditional menswear, which IMHO is more easy on the Earth. :slayer:
 

Bjorn2

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Since colonisation has ended long ago, I don't really see the point of the question?

You are free to get another job, and there are no red coats oppressing you. No?
 

fwiffo

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Actually I read an article a few months ago predicting impending changes to the world, chiefly that the whole "Western" influence will wane in the coming decades. English would cease to be the lingua franca of the business world. Men would stop wearing suits as the uniform for business. And then I thought if people won't be wearing suits, what would they wear? It's a bit shocking to me that that would change.
 
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bluesman528

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It's the end of the world as we know it. And it is since I can remember. :) The fact is it has not changed very much whatever people said.
 

Metlin

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Having been in the colonies, I'd say the safari suit is perhaps the best vestige of colonialism for the powers therein. :)

Or was, perhaps as early as a decade or two ago.


I used to spend a ton of money on Western products such as wingtip shoes, accessories, and suiting goods, not realizing that I am supporting western imperialism. I'm going back to traditional menswear, which IMHO is more easy on the Earth. :slayer:


Do post pictures. :laugh:
 
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IndianBoyz

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Many kinds of suits have gone in and out of fashion for business wear over the centuries. The current lounge suit was originally a form of beach wear for leisure time activity. It was about as formal as a pyjama suit.


Besides, pyjama suits have their roots in India, which apparantly inspired the British.
 
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MikeDT

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I used to spend a ton of money on Western products such as wingtip shoes, accessories, and suiting goods, not realizing that I am supporting western imperialism. I'm going back to traditional menswear, which IMHO is more easy on the Earth. :slayer:


As long as it's all natural stuff, NO oil or coal based synthetics. Cotton denim jeans are easy on the earth, as long as the cotton was grown organically, NO chemicals or pesticides.

Dont know about being vestige of colonialism though, but they could be a vestige of governments, civil servants, mandarins and bureaucracy. Like the way the bowler hat was synonymous with Whitehall civil servants and bureaucrats.

AFAIK London civil servants no longer wear bowler hats, maybe the suit is going the same way?

I've only ever had one suit in my life, and that was for my sister's wedding and one job interview. It stayed in the wardrobe for almost 20 years. I've always had and worn sport jackets and blazers though.

I know my neighbour has a suit, a shiny one. I think he only wears it for special occasions though, like Spring Festival.

BTW 'suit' is a derogatory slang that I've often used for most of my life... e.g. Those suits don't really know what they're doing.
 
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MikeDT

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Metlin

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Bowtiedlad93

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It is not about colonialism it is about looking professional and showing respect for ones self and his work. You should feel honored to be able to dress in such away for a living, not all men are so fortunate especially with most work places become so casual lately.
 

Axel Ferguson

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Actually I read an article a few months ago predicting impending changes to the world, chiefly that the whole "Western" influence will wane in the coming decades. English would cease to be the lingua franca of the business world. Men would stop wearing suits as the uniform for business. And then I thought if people won't be wearing suits, what would they wear? It's a bit shocking to me that that would change.


The shocking bit is.. what would be the lingua franca in this case? There isn't really a proper runner up... Spanish? There is no other big influence on the rise that I can see, everything is pretty much a derivative of Western culture clothing wise.
 

Pantisocrat

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This is the most asinine comment I've read hitherto. You can thank many Eastern cultures for something as basic as a button hole, stiff collar, and of course handkerchiefs. European barbarians didn't have paper or fabric to make anything substantial until they steal it from advanced Islamic and Eastern civilizations. As for the new superpower language; it's definitely Chinese. Africans learn it. Latin Americans learn it. Everyone tries to learn it; and Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world, followed by Spanish and English third. It's even used in the second Wall Street movie as well as the Dark Knight.



The shocking bit is.. what would be the lingua franca in this case? There isn't really a proper runner up... Spanish? There is no other big influence on the rise that I can see, everything is pretty much a derivative of Western culture clothing wise.
 
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Shraka

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OP is incredibly vague, and to post something like this on styleforum? Troll?

I don't think Chinese will be the next dominant business language. I think English will remain one of the main business languages, even if others increase in popularity.

Chinese doesn't really have a chance to become the dominant business language - it's to hard to learn for starters. Also, China is teaching it's population to speak English - and a great deal of the Chinese speaking business community outside China can already speak English. On top of this most of science is already in English, the internet is primarily in English (not just the content, but also the underlying coding).

Chinese will become more popular, but I predict that most Chinese businessmen will already speak English, and would rather speak that than have someone butcher Chinese. ;)
 

cmacey

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OP is incredibly vague, and to post something like this on styleforum? Troll?

I don't think Chinese will be the next dominant business language. I think English will remain one of the main business languages, even if others increase in popularity.

Chinese doesn't really have a chance to become the dominant business language - it's to hard to learn for starters. Also, China is teaching it's population to speak English - and a great deal of the Chinese speaking business community outside China can already speak English. On top of this most of science is already in English, the internet is primarily in English (not just the content, but also the underlying coding).

Chinese will become more popular, but I predict that most Chinese businessmen will already speak English, and would rather speak that than have someone butcher Chinese. ;)


Pay no attention to the OP, his posts suggest an idealistic youth trying to find his place - his chosen screen name confirms the half of it anyway...
 

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